10 Things I Learned While Building a Barn with Cassie Wallskog

Building a barn is tough. Probably one of the toughest things I’ve had to do thus far! Here are a few things that I’ve learned throughout the process that I’d love to share with others.

1. Expect things to take longer

I’ve always been told when it comes to construction, expect things to take longer than initially estimated. The beginning process of building the barn went quickly, so I started to get excited that it might be done quicker than 4 months. However, after the frame of the building was up, things slowed down significantly. I had to remind myself of the initial timeline and to not jump ahead of that. When all was done, it was about 6 months from breaking ground to moving horses in. Considering the land wasn’t even cleared a year ago, things moved fairly quickly.

2. There’s no such thing as too much detail

From planning the layout of the entire property, to one single window in the tack room, be overly descriptive of what you want. I found that although I had expressed what I wanted in certain areas, aspects were still misunderstood. Some things were a small fix, but others were large changes that took more time and money. If you can avoid the misunderstandings, it saves everyone time and money.

3. Be picky

Certain things can’t be changed down the road, so be very picky of what you want. Make sure you are happy with every single detail, and if you aren’t, then make a change. This change might be physical change to the barn or an internal change in your expectations. Not everything is possible, unfortunately.

4. Make Compromises

Yes, I know #3 stated to be picky. However, there are certain areas that compromises must be made. The reality is that I didn’t have years and endless amounts of money to get exactly what I want. There were things that I wanted that I had to let go of. And now that the barn is complete, I don’t miss those things that I had to compromise on.

5. Don’t be surprised when things don’t go your way

People can’t read my mind. I’ve learned that the hard way. Even though I try to be descriptive and give excess amounts of detail, things don’t always work out. There will be mistakes and misunderstandings. Expect those to happen and don’t beat yourself or others up over it. Just take a breath and move on to how you can fix it.

6. Do your research

The internet has so much information about everything including design and construction. Take the time, do the research to get ideas of what you want and what you need. Write down everything that stands out and put it all in a list. I have made countless lists over this past year to organize my ideas and thoughts. It has helped immensely to establish the immediate necessities of the barn and what can wait for years to come.

7. Listen to others

You’re not the first person to build a barn. Talk to others and hear their experiences and what they’ve learned. I’ve found that there is always at least one aspect that people would change in their barn. Use other peoples mistakes to your advantage, so you can avoid those.

8. Things are not going to be perfect at first

I’ve always held high expectations for myself and others around me. It was no different for my barn. I expected to have everything in top condition when horses first came to the property. But, there were, and still are, several things I can’t control. The weather has been the most difficult part for our farm. When horses moved in to the farm in June, we had gone weeks without rain. The grass was hardly growing in the pastures, everything was covered in dust, and it was only the beginning of the hot summer. Then, a few weeks later, we got rain. We got so much rain that it washed away all the seed that we planted. It caused me a lot of stress in the beginning. But, I’ve come to realize it isn’t in my control. We are doing what we can and I know one day, hopefully soon, we will have lush pastures. It’s still a work in progress, but I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.

9. You’re not going to hit the ground running

Although I already had an established business before building my own farm, business didn’t boom as soon as the barn opened. It took me time to realize that it’s normal for new businesses to slowly grow and progress. I’ve really struggled coming to terms with this. Slowly, we are gaining a great group of people and horses here and I am very grateful for them all being patient as the farm expands.

10. Try to take a break

Lastly, it’s important to find time for yourself and your family. I really need to take my own advice with this one. I love living where my horses are, but that also means there’s constantly things that need to be done. People always say that everyone needs to take a day off, but that’s not always possible with horses. Even just a few hours on an easier day seems to help reset my brain and body.

Building a barn has been an incredible experience that has allowed a lot of personal growth. I am excited for the future years as we continue to expand. We have lots of exciting projects coming in the near future.