You don’t have to be a horse enthusiast to appreciate the beauty of the Morton Buildings horse barn built for longtime NASCAR veteran-turned-NBC analyst Jeff Burton and his wife Kim. The facility was an instant hit with friends and family.
The insulated 40'W x 12'H x 140'L facility – 5,600 square feet completed late in the summer of 2014 – is state-of-the-art in every way, made up of Morton’s Hi-Rib steel, cupolas, dormers, gable-entry porches, HardiePlank® siding, diamond “M” sliding doors, Dutch doors and Morton’s Energy Performer insulation system. Watch the video below to find out why the Burtons chose Morton to build the barn that best suits their horses.
“We wanted to build a barn that, from the road, was an attractive building,” Jeff said of the building constructed on more than 100 acres of conserved land in Huntersville, N.C., just a shade north of Charlotte. “Barns are beautiful and we wanted to take advantage of that.”
With 14 large-horse stalls, two large-wash stalls, a comfortable lounge for friends and family, riding area, tack room, feed room, irrigation system and hay loft, the 40'W x 12'H x 140'L facility is state-of-the-art in every way. The couple worked hand-in-hand with Morton in the design, ensuring Jeff and Kim would get the building that best suited their needs and the needs of their horses.
“The horses are creatures of habit,” Kim explained. “They like safety. They like structure. They like their schedule. And this barn just lends itself all of that. Everything’s open … that gives them comfort … it’s just a real quiet but comforting environment for them in this barn.”
Jeff, a veteran of more than 1,000 races between the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series since 1988, also raved about an intricate irrigation system that allowed a series of valves to control the flow of water to buckets throughout the 14 stalls. The system quickened the watering process and allows Jeff and Kim to see exactly how much water each horse has consumed in approximately four minutes.
Another shining point within the barn is the ventilation system that works hand-in-hand with the hay loft. The Burton’s store dry hay – protected by the ventilation system – in a loft strategically configured above the 14 stalls. The setup allows Kim to drop hay directly into the stalls and do nightly checks on the horses in an efficient manner.
Morton was also able to coordinate a series of infrared heaters that perfectly complemented its Energy Performer insulation system, keeping the horses comfortable during extreme heat in the summer and bitter cold in the winter.
“(Morton) built what we wanted. And we went to them with some ideas and they made them better … I honestly don’t know what we would have done different – other than maybe building it bigger.”
The finished product has been a point of pride for Jeff and Kim. The facility has allowed their horses to thrive.
Click here to see the rest of the photos of the Burtons' Morton Buildings horse barn.
