Greg Meyer Construction Ltd
Rehabilitation of existing riding arenas.
Do you have a school that is flooded after every rain?
The root cause of this problem is poor drainage. If your arena had drainage installed at the time of construction and the school initially drained well when it was new then most likely there is an obstruction to the drainage piping. This problem might be as simple as damage / collapse of the piping at the point of discharge. Has the pipe been run over by a tractor or lorry and crushed??? If the discharge point(s) appear in good condition and free of obstruction then the question arises of whether the drainage piping was bedded in free draining gravel, and if the gravel was contained within a geotextile fabric? If not then most likely problem is very fine particles of sediment have worked there way into the drainage piping in sufficient volumes resulting in blockage. The most common remedy for this condition is replacement of the drainage piping with a drainage system of proper design.
Is the membrane surfacing?
Surfacing of membranes is a true headache. The reason for membrane surfacing is the slow gradual migration of the riding surface under the membrane. This migration can occur through very minor holes or cuts that that can occur during installation. Another common cause is the omittion of sealing of membrane seam edges at the time of installation. Probably the most common cause of membrane damage occurs when the riding surface is being leveled or harrowed. Another likely cause is damage from a horse shoe when a horse "digs in" when jumping or bucking or turning sharply. Proper repair of a damaged membrane is difficult at best and most likely to be unsuccessful in the long term. This is the major reason when we build a new arena, we do not place a membrane between the riding surface and the sub-base. The membrane is too easily damaged, and not likely to be repaired successfully. To repair a surfaced area requires the riding surface to be removed from over the membrane in the damaged / surfaced location. Next the riding surface that has worked under the membrane is recovered. Finely a patch needs to be fabricated and fixed over the damaged location. The challenge is then getting the patch to remain attached to the original membrane. Generally the original membrane is wet and contaminated with dirt and foreign material. This contamination makes it difficult to impossible to glue or heat seal a patch in place that will not fail over time. The best way to fix a patch to an existing membrane is to use the old standby of needle and thread by hand. The cost of this should be obvious!
Are the kicking / gravel boards rotted and falling apart?
Selection of the proper timber has huge impact upon the longevity of its installation. There are numerous preservative treatments applied to wood to protect against attack by bacteria, fungi, and other life forms. A common term for treated timber is "Tanalized Timber". There are two common methods to apply preservative to timber. The least expensive method is to place the timber into tanks of the preservative for a period of time so the wood fibers can soak up the preservative. This method unfortunately only allows the preservative to penetrate a few millimeters deep from the surface. This can be seen when a piece of timber is cut with a saw. The outer margin will be discolored by the preservative and the inner core will remain normal in color. As can be seen the core of the piece of timber is subsequently left untreated and susceptible to attack. A superior and more expensive and treatment method is termed "pressure treating". In this system timber is loaded into large pressure vessels containing preservative. First a vacuum is placed on the tank to draw as much contained air in the timber out. Then pressure is placed on the vessel resulting in a forced movement of the preservative into the wood fibers. This results in preservative migration into the core of the piece of timber, rendering the whole of the timber resistant to attack. Proper Pressure Treated timber is the only timber we recommend for wood that comes in direct contact with the ground.
We can attend to all of these conditions and more and return your school to a condition you will be pleased with.
We can handle small tasks from minor fence repairs to complete reconstruction. Click Here to send us an e-mail with your inquiry or telephone us on 07900 464 867.
We are happy to examine your problems and formulate a cure.