Wooden pallets are used to safely transport various goods and materials. Once used, they’re usually destined to garbage dumps. However, old pallets can be recycled and they offer a budget-friendly solution in basic construction such as when building horse barns and sheds.
These are the steps on how to build a cheap horse barn yourself on a budget out of wooden pallets.
1. Choose a flat location for your horse shed. If your area isn’t naturally flat, you can hire a professional to flatten and pack the ground that will serve as the floor and foundation of your barn.
2. For a barn 21 feet long and 10.5 feet wide, dig holes at each corner and at the middle of the front and back. Dig another hole at the front, 7 feet from the middle post. Holes should be at least 3 feet deep and big enough for 4-by-4-inch posts.
3. Set the posts. Make sure that they’re vertically straight using a level. Fill each hole with cement and allow it to fully dry.
4. Using a drill with ¼-inch drill bit, drill two holes on each side of the pallets. The upper holes should be 2 inches below the top while the lower ones should be 2 inches above the bottom.
5. Lay down 30 pallets in groups of three with the holes lined up. For each group, push ¼-inch bolts through the predrilled holes. Tighten the bolts using a ratchet and ¼-inch socket. These will become the partial walls of your barn.
6. Create two long partial walls by attaching two of the walls that you’ve already bolted together.
7. Attach one long partial wall at the back side of the barn. Use at least four 2-inch nails at each end.
8. Nail short partial walls on both ends of the barn. At the front, nail a short partial wall only on the right side. On the left side, nail a single pallet outside of the posts.
9. Build the second layer of walls by placing partial walls above the first and nailing them to the posts. Each wall of the barn should now be 7 feet tall.
10. Take six 2-by-4-inch boards and cut them into 12-inch sections. On the inner side of the wall, place a section so that half of the board is on the bottom pallet and nail it in place. Nail a board every 2 feet for all four walls.
11. Nail a 7-feet long 2-by-4-inch board onto the left and right side of the front wall. Nail another board between the pallets 2 feet below the top edge. Close the space above the door by nailing 2-by-12-inch boards to the frame.
12. Nail 12-inch sections of 2-by-4-inch board to the pallets to extend the front wall up. Place one section every 21 inches. Nail two layers of 2-by-6-inch boards to the extensions.
13. Nail a 2-by-6-inch board between the long walls every 4 feet to make roof rafters. Screw roofing sheets parallel to the rafters.
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