Horse barn safety is DC Structures’ top priority when it comes to designing our top-of-the-line barn kits. Injuries pose a real threat to horses, as the road to recovery can be especially arduous for them. There are a number of preventative measures you can take to ensure the safety of your four-legged equine friends. Read on for our recommendations for best practices.

DC Structures’ top-8 horse barn safety tips

• All barn materials should be free of chemical treatments as they present health risks to horses that chew on them. DC Structures uses top-grade untreated lumbers for its post-and-beam kit designs.
• The areas within and around a barn should always be free of clutter. Loose items scattered about the aisles are a safety hazard.
• Walkways should be no less than 12’ wide to allow horses to pass freely and turn around with ease. DC Structures’ barn kits all include plans that meet this requirement.
• The aisle ways should have an even and well-tractioned surface. Textured concrete or dirt without rocks are both great options.
• Stall fronts should have smoothed edges to avoid injury to the horse. All DC Structures horse barn packages include Classic Equine’s powder-coated, pre-galvanized steel stall fronts, designed specifically to protect your horse from scratches.
• The only direction a stall door should swing is outward, as inward-swinging doors can create potentially dangerous situations for caretakers if the horse is anxious to get out.
• Barn lighting should be mounted high away from a horse’s reach, or otherwise secured within strong wire casing.
• Floor-to-ceiling height should be adequate for rearing horses. DC Structures designs its barn kits with a minimum of 9’ from the floor to the ceiling.

To learn more about DC Structures’ top-of-the-line horse barn kits, request our digital catalog.

DC Structures helps clients realize their dreams all over the U.S.—but don’t just take our word for it. Our client testimonials paint a clear picture of the DC team’s enthusiastic and dedicated work ethic.

“Straight from the horse’s mouth” is an idiom that refers to information that comes from the highest authority—and it feels particularly appropriate here. DC Structures is an authority on barns and barn-style homes, but we know our clients are the highest authority when it comes to the quality of our products and services.

This client testimonial comes from Brian Sonnenberg of West Linn, Oregon. DC worked with the Sonnenbergs to design a horse barn with upstairs game loft for their Last Chance Ranch in 2010.

Not long after the barn was completed, the Sonnenbergs wanted to up the ante by commissioning DC to design an all-seasons riding arena. Starting with our standard Prairie 80’ riding arena kit, we worked with the Sonnenbergs to modify their kit into their own custom covered arena. The result is a stunning all-weather riding area that complements the aesthetic of the adjacent barn.

Hear what the Sonnenbergs have to say about this covered riding arena in the video below.

Thinking about building your own equestrian dream structure? Request our digital catalog to start laying the foundation today.

DC Structures specializes in top-of-the-line horse barn kits, with horse stall designs that are fit for a stallion. Whatever your equestrian needs, we’ll work with you to modify your plans and produce the best possible horse stall setup for your unique situation.

Take a look at our horse stall showcase to see how we’ve turned our clients’ dreams into happy homes for their horses. Get started on your own dream barn by requesting our digital catalog today.

Weighing the pros and cons of farm composting with your barn project?

If you’ve spent time on a farm or out in the wild, you’ve likely taken note of the interconnected nature of bio habitats. Composting is a man-made process that exemplifies the natural cycle of decomposition and fertilization.

First, plants are grown in nutrient-dense soils. Then, nutrients from that plant are returned to the earth, whether through natural decomposition or manure. Finally, this re-introduction of nutrients replenishes soil health, which in turn supports the growth of the following season’s crops.

When an apple rots and falls to the ground, for example, it will eventually decompose and fertilize the soil. Replenishing dirt with these nutrients is what allows the apple tree and other surrounding plants to continue bearing fruit.

There are a number of ways to compost—and when it comes to choosing the process that’s right for you, there’s really no wrong answer. Compost methods range from aerated pile churning to sophisticated vermiculture setups. The only thing holding you back is the kind of system your space will allow.

Apartment composters for instance are likely stuck with small indoor bins that hold little food waste. On the other hand, homes with small yards can usually support larger, outdoor bins. When it comes to farm composting, though, the sky’s the limit!

Whatever the scale of your composting needs, DC Structures can set you up with a reliable system that will reduce your property’s environmental footprint in a way that is clean, simple and efficient.

O2Compost: Get the most out of your compost

DC Structures partners with O2Compost—a Pacific Northwest environmental consulting firm—to help our clients design the best possible composting setups for their properties.

O2Compost creates cost-effective systems that utilize the aerated static pile composting method. The farm composting setups that O2Compost designs can process all organic materials. This includes food scraps, landscaping debris and livestock manure.

For example: Our clients at Last Chance Ranch in West Linn, Oregon commissioned DC for both a horse barn and a covered riding arena. With equestrian pursuits playing such a prominent role on their property, these customers were looking for a solution to their horses’ manure piles and the flies they attract.

O2Compost designed an aerated composting system that matches the aesthetic of the ranch’s barn and arena. More importantly, it has completely solved our client’s problems with manure stench and flies. What’s even better is that they are now creating their own nutrient-rich fertilizer essentially free of cost. 

Composting is a simple and cost-effective way to promote responsible environmental stewardship. Once in place, this process will save you time and resources that would otherwise be spent on waste disposal and fertilizer.

To learn more about O2Compost’s aerated static pile composting method, visit their website. Thinking about adding a new barn or barn-style home to your property? Request our digital catalog to get a start on your dreams.

In regions of the country where annual snowfall is high, buildings must be adequately engineered to withstand heavy snow loads.

Snow loads refer to the weight of snow that a building’s rooftop is designed to hold up against. It takes extensive calculations to determine the proper engineering for each building’s specific needs.

Structural engineers rely on international building codes to determine appropriate snow load designs. In winter-heavy areas, these requirements are usually elaborated upon by state and local governments.

If snow is a concern, it’s important to work with engineers who are familiar with regional-specific building codes. Insufficient design has the potential to be costly in every sense of the word.

The Many Faces of Snow

Just like the individuality of each snowflake that comes together to form a winter scene, every snow event has its own unique nature. This makes it especially tricky to intuit how differing snow conditions will affect each individual building.

The term ‘snow event’ can refer to one large winter storm or a series of storms that bring multiple bouts of precipitation.

These winter storm systems present a number of dangerous challenges. On the one hand, making an effort to remove snow from a rooftop is more of a risk than it’s worth. On the other, heavy snowfall over extended periods of time increases the chance of structural deficiency or perhaps even collapse.

Planning for Snow Loads

Design for proper snow loads must be weighed against several important considerations. For example, places where snow is generally light and dry are going to be a lot less troubling than regions with wet and heavy snow.

In other words, 1 foot of snow in Wisconsin is not equal to 1 foot of snow in Oregon. This inconsistency in snow density is the result of regional variations such as humidity and elevation. Freezing rain and snow that melts and then freezes can also complicate matters.

Additional factors that affect structural snow loads include the amount of wind the building is exposed to, as well as the thermal conditions of the structure.

Roofing materials and slope, identification of potential ice dam formations, snow drifting and sliding, uneven distribution of the weight of snow on a rooftop—all of these variables must be thoughtfully addressed throughout the structural engineering process.

DC Structures has accommodated increased snow load requirements for clients in harsh-winter regions across the country. Our kits are always engineered to the highest safety standards.

Take a look at our catalog and start planning your dream building today.