Dynamo
Well-Known Member
Hello All
I've recently had a menage constructed. I've had all sorts of problems with the company concerned, but my main one is that, having finally finished, the surface is the required 5" deep in the centre, where it is fully compacted and riding as it should for approx one 15m circle right in the centre, but very loose and 3" or less on the outside track and up to 2m in from the track, and up to 7" deep and very loose in the corners. It's completely impossible to ride on. With the naked eye you can see that it's totally unlevel, sort of humped at the centre and bowing to the edges, and the corners and outside track are dipped, very loose and unrideable. I know it takes time, and rain, and rolling for things to settle, but I've had two arenas constructed previously and never seen anything like this and don't know how best to proceed. It wasn't cheap! The surface is, or is supposed to be, 3" silica sand with 2" of waxed top surface.
- Is it reasonable to have expected the arena construction company to have fully rolled the surface when they finished laying? They didn't. They just just spread it from the centre using a grader and a quad in a circular motion, which is what seems to have created the solid hump in the middle and the loose but shallower coverage at the edges.
- Is it normal for this type of surface (I've had rubber in the past) to be more loaded in the centre and to sort of gradually work its way towards the edges of the area and does it therefore make sense that there's more sand, and more compacted in the middle because the edges will fill over time if I ever manage to actually ride on it? Not sure how I would manage to ride on it to get to that point, however, as it's so uneven.
- Am I right to hire a vibrating machine roller to help compact it all down myself? I know that a good downpour will help too.
- Have I been completely done by these cowboys who have literally thrown the sand and surface down in a big heap, driven about on it a bit and buggered off?
Of course, once the loose areas are compacted as much as the centre they are going to be even lower than they are now so the bowed effect is going to be worse, but at least the whole thing might be rideable, even if bowed, and I could then top up the shallower areas with more surface and re-compact until it's level. Does that make sense???
If not, can you explain why not? Is there something better you would recommend?
I know my rights legally in terms of the quality of the job and other shortcomings, deceptions, materials scam, and so on. Right now I am looking for advice on how best to make the wretched thing rideable so that I can get my sanity back.
Any advice much, much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
I've recently had a menage constructed. I've had all sorts of problems with the company concerned, but my main one is that, having finally finished, the surface is the required 5" deep in the centre, where it is fully compacted and riding as it should for approx one 15m circle right in the centre, but very loose and 3" or less on the outside track and up to 2m in from the track, and up to 7" deep and very loose in the corners. It's completely impossible to ride on. With the naked eye you can see that it's totally unlevel, sort of humped at the centre and bowing to the edges, and the corners and outside track are dipped, very loose and unrideable. I know it takes time, and rain, and rolling for things to settle, but I've had two arenas constructed previously and never seen anything like this and don't know how best to proceed. It wasn't cheap! The surface is, or is supposed to be, 3" silica sand with 2" of waxed top surface.
- Is it reasonable to have expected the arena construction company to have fully rolled the surface when they finished laying? They didn't. They just just spread it from the centre using a grader and a quad in a circular motion, which is what seems to have created the solid hump in the middle and the loose but shallower coverage at the edges.
- Is it normal for this type of surface (I've had rubber in the past) to be more loaded in the centre and to sort of gradually work its way towards the edges of the area and does it therefore make sense that there's more sand, and more compacted in the middle because the edges will fill over time if I ever manage to actually ride on it? Not sure how I would manage to ride on it to get to that point, however, as it's so uneven.
- Am I right to hire a vibrating machine roller to help compact it all down myself? I know that a good downpour will help too.
- Have I been completely done by these cowboys who have literally thrown the sand and surface down in a big heap, driven about on it a bit and buggered off?
Of course, once the loose areas are compacted as much as the centre they are going to be even lower than they are now so the bowed effect is going to be worse, but at least the whole thing might be rideable, even if bowed, and I could then top up the shallower areas with more surface and re-compact until it's level. Does that make sense???
If not, can you explain why not? Is there something better you would recommend?
I know my rights legally in terms of the quality of the job and other shortcomings, deceptions, materials scam, and so on. Right now I am looking for advice on how best to make the wretched thing rideable so that I can get my sanity back.
Any advice much, much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.
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