In this Post: Learn how to make a pallet barn for your livestock using recycled wooden pallets!
In a previous post shared our quick pallet shelter, but I also wanted to show how you can make a more permanent barn out of pallets.
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We made this pallet barn a couple of years ago, when we were very new to building any sort of structure, and if I were to do it over again, I would probably do a million things differently.
But the overall process would be about the same and using pallets is an economical and sustainable way to build any structure you might need.
We are not expert builders, so this isn’t as much a “how-to” but an example of how pallets can be used to build shelters. I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking, so here we go!
How to Make a Pallet Barn (Step-by-Step)
Our barn is 10′ x 10′. Each pallet is 48″ x 40″, so we used 3 pallets per side to make the 10′ length.
We connected the pallets together with 3 inch lag bolts.
If you want a little more security you can pound t-posts into the ground and place the pallets over top of them like we did in our quick pallet shelter.
2 layers of pallets connected to give more height
We purchased 4×4 posts for the corners and around the doorway.
These posts are secured into the ground.
The second story of pallets was connected to the corner posts, as well as connected to the first story pallets using recycled boards from around our homestead.
We were working on a major hill, so we had a lot to do in order to make the structure level. If I had to do it again, I would have picked a different place to build our pallet barn.
We added blocks for support in most areas, and added some smaller pallets to reduce the gap size between the ground and the pallets.
We took apart a few pallets and used the wood to make the supports for the roof slope.
For the roofing, we purchased local, rough sawn lumber and tin panels.
We used the same local, rough sawn lumber for the siding of the barn.
This siding is untreated but has held up for almost 8 years without rotting in anyway.
Because of the hill, the barn ended up being closer to 10′ tall instead of the intended 8′ height.
But, I love how it turned out, and our goats are very happy in their pallet barn!
Here’s the final product:
And the inside of our pallet barn:
Check out 15 More Pallet Barn, Shed, and Building ideas!
Did you like this article? Check out my posts on How to Make a Quick Pallet Shelter and 6 Quick and Easy Pallet Projects for the Homestead!
Love how your kids work together and help. And the barn does look great, thank you for sharing!
Awesome! I’ve seen so many pictures of finished pallet projects but never a ‘how to’. thank you for posting this!
(oh, I found you on the Homesteaders hop)
~L
Thanks so much for featuring!
Thanks for stopping by! I had the same problem when we were looking for help making the building- lots of finished projects but not many how-to’s!
To do. Get some pallets. Thank You for this informative post! You are very resourceful.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing the instructions. I must show this to my husband.
It is so clever using pallets! That is ingenious :D ~Renee
So cool! There are lots of pallet manufacturers and companies here…I always want to go ask them if I can buy a load off them. My husband would kill me LOL
Incredible idea. I may have another spring project because of this post. Thank you so much for sharing on Rural Wisdom and Know How. Hope to see you again next week.
I just wanted to let you know. Your post is being featured on Rural Wisdom and Know How #2. I again want to thank you for sharing and let you know RWKH#2 is active for links.
God Bless You & Thank You For Sharing This! … Smoky & Aunt Pammy Anaya … Running Springs, Ca.
Any problems with the wood rotting? Or did you paint/seal?
Our barn is over 2 yrs old….no signs of rot. We didn’t seal or paint it.
How much in total did this shelter cost to build??
Great idea; although at 10 X 10, it’s more like a shed, not quite a barn, but it could easily be expanded!
Love how this turned out. We want to do a pole barn/shelter/carriage house and this would be perfect to get us started.
How deep did you dig your posts?
This looks great. I am in the process of building a 24′ x 24′ with 9′ walls out of pallets. I have engineered the truss’ to be out of pallets as well. I am using 43-1/4″ x 43-1/4″ Cedar pallets for my building. My inspiration came from posts like these and a LOT of thinking drawing and figuring.
Thank you. I have been trying to find out what size bolts most are using. Yours is the only one that gives that info. We move to our 4 acre homestead in 3 weeks and I have to put 3 bedroom aka pallet sheds up.
Is this sturdy enough to house a German Shepherd Dog?
Yes.
Hi,my name is Solomon.I am having a passion for goat farming business.I want to a house and a shelter that can contain 300x females,7x males , Pregnants
goats and kids thereof. My challenge is the measurements.Many thanks to you guys and could the future of my business. The issue of pallet barn opened my eyes.My the Lord richly blessed you.
Great job. I’d thought of doing something with pallets, this opens the path for me. I’ve thought that with pallets, it would also be possible when the budget would allow to fill them in later creating solid walls with air-crete using forms made with sheets of some sort of fabric or plastic to close in the gaps in the pallets. Air-crete is remarkable cheap, strong and lightweight.
I was wondering about the price that this shed would cost as well and even the time that is required to take? Do you have a set difficulty for this project as well or does it just depend on the landscaping of the yard?
How cold does it get in winter in your area? Can goats stay in this shed in winter? What do you do with the floor, just throw straw on it? In winter, too?
When we built our goat barn in Northern Ohio we just put pallets on the ground and covered that with straw. I didn’t bolt/screw the floor to the shed at all. If I were to do it over, I would use solid pallets so straw would fall through the cracks.
Goats handle cold weather perfectly well. They just need a dry place to lay up.
How does the Tin roof hold up in snow? I’m in Pennsylvania and figured if you’re in Ohio you probably have the same if not kore snow than us. Should I reinforce the roof before installing the tin roof?
I am trying something like this as well. I want to build something I can store lawn equipment, grill, and pretty much all my metal lawn decor when I am not using it to decorate the yard. Question is, do you know how to make it more insulated without actual insulation? just want to make it somewhat leak proof but still simple if that makes sense ?
We had metal roofing, so we sided our pallet goat barn with that! Great project!
Do you have a picture of how you out the roof together? Thank you.