Builder versus equestrian specialist.....what experiences have you had?

Y

YummyHorses

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 April 2009
Messages
596
Visit site
So am just starting to get quotes and have met both general builders and equestrian specialists.

I think I have fairly simple needs:

1. Concrete base for american barn, large hay barn and horsewalker
2. Drainage for the yard
3. Pit for the muck trailer
4. Track entrance and yard area - track to the outdoor school and yard area - not sure yet on surface
5. Outdoor school - 60m by 30m with sand and rubber, lighting etc
6. Fencing, gates etc - fields, around yard and around the outdoor school

When I meet with the builders they suggest its well within capability and when I meet with the equestrian specialists they recommend I avoid the general builders as they dont know what they are doing....dont understand the needs of horses.

So what experiences has everyone had.....general builders are quoting less but am concerned that I could have a yard or school poorly built and have problems.

Guidance required.....thanks a lot
 
the yard i used to be on the stables, hardstanding, fencing & driveways were built by local builders who did a great job & the school was built by proffessional arena builders.
the stables were fantastic & had a passage to the rear of them so that hay & feeds could be put in without having to open doors & go into unknown horses stables, we just made feeds up nights & left with hay in the passage & first down mornings did the back feed run.
YO had 46 years worth of expereience behind her so was confident of what she wanted built, but if i was to do it i would problerly get in a specialist for a free quote on my plans & let them point out any issues, then get the builders in to build it.
good luck.
 
I would split the work. I wouldn't want a builder building an arena, but I would be happy with them laying concrete bases, muck heaps, tracks etc.

On the school the fencing will be expensive too - so you could ask fencing contractors rather than the arena builders - might save you a bit.
 
Everything bar the arena and internal stable partitions I had agricultural building contractors in. Internal stables were done by equestrian company, and the product is great - the finish and customer service left a lot to be desired... for example they made a washbay for me with rubber paved floor, but ''forgot'' to accommodate for the water to drain :eek::D
With the arena, I got quotes from here, there and everywhere and went for a company which does more generally sports pitches, playgrounds, all sorts of ground works as well as contracting for one of the ''big boys'' on gallops and arenas. I found them not only much, much cheaper, but also more flexible and willing to listen to my wishes and concerns.
 
A builder can lay your concrete for you! It isn't that complicated frankly. Just double check what spec they want to use to make sure it matches your needs.

(I'm not an expert but OH is an engineer and that's what he says. He is a concrete geek!)
 
Builders....especially those that hae done farms etc should have no bother. If you wanted to be sure you are all understanding each other maybe bring them to visit a yard local to you so they can see the importance of the smaller details
 
A builder should be able to do everything for you unsupervised apart from the arena. A good digger man should be able to do the arena as long as you can specify exactly what you want. We did two arenas that way and it was no problem but we knew what we wanted (loads of specs available on the internet for you to research if you want) and then supervised every step of the way.
 
Thanks chaps - really useful. I have chatted with a few friends at the yard today and they pretty much said the same thing.

Equestrian peeps for the arena and a groundworks/builder for the concrete base/drive/muck pit and then get a fencing contractor for all the fencing!!

Can anyone recommend an arena company? Have looked in horse and hound but there seems to be loads of firms - not sure who is good, bad and damn right ugly!!!

Ta.
x
 
Slightly different view and, by way of background, my father's a builder and I'm a construction lawyer...

IF I were confident I knew exactly what spec I wanted and my builder knew something about yard management (or I could explain it carefully to him) I would go with a builder for the yard work. Silly things like the fall needed on the concrete, not putting grating over drains because they're then a pig to clean out, are things you find through years of experience dealing with horses.

On arenas, dad built one in the Middle East years ago - his other projects were things like banks, embassies and housing estates. It was part of an equestrian centre project. The thing that helped was the client had a professional show jumper working for him and they built a trial arena. The show jumper worked on various mixes of surface over a period of time until they were satisfied that they had the right mix. Clearly if you go to a company who does this day in day out, they cut all that out.

Any builder can put in a concrete base and apron, erect stables, fencing, drainage etc. However, a specialist is likely to save you time and money longer term by being able to suggest labour saving design/ materials.

DO PLEASE make sure that whoever you engage signs a proper contract, setting out what they're going to do, where, when, and how much they'll be paid. The JCT contracts are a reasonable starting point although depending on the value of the works and whether you're a private or business client, you might want to make some amends.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top