A complete guide to great backyard buildings with ninety four designs of barns, stables, garages, sheds and garden structures; plans that you can purchase directly from their designers; a directory of hard-to-find building products, guide books, kits, timber frames and prefab buildings; and good advice on site planning and construction.

Although it dates from a time before power tools, electricity, and gasoline, this book abounds in simple ideas that rural householders and farmers find useful today. Barns, poultry houses, piggeries, corn cribs, ice houses, spring houses, granaries, smoke houses, root cellars and even kennels and birdhouses are includes in this fascinating compendium from days gone by.

Excerpted from Barns, Sheds & Outbuildings (c)1995. Reprinted by permission, all rights reserved

An extraordinary mass and variety of know-how has gone into the planning of these simple buildings ... real, practical understanding not only of materials and construction but also of farming and farm economics, weather, geography, history and especially of the animals of the farm. (Foreword)

Here's a misnamed book. It's not really about building a barn; instead, it's How to Build a House 101. The differences between building a barn as Wagner describes it and building a house aren't all that great. A wise reader will pick up on this, and someone with a yen to build their own abode could easily use the book as a primer. On a more modest note, you could probably substitute garage or storage shed for barn in the title and still have an excellent book. Wagner covers all the basics--laying out the foundation, creating the walls and roof, adding basic electricity and plumbing, and the other exciting stuff you wind up undertaking in such a project. The illustrations are well thought out and executed, and the worksheets (encourage patrons to photocopy these and leave the book intact) that allow you to budget the cost of construction are excellent. If you're intending to build a structure 24 feet by 30 feet and use it for storage, you could, following Wagner's advice, create something that will still be standing 50 years hence.

"Barns" is designed to help horsemen solve housing problems. We have worked with horsemen from around the country, from back yard innovators to Olympic Team members, to find good solutions to common and uncommon horsekeeping challenges. From clever watering systems to low-cost horse housing, we've found people with good ideas they are willing to share. And with our backgrounds as equestrian management professionals, we've been able to review each idea with an eye to safety, economy and the reality of the average horse owner .

The complete guide to choosing, planning, and building today's best fences: wire, rail, electric, high-tension, temporary, woven, and snow.

A Well-Made Fence Brings Peace of Mind

If you keep livestock or tend a garden that's vulnerable to wildlife predators, you know that a good fence is essential for protecting your investment. But with all of the new options available today -- and the many challenges posed by terrain, weather, and predators -- it's often hard to determine what type of fence meets your needs. That's why Gail Damerow has written this practical, easy-to-use guide to selecting, planning, and building fences that...

A comprehensive guide that leads horse owners through the maze of designing, building, or remodeling horse barns, featuring 16 plans and 150 color photos. An Equestrian Edge Book Club Main Selection.

Whether building a new barn or improving an existing one, Horse Housing is the perfect guide. From finding the best building site to choosing stall latches, this book is chock full of how-to tips. It explains in detail which materials are good to use around horses, and how good lighting, flooring, and ventilation make a big difference to both horses and people. And it goes beyond theory-offering information, like how to estimate concrete and shingle a new roof or replace an old one.... read more

Horsekeeping is good for your horse, the land and you! During the last 25 years, my husband, Richard Klimesh, and I have owned horse acreages in the midwest, the southwest, Canada, and the foothills of the Rockies. We've purchased bare land and started from scratch; we've purchased small farms that desperately needed remodeling; and we've purchased horse acreages that had been over-grazed and needed to be revived! During those years of fixing up all of those acreages, I gathered some valuable information that I'd like to share with you in this book. I cover layout, barn planning, pasture management, fencing, tractor and implement selection, and much more.

The publisher, Storey Books , April 17, 1998 Twenty budget conscious projects for the do-it-yourselfer, with complete plans and step-by-step instructions. Projects include four types of barns: all-purpose, pole, horse, and milk; plus plans for garages, equipment sheds, greenhouses, workshops, home offices, guest houses, and more.

Winner in the 1993 Stanley National Home and Workshop Writers Association writing contest

5 out of 5 stars Pole construction - a wonderful alternative for great value., December 9, 1999

I gave the book five stars because there was a total lack of books on the subject when I read it months ago. Thanks to Amazon, there is now more available. I am a developer of lots. I have seen what the family faces with home buying. The pole house will only be for the stout-hearted, brave and good humored. But for those few souls it will be a wonderful experience. This book takes you from day one - walking onto your lot - to the finished product. And it tells you everything in between like, how to get your friends to gleefully help you plant your poles to having an old "barn raising". It's good stuff. It's dated, but if you're an ol' fashion American pioneer like me, you'll love the challenge.

I'm 2/3 done with a garage that's based on a plan in this book. I'm using this book for pole barn-specific info, and "Building a Multi-Use Barn : For Garage, Animals, W..." for the rest. Together, these two books give me enough information, without going overboard. Good luck to you; I'm having a blast!

5 out of 5 stars A terrific book!, December 31, 1998
Mr. Ehringer's fine book helped me build the horse facility of my dreams in southeastern Wyoming. It exhaustively covered virtually every topic I needed to learn about. Three cheers for Gavin Ehringer and his fine work!

If you're planning a small barn, you need this book., October 10, 2002
Reviewer: Donald J. Berg (see more about me) from Rockville Centre, NY USA No one knows more about small barns than Craig Wallin. He builds beautiful little barns and country homes in Washington state. The structures that he designs for Homestead Design, Inc. have been built all across the US and Canada. Here, he gives you a step-by-step guide to planning and building the perfect storage barn, workshop, horse barn or country garage for your place. He gives good, practical, no-nonsense advice on determining the space you need, building and property plans, getting permits, finding good contractors at fair prices, and on do-it-yourself building. This book is packed with plans, details and great ideas. I learned a lot from this book. You will too!

Hill shares decades of horsekeeping experience to help readers provide a safe, efficient, healthy living environment for their horses. More than 250 photographs address topics such as stalls, tack rooms, work and storage areas, sanitation and pest control, feeding practices, safety and emergencies, and more.

"Cherry Hill is America's expert on common sense horse care, training, and horsekeeping...her quiet wisdom is a reliable source of advice for any horse owner." --Lisa Kiser, Marketing Manager, Equitana USA and EqWest

A Complete Stablekeeping Reference

Happy trails begin at home. From design to management to maintenance, good stablekeeping minimizes repairs, reduces feed and veterinary bills, helps to ensure that horses are safe and content, and provides a pleasant workplace. Learn how to... read more