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Not Your Grandparents’ Horse Barn – Spin That Color Wheel

When it comes to color choices for their new horse barns modern day horse owners are breaking with tradition, and why not! While it may still be a good idea to avoid psychedelic color choices when it comes to paint and stain color selection for outbuildings, especially if you wish to keep your neighbors happy and have an option for property resale later, the days of red oxide color scheme that spoke to the legacy of farmers’ innovative ideas in the 1700’s, are rapidly being replaced by a more avant-garde and sophisticated color palette.

In the past Americans have generally opted for more conservative horse barn color schemes than their European colleagues in paints and stains. Meantime, modern architectural creations across the pond have embraced vivid primary color schemes for decades. While equine aficionados are by their very nature slightly more restrained in their color choices for buildings’ siding, trim and roof requirements, as the next generation realize their horse barn ownership dreams a transition is slowly taking place across the U.S.A. Folks are learning how to spin the color wheel to add new dimension to the style and aesthetic appeal of their horse barns, and the results are exciting.

What are these changes in horse stable color choice and are they are fad or a trend?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a trend is defined as:

“A general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving.”

While a fad is:

“A style, activity, or interest that is very popular for a short period of time.”

So perhaps only time will tell whether these color notes will stick around and become part of the landscape for future generations to behold.

What color choices are trending today? Who better to ask than Horizon Structures’ veteran Chief Marketing Officer, Jill Siragusa. Siragusa has seen paint colors and stain choices run the gamut during her career, and had this to share with the prospective horse barn purchaser:

“There will always be a place for the traditional barn colors in the market, but the tide of color does change. The range of color choices we offer may have more than a bit to do with that, but there is no question that our customers are becoming braver about their color selection, and not being constrained by tradition. It’s great to see folks individualizing their horse barn, and enjoying embracing new options. A very popular color scheme in recent months has been a bold black paint to adorn the board and batten siding with bright bronze stains for doors to highlight the entranceways. Our team has also produced a gray version with the same stain colors that was very well received. People are thinking outside the paint box these days, and as house architecture styles and colors change complementing color schemes for the horse barn migrate with them.”

There is also a vibrant horse barn color trend toward light and bright white siding, with light gray accents for trim. This chic ‘Miami’ look on a horse barn is breathtaking, with the horses’ coats providing the contrast coloring as the equine occupants gaze out from their Dutch doors.

“Light colors are always a ‘cool’ choice for hot climates, and as Horizon Structures services all areas of the U.S.A., with our latest factory in Wyoming that came on line earlier this year providing a cost effective solution for modular builds out West, our team is building a lot more white and light colored structures for our customers,” explained Siragusa.

Of course the addition of paint and stains to wood siding and trim does a lot more than make a building look pretty. Protection of the natural fibers of the wood from adverse weather elements is the key reason to apply a coating to the structure. The farmers of the 1700’s were right on point with their reasoning on that front. Today’s stains and paints can offer up to 15 years durability without the need for repainting or re-staining, and thus compete well against their metal and modern low maintenance material counterparts.

Wood has many advantages over metal-built horse housing and methods that extend the longevity of the structure without compromising on the appearance over time with sincere mitigation of the need for time-consuming repairs is a noteworthy advance in horse barn construction.

“I don’t think shopping for a horse barn has ever been more fun,” said Siragusa, “Our online choices mean you can shop literally from your couch and choose from a huge variety of options to personalize your horse barn and have it just how you want it, with the written assurance of ‘to the penny quotes’, and accurate timelines for delivery and set up.”

Some folks are more visually oriented than others and prospective purchasers often have a difficult time envisioning just how the final barn design will look. This dilemma is one that Mark Zook, one of the co-owners of Horizon Structures, set out to solve.

Zook’s innovative idea was to offer a special virtual tour utilizing modern day technology and design techniques. This is an area of expertise for Mark Zook with his hands-on background in drafting and design for the company, and one close to his heart.

“We are very excited about this unique offering of a virtual 2D and 3D view of the barn design that is coming soon for purchasers of our larger barns. How cool is that!” said Siragusa.

There are many decisions to make when it comes to buying a horse barn, and it is wise to resource advice on all aspects before coming to a final decision. Don’t forget to ask about financing options, written warranty provisions and clearly written contracts before parting with a deposit on a build. This is especially important at this time, due to the volatility in the lumber commodity market and the insane demand within the marketplace for new builds in the current climate.

“Despite our ability to leverage our materials purchasing power due to our high production of structures, the turbulent lumber market challenges even a company our size to maintain price points over long periods. Our usual 30 day hold on our written quotes has consequently been reduced to 7 days in recent months. But rest assured that as always that our Amish craftsman crew are ready to build whatever you need to their exacting standards, be it one of our new timber frame structures, a low profile barn or a humble run-in shed. Trust and transparency have always been our watchwords, and that won’t change,” stated Siragusa proudly.

About Horizon Structures

Horizon Structures is now the industry’s leader in quality built horse barns, horse stables and run-in sheds. The high level of craftsmanship in our Amish built barns, horse stables, storage buildings, sheds and garages provide for a long lasting structure that comes with our Written Guarantee.

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