Metal Livestock Barns

The mailbag is full and today's question is about livestock barns ... small livestock, specifically.

HC wrote in looking for information on building a kit barn for their goats, sheep, mini horses and alpacas.

I've become a big fan of single-story metal livestock barns. Steel buildings are economical to build, go up fast, and are low maintenance. A well designed modern metal barn can look downright nice -- from the day that it's finished through the day pack it all in and leave the farm.

And forget about the yearly ordeal of painting or staining. Nothing beats a pressure washer for a quick clean up.

Steel building manufacturers can be extremely competitive on price. Many of these firms list bargain barns on their websites that they have sitting in stock as a result of cancelled orders. If you're flexible about design and color, you can save thousands by picking a metal barn kit out of inventory.