My Cheap Pole Shelter

When you have horses, no spare money and lots of time, a guy gets to be innovative. For a total cost of $205.00 in real Canadian dollars, I built the following. An equivalent structure built by the local Home

hardware would have been $2500.00. For me, the poplar trees were free as I was clearing land. 

Very large (about 12 inch diameter logs were used for the base on sides and back. I did purchase some 2x 6 inch spruce for the girts, and some "B" grade OSB ($5 per sheet for the panelling. A coat of paint made it look pretty good. The size is 10 feet deep by 16 feet long. The height is 10 feet high at the back and 12 foot high on the front. The rigidity comes from the bracing on top and the panelling nailed to the girts. It has been up for 5 years now and has withstood 80 km an hour winds from the rear. So far nothing has moved. The sole plates are elevated a little bit and are on a slight slope that drains water away. So far, there is no sign of rot. I figured that I might have to pin the front corners with 5/8" rebar into the ground, but this hasn't been required. Three large horses use it a lot, in rain, snow and wind. Note the heavy wire mash on the poles as the first year they were "cribbing"