And, you know how THAT goes.
From the beginning:
One of our big ‘barn beautification’ projects this year was to update the tackroom before the ATAA Conference. Years ago, a boarder took 2 of the stalls and made them into a tackroom/feedroom and washrack (Thank you Sandra!). Those worked just fine, although in the past year or so, the tackroom has been looking pretty rough. The floor was especially bad, as rats got underneath it and well, created havoc. Anyone who has been near a barn knows that there is an undeclared war going on with rats and mice, at all times. The floor got to the point where I realized it was a hazard, so an update was decided.
At first, we though just a new coat of paint would do it and to put the feed in a different area.
So,we took all the feed (which is in metal garbage cans) out of the tackroom and put them in a different stall farther away. That did help, but also showed how really bad the floor was and how much damage there was to the walls. Looks wonderful, doesn’t it?
As you can see, the floor is in sad shape. There was also quite a bit of mold in the wall between the tackroom and the washrack. I think this was the point when we realized just a paint job wouldn’t do.
So, we (we being me, Larry, Niki and April) put our heads together to figure out a) the best way to do this b) the least expensive way c) the way to get this all done before the ATAA Conference in September. Between us, we reused a lot of things we already had and while I haven’t figured out exactly what it cost, it is a lot less than it could have been.
First up was rat proofing the floor and up the walls. Even with no horse feed in the new tackroom, there would still be expensive tack, treats, etc. So, we got serious.
We dug down to gravel and dirt. Did we stop there? Heavens no! If it’s worth doing, by gum, it’s worth doing well. We dug down another 4-6 inches (or more) so we could put down layered mesh fencing, plastic sheeting and flashing all around the walls. Right about now, we also decided to take the old roof off to lighten up the whole area and also because it was pretty nasty.
At this point, we needed to get the wiring and plumbing in. The wiring was fairly easy, we just needed to adjust where things went. Plumbing was a whole different game. We had had a rather jury rigged combo of hoses and plastic tubing in place before. It worked, but we had to watch it for leaks and it was just pretty clumsy.
Then, it was time to ‘do’ the floor. Below are the many steps we took. By the time we were done, we joked that only the Tremors monsters could get through this.
Once the plastic sheeting was down, we put up paneling on the walls. We thought about only painting, but the old wood was so lumpy, bumpy and just nasty, we decided on an upgrade.
Now, we had our subfloor to a point we could add in the ‘real floor’, that people would see. My son and daughter-in-law had just bought a condo and replaced the flooring, so we got the old flooring. By the time I was done installing it, I was pretty good. Happily, the worst mistakes are hidden under the tack lockers.
At this point, we also had to get the washrack done. My boarders were so VERY patient over the entire length of the project – Alice described it as ‘The Messy Middle’, which seemed to go on for quite some time. We started in July of 2022 and finished (ok, not totally, but near enough) right before the ATAA Conference in September.
Along with the washrack, we needed to get a sink in the tackroom. There was some back and forthing on whether to put it in the tackroom or outside, but inside won. The first sink I bought I decided not to use, and then I picked up a nice stainless steel one at Costco. We had bought a vanity for a screaming deal price a while before, thinking we’d use it in the house, but it turned out to be absolutely PERFECT to drop that steel sink in. Love it when things like that work out. It even has one usable drawer and we can get to the sink plumbing too.
Now, we were up to finishing bits – the tack lockers needed to be put back in, saddle racks hung up etc. I ended up painting the tack lockers, at least twice. First, we tried to use paint left over from other projects; Niki tried blending some together. It came out to a very interesting shade of ‘My Little Pony Green’. I did paint the lockers that originally, but decided that color would drive me crazy in the end. So, I went out and bought paint and did it the way I wanted to. I do believe there is some My Little Pony Green on the insides of the lockers, you can see it in the photos below showing the saddle racks.
Next, saddle racks and bridle racks. I used the idea Sandra had come up with for our original tackroom for bridle racks and halter racks on stalls – 3 inch plastic pipe covers cut in half and painted, then screwed onto a background. You can see some sticking out of the back locker. Cheap, functional and easy.
Now, we got to the fun parts – decorating! I have been collecting bits and pieces for years for my ‘someday’ tackroom. I ended up buying some really great switch covers online, absolutely perfect, except the switches and plugs stuck out too far and the holes in the paneling were too big. Niki to the rescue! She used some pieces of flooring, did some nifty mitering and what do you know? Custom Switch and outlet covers!
I had a few other things that I’d been saving too.
We still have some stuff to do – we need to finish edges, I need to finish the recessed shelves by the sink. The door needs a bit of work still and we need a roof (that will be up to rafters of barn, so the tackroom will be nice and lofty. There are tack trunks to sit on, while getting ready, indoor/outdoor mats on the floors, a new threshold with a gradual ramp, hanging overhead lights, a mirror and a refrigerator!
I’ll take more photos as we finish up the last bits of pieces. Thanks for reading!