After reading the article “Common Mistakes in Barn Door Design” included in a recent Lucas Equine’s newsletter (a great source for helpful hints on stall and door design), I thought I would share a few of my own opinions about barn door design. Throughout my 30 years designing equestrian structures, I have developed my own personal preferences about door design and can also suggest a few tips.
One of my personal pet peeves is using glass in a door that will primarily rest against a wall when left open. This tends to be more of an issue in warmer climates, where aisle doors stay open for a good portion of the year. In this case, unless cleaned regularly, buildup of cobwebs, dirt, grass clippings, and other debris can collect behind the door. Because of the glass, there is the added issue of the paint or wall finish fading on the exterior. Although, dirt, snow, and other things tend to get trapped behind the door regardless, without the window this is not directly observable.
No matter what option you choose, your barn door will require maintenance to keep it in proper working order, as well as looking beautiful. This means regular cleaning to remove debris on either side of the door or in the track. By not cleaning them regularly, you run the risk of permanent damage to the finish or function of the door.
Keep in mind the location of your farm as you design your barn entrance. In areas with a lot of snow, snow hoods can be both convenient and essential. These slight protuberances over the door prevent snow from restricting the door’s movement by covering the track and the ground around the door. In those rare cases when it is necessary to get in and out of the door quickly, this detail can be incredibly timesaving.
In my opinion, a pocket door system is a more aesthetically pleasing solution than either of these previous options. In this case, the door slides into a cavity in the wall, which reduces the possibility of build-up, but also allows the door to be out of the way when it is not in use. On occasion, under owner requests, budget restraints, or design issues, we opt away from the pocket door option. But it is a nice rule to follow when you can.
I always recommend against hinge doors whether they be the aisle door, outside stall door or interior stall door, as they can become dangerous if they swing shut or open unexpectedly. The inability to know if they are latched is another issue. When looking down an aisle, it is obvious which doors are open and unlatched and which are not. This is not the case with a hinged door, as it could be closed and unlatched. These doors, if unlatched, can easily be caught by the wind and could risk injury to the horse. Even if a sliding door is unlatched, you do not run this same risk. Sliding doors are also more practical when taking a horse in and out, as they can be left open when the horse is not in the stall. A hinged door has to be opened and closed when taking the horse out, and opened and closed when returning the horse. For all these reasons, I advocate against their use for these purposes.
Although barn doors may seem like a minor detail, they have a large impact on making an aesthetically pleasing entrance and provide a necessary and primary function for an equine structure.
