[minibn]

Good Evening

As you may have read from my previous topic i am looking to build an outdoor arena. Is it possible to build an arena with a budget of only £6K. Or am i just being crazy. From doing a little research the stone seems to be the main cost, apart from the surface. What is a good cost effective stone to use. I have read the best stone seems to be clean limstone. Is there an alternative clean washed stone which can be used as washed limstone seems to be pretty pricey. Does anyone have any recomendations for suppliers either? Im base in Gloucestershrie.

I was hoping to build a 20m by 60m arena, as i do mainly jumping with a little flat work. I have a 16.2 horse who stuggles in smaller arena. I would hate to build a smaller one and then be unable to use it for jumping. As it would defet the point. Although i know it does come down to cost. How is the amount of stone needed calculated?

I intend to do as much myself, such digging the drainage (not by hand of course) and laying the membrane and stone.

Please can someone tell me that im not being totally mad trying to do this on such as small budget.

Any advice welcomed

Thanks for reading

Emily

[NYorksBoy]

I built my wife an arena last year.
It totalled £16k  plus 10 days  of my time that's cheap for a big arena
I did a fair bit of excavation, built massive drains and didn't scrimp on materials but it's worth it when it rains and she has no puddles
I recall moving about 500 tonnes of soil but a flatter site would have been much less(we live in national park so needed to negotiate position with the planners!)
Limestone was £400 per 20 tonnes for correct size
(Slightly cheaper if you can get an artic near)
I used £6000 worth to ensure good drainage for similar arena
(You can use crushed brick and it will probably drain well enough)
Silica sand was around £4k, rubber £1.2k
Membranes and drains £1000
Post and rail/running boards and contractor to sink posts £1200
Rest was gate, lights , landscaping, hedge(condition) and diesel(have my own digger tractor and trailer)
It ain't cheap if you do it properly
Company will charge you £25k+
6k? If you have a flat surface, get rock from a demolition(brick),
Get a deal on membrane and only use between rock and sand.
Get cheap sand and rubber doing all the work yourself without hiring machinery and the trucks can get to the site(do it in summer) you might have a chance.
Let me know if I can help

[minibn]

Thank you for the reply.

Thank you for the break down of costs for the differernt materials. I am planning on putting it on a pretty flat field. Its on the same field as the stables were built on and they barely had to take off any of the top soil. Do u think rubble/crushed brick would work ok still? I do have quie alot of hard core, as we are also doing a barn conversion and kept the hard core, incase we needed it, as its pretty expensive to buy. The soil is quite clayey, but seems to drain ok.  I have 1 1/2 rolls of geotextile membrane left over after we built an arena at an old house, about 10 years ago. How did you calculate the amout of materials which you needed? Im stuggling to work it out.

Regards

Emily

[NYorksBoy]

I have quite clay soil too and I was afraid crushed brick would clog up the drains rendering it useless
I dug the drains a foot wide and deep in a herringbone shape.
Used about 30 tonnes of smaller sized limestone just to fill the drains with the 100mm land drain inside.
I calculated the amounts on a web page
Think it was aggregate calculator but the quarry will tell you
I got mine direct from maybe burythorpe quarry in n yorks
The clean limestone I got was in 2 sizes the random sizes cheaper.
Get a contractor to set the posts it'll be £200 well spent!(local farmer with post rammer on tractor)
Horses eh

[Kimbo]

great advice NYorksBoy.
But WOW doesn't that just show what a manege really costs? Phew!