Arena Construction Thread

[DaveNay]

I figured it was about time to start my Riding Arena construction thread!

The builder came by today to drop off the steel and cover material for the building. It's kind of amazing that this little pile of parts will become a 62' x 170' building. What isn't shown (hasn't arrived yet) is all the lumber for the foundation posts, the side walls and the end walls.

I have hosted the images on my server, to save Doc some hard drive and bandwidth. You can click on any of the pictures for a large format version.

 

[Cityboy]

Those little piles of parts turn into amazing structures. I'm looking forward to the progression of this thread. Would you mind sharing pricing information?

 

[daedong]

[FONT=&quot]Dave, I will watch this with much interest. Can you give us some more specs. I have never see beams done like that before, what roof material are you using?
[/FONT]

 

[humor_me]

Dave if you build it, they will come.

 

[DaveNay]

[FONT=&quot]Dave, I will watch this with much interest. Can you give us some more specs. I have never see beams done like that before, what roof material are you using?
[/FONT]

The building is 62' wide x 170' long. The arched trusses are spaced every 10' O.C. The two long walls are 8' tall with 8x8 pressure treated posts as the columns to support the trusses. 50' of the each of the long walls is actually going to be 4' tall wood and 4' of roll up curtains. This provides awesome ventilation in the spring, summer and autumn. The roof material is actually the same product used on the new Denver International Airport as well as the Millenium Dome in London. What is really nice about these buildings is they average 10-15 degrees (F) cooler than ambient in the summer and 10-15 degrees (F) warmer than ambient in the winter. Also, since the material is translucent, as long as there is sunlight, you really don't need to turn on the overhead lights.

The picture below is what ours will look like on the inside. Notice the wood on the walls only goes up 4', and above that is the white fabric material? That is the roll up curtain.

Would you mind sharing pricing information?

CB, the building is around $75K complete (materials and labor). The entire project is around $110K including demolition, grading, base material, electrical, plumbing and horse stalls.

 

[Melensdad]

Dave, as you know I also looked at these structures and was very impressed with them. I chose not to use one because I figured out another way to store what I needed stored. However, just curious about one thing I did not look into.

What is the life expectancy of the fabric roof? And a follow up to that question is what is the cost to replace the fabric roof?

 

[DaveNay]

Dave, as you know I also looked at these structures and was very impressed with them. I chose not to use one because I figured out another way to store what I needed stored. However, just curious about one thing I did not look into.

What is the life expectancy of the fabric roof? And a follow up to that question is what is the cost to replace the fabric roof?

The fabric is warranteed for 15 years, and the manufacturer has existing installations with the first generation material that are approaching 25 years in the field. Ours is the second generation material. I think the first generation material only had a 7 year warrantee. Replacement cost of the material is pretty low at around $1 per square foot. This puts replacement cost for my roof at around $17K, which I belive is very comparable to re-roofing any building of this size.

 

[DaveNay]

I went out of town for a week....

...and look what sprouted in my yard!




The crew will return in two weeks after the concrete has set up enough and they will finish the trusses and cover.

Click on the picture above for more pictures, or follow this link.

 

[Melensdad]

Dave, I see the posts are cemented in place, is there also going to be a sill plate running the perimeter of the building made of concrete?

 

[DaveNay]

Dave, I see the posts are cemented in place, is there also going to be a sill plate running the perimeter of the building made of concrete?

No, that is the last of the cement. The walls are made of 2x8 T&G pressure treated boards, and they will nestle an inch or two below grade at the bottom.

 

[DAP]

Finally Dave .. what material will you be using for footing in the arena. I have a 50 x 150 sized arena, outdoor if you will.

We used a special mixture of sand and fine clay for the arena... Fluffs up real nice when you groom it ... I drag it with an 8 x 8 field drag set to moderate ... works beautifully ...

My wife took some training at a facility that had your building ... wait til your first hard rain while standing in the center of the structure ... impressive sound to say the least ...

That's a great size ... easily accommodates a 60' round pen in one end and plenty of room left over for other activities ...

The pictures below are from a new 1 acre paddock fashioned this summer, near the river ... I used the field drag for see preparation as well as grooming the arena (not pictured) ...

Good luck and congratulations ...

 

[DaveNay]

Progress!!! The truss arches are all up! I helped the crew all weekend, because they are shorthanded and we have a deadline that we need the building functional.

Tomorrow, the water guys and the electrical contractor will be out to trench the lines and hydrants and the electrical main conduit. I am also having an empty 1 1/4 conduit run from the house to the arena for future network/phone/camera/whatever.

Click on the picture to see more from my gallery.

 

[Melensdad]

Dave, I don't see a big crew. It looks like that thing goes up with only a few people on site? In roughly the middle of your wall there is an area that looks to be roughly 32' wide where the wall panels are lower. Will windows be installed in that section?

Is there any way to have a double wall roof? I know on greenhouses they often use dual wall roofing/walls with an air chamber between the two to act as an insulation barrier. Given that those trusses look to be about 12" apart from the interior curve to the exterior curve I was just wondering if there was any possibility of a dual wall roof???

 

[DaveNay]

Dave, I don't see a big crew. It looks like that thing goes up with only a few people on site? In roughly the middle of your wall there is an area that looks to be roughly 32' wide where the wall panels are lower. Will windows be installed in that section?

Is there any way to have a double wall roof? I know on greenhouses they often use dual wall roofing/walls with an air chamber between the two to act as an insulation barrier. Given that those trusses look to be about 12" apart from the interior curve to the exterior curve I was just wondering if there was any possibility of a dual wall roof???

Nope, not a big crew. They normally run about five guys, but this weekend they were short, so I made the fourth guy. Two uf us on ladders at each end of a truss, and two guys on the lift (hell no, I wasn't on the lift!).

The half height wall section is actually 50' long, and there will be roll-up curtain walls in those sections (one long curtain wall on each side). This will create a "pavilion" like riding area in the summer, along with the 16' x 14' door on the west end (left in most of the pictures).

I have no idea if a double wall roof is available, but I doubt it.

 

[daedong]

Looking great Dave

 

[DaveNay]

I think my equipment has E.S.P.

Yesterday, I was digging post holes with the PHD auger on my JD855. I got to the last hole in the row, and as I was backing up the tractor to align the auger, the tractor ran out of fuel. Grumble grumble grumble. Look around, and there is no fuel on the farm, all my containers are empty. Oh well, it's almost dark, and I decide to go in to watch the Bears game. This morning, I run to town and get 10 gallons of diesel, pour it into the tank and start digging that same hole. I get about 18" down, and the auger won't go any deeper. Lean on it a little bit to apply down force, and the stinkin' auger catches on a tree root, and shears the shear pin! Now I have to go to town and get a bag of shear bolts because, just like the fuel, I don't have any left.

Oh well, I'm still not at the office working this week.

 

[DaveNay]

Been a while since I updated this thread. Brian asked for some more pictures a couple weeks ago, and here they are finally.

As usual, you can go here for the entire album and larger sized pictures.

 

[Melensdad]

Dave, any heated area in there? (Do horses need heat in the winter when the temps drop?)

I love the bright light inside the area. The areas I have been in are often too dark and the artificial light used to suppliment skylights is rarely enough.

Are the path areas between the stall going to eventually be concreted or left dirt? I only ask because both of the stables where my daughter took riding lessons had concete pathways in the stable area, but everything else was dirt/sand flooring. I don't know if there is any purpose for the concrete in that area?

BTW, I don't know how many of the horses are yours but now that you have an indoor areana (and a beautiful one at that) you might want to see about having children's "Pony Parties" for birthdays and other events. Also if you plant some pumkins you can have pumpkin parties in the fall where kids get to ride a pony and carve a pumpkin, etc. Some of the riding stables have those types of activities near me.

 

[DaveNay]

Dave, any heated area in there? (Do horses need heat in the winter when the temps drop?)

There is no heated area right now, the horses don't need it. They were in there last month when the temp was -16F, no problems.

We are planning on building a second floor heated lounge above the wall where the shovels and rakes are hanging.

I love the bright light inside the area. The areas I have been in are often too dark and the artificial light used to suppliment skylights is rarely enough.

The light is exactly the reason we picked this type of construction.

Are the path areas between the stall going to eventually be concreted or left dirt? I only ask because both of the stables where my daughter took riding lessons had concete pathways in the stable area, but everything else was dirt/sand flooring. I don't know if there is any purpose for the concrete in that area?

Eventually, I am going to put Uni-Lock type pavers in the aisles, extending out the double sliding doors to a driveway apron.

BTW, I don't know how many of the horses are yours but now that you have an indoor areana (and a beautiful one at that) you might want to see about having children's "Pony Parties" for birthdays and other events. Also if you plant some pumkins you can have pumpkin parties in the fall where kids get to ride a pony and carve a pumpkin, etc. Some of the riding stables have those types of activities near me.

No kids parties like that. We made a business decision that we are not going to do that type of "entertainment" business.