This beautiful equestrian property was designed with the horse in mind.
Quinis Design Works completed this spectacular project in 2012 for their clients, Mike and Merlin Heisey. The facility is located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The job consisted of creating four structures; a 10-stall barn with a shop, office, and connecting porte cochere to a 3-port garage, indoor riding arena, coach house with living quarters, and power house. It took eighteen months to complete from start to finish. Len Loewen Contracting also worked on this project as the contractor.
Thoughtful Design
The individual stalls and paddock runs can be opened to a courtyard where the horses congregate. The courtyard connects to a trail, leading out to circle the entire length of the 40-acre property. This setup encourages the herd to roam the property when they are not out on pasture. The clients practice natural horsemanship and Parelli techniques, it’s reflected in the style and functionality of the barn.
Like any great project, challenges were faced along the way. There was a difference of 24′ of elevation from one side of the property to the other. This meant a significant amount of excavation needed to be done to level the ground for the structures.
The custom double barn doors feature a custom latch designed by Quinis. The rack and pinion latch/handle assembly secures the large doors and makes it easy for them to be opened and closed. They are intentionally weathered and distressed.
The single-floor barn has four large double-doors at each end in all directions along with a vaulted ceiling to help circulate airflow. Large windows and full-length skylights bring in plenty of natural light.
The barn interior uses 2 by 6 tongue and groove spruce pine fir. Hay, grain, and bedding storage is located on the ground floor in the main barn opposite from the stalls for safety and labor reasons.
The stall kits are by Innovative Equine. The clients requested no bar dividers on the stalls to encourage natural socialization for the horses. This also gives the barn interior an open feel to it.
The barn’s tack room is combined with a lounge and office area, along with a washroom, feed room, and access to the blanket room.
There are twelve saddle racks and the cabinets are custom made. The minimally designed tack room is elegant, but functional.
The Indoor Arena
The unique roof is a tension fabric structure customized with built to size from a kit by We Cover.
The arena footing is blended sand GGT mix.
Thank you Quinis for sharing this project. Be sure to also read Tour a 3-Stall Masonry Block Barn in British Columbia, another barn completed by Quinis.
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