In this part of my dream horse barn build, I finally tackled a huge milestone: framing and building out my tack room and the “utility room” (aka the dog room) from scratch. I had a lot to do, so we jumped right in—laying out my rough drawing, framing on 24-inch centers, and doing a triple top plate because I want a strong ceiling up top. I’ll be honest: doing this while pregnant was no joke, and I definitely worked up a sweat, but I was determined to get both rooms framed so we can keep moving forward with electrical, water, and everything else the barn still needs. Once the walls were up, Mike helped me get things stood, squared, and bolted into the concrete (and he explains the bolts we used). Then we started adding the tongue-and-groove walls and insulation, cut out door openings, and mapped out where I wanted outlets and switches (48 inches from the ground for a natural hand placement). The biggest win is we got the mini split installed and running—both rooms are officially “created,” and it already feels like a real barn. Next up is trim, staining, doors, and then I can start bringing my tack room ideas to life.