Sand school build

[taraj]

Has anyone had a school built on sloping ground? Our land is on a very slight slope and we have been advised by a couple of company's to "build up" the ground to level it rather than "dig down".

 

[Merry neddy man]

It's easier to drain built up land to 4 sides than dug down land to1/2/3 sides.

 

[captainmark]

personally I would avoid built up ground avoiding risk of settlement. I would also be very cautious of so called experts / sand school companies. Spent many hours planning to make sure we got it right - I have shared lots of info on here previously. even type of sand. If you can't find let me know. good luck.

 

[Baccara]

Mine is on a slope, aand was dug down by about one metre and a half. The people I used wouldnt build up because of the danger of settlement.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I had thought that my grass arena was level, but when we sited the proper arena there, it turned out that there was a 1m fall along the 40m long side.

Charles Britton used a ‘cut and fill’ technique to level ours. They are a very reputable firm and did the groundworks very robustly. Make sure that whoever you use knows exactly what they are doing, there are a lot of of cowboys out there who will take short cuts.

Sloping land may require levelling by a process known as cut and fill. This basically means sub-soil is excavated from the higher side of the site and deposited on the low side to create a level surface.

 

[captainmark]

built up ground, cut and fill - same thing

 

[ycbm]

I have a bank about eight feet high at one corner of my arena. Digging down further was not possible because of hitting both bedrock and the water table. After nine years it has settled maybe three inches. A proper arena construction company can build an arena without settlement.

If they couldn't be built without building up, many people in the Lakes or Peaks would be unable to have an arena. And many farms on hillsides have entire farm yards and huge barns on top of built up land. A company that says they can't do it don't know what they are doing and should be avoided.
.

 

[Polos Mum]

Either way has to be done properly and carefully. Do your digging into whoever you want to use very carefully to avoid a costly mistake.

I'd imagine a little of both occurs most of the time

 

[Hallo2012]

I had a 12 foot drop from one corner diagonally across to the far corner....we did a cut and fill, so dug down at one end and built up the other.

I am NW and used Landtech construction and cannot recommend them enough they were fantastic. They have a very good rep and i have total faith that the ground works have been done perfectly

 

[Tiddlypom]

built up ground, cut and fill - same thing

No, they aren’t.

Cut and fill are two different techniques, but are commonly used in conjunction with each other. Presumably ‘built up ground’ refers only to ‘fill’? Any competent arena building company will be able to deal with cut and fill if required to.

This diagram, although not taken from an arena build, shows the principle of cut and fill. The groundworks need to be done correctly, of course, but ‘fill’ is a well recognised technique used in eg road building.

 

[taraj]

Thankyou, interesting views. I probably did mean cut and fill if thats the technical term as the top will need scraping off one end but the other building up.
Speaking with a construction firm this week (not school specialists) who have built numerous houses on slopes to get their view. They say we have an option of banking or pinning the sides for more stability? We are in South East if any recommendations.

 

[Hallo2012]

Thankyou, interesting views. I probably did mean cut and fill if thats the technical term as the top will need scraping off one end but the other building up.
Speaking with a construction firm this week (not school specialists) who have built numerous houses on slopes to get their view. They say we have an option of banking or pinning the sides for more stability? We are in South East if any recommendations.

what sort of drop are you talking? a few foot is nothing, i wouldnt get too worried

 

[Tiddlypom]

I’d recommend using a specialist arena construction company if you can. Ask to view their previous work going back over several years - I looked at Charles Britton arenas that were 20+ years old and still going strong.

Its vital to get the basic construction and drainage work right.

 

[Goldenstar]

Cut and lay .
This is how mine is constructed just like TP’s diagram but mines the opposite way .
we did ours ourselves with the local field drainage contractor helping .
If I did it again I would do it the same way it’s 25 years old it’s had two top ups of surface and it’s still going strong .

ETA except I would use water permeable tarmac instead of the top membrane .

 

[catembi]

Mine was finished two weeks ago! Hurray! It was cut & fill. The 'cut' side was about 5 ft deep. I used a person who is first & foremost a drainage person so obsessed with ditches & drainage etc & who understands our clay. I will get on my phone & do a photo. This was my last arena: www.cheapmanege.weebly.com. DON'T do that...!!!!!!!!

 

[catembi]

Arena photos. I so much it...! Especially after the last disaster...!

 

[HappyNeds]

Ours too was ‘cut and fill’ or half-and-half. Both the cut bank, and the fill bank are each over 3 meters in drop/height. But the advantage to this is it gives a fantastic drop down to the lower soak-away, and we have never had even so much as a puddle form - fab drainage as gravity helps you out! The cut bank is much steeper than the fill bank (if that makes sense), and we allowed a little time for the ground to settle before finishing the arena, but we've never had any movement or problems at all, and it's been about 7 years now. Our contractor made a fantastic job, would recommend him definitely. Worth every penny, nothing more valuable and useful than having an arena