The plan gives full details of construction and conforms to the National Farm Building Code of Canada, 1995. Horse housing is often split into indoor housing or outdoor housing. The old two-storey bank barn design is still commonly used in Ontario but it is not well suited for horses without a number of renovations. There is the added danger of fire when a large amount of hay is stored above the stalls. Newer single-storey barns are usually easier and cheaper to build and maintain.
Hay storage is cheaper when built in the end of the barn rather than on a second storey.
If hay storage is planned for inside a barn, consult with your local fire department for advice on fire prevention and fire barrier placement. Traditionally, individual box stalls are commonly used for indoor housing. However, they require a considerable amount of daily manual labour for manure removal. A mechanization system should be planned to decrease the labour cost of manure removal. It is installed either at the back of the stall or in the alleyway and is covered with grates which are lifted at convenient locations to facilitate dumping of the manure.