# How much does an arena cost?



## dibbin (22 March 2015)

Hi all 

Went to see a house today with OH (eek), it has stables and plenty of grazing but no arena. I'd like to get one put in in the next couple of years so am just wondering about rough costs. OH and his best friend are willing and able to do the ground work in exchange for food. 

Has anyone built one recently that could give me a rough estimate?

Thanks.


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## Tern (22 March 2015)

dibbin said:



			Hi all 

Went to see a house today with OH (eek), it has stables and plenty of grazing but no arena. I'd like to get one put in in the next couple of years so am just wondering about rough costs. OH and his best friend are willing and able to do the ground work in exchange for food. 

Has anyone built one recently that could give me a rough estimate?

Thanks.
		
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15k-20k if doing yourself 
20k + if hiring someone else

Depending on where you could be moving to, Planning Permission could be a whole new problem!


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## FfionWinnie (22 March 2015)

Remember that the ground works are the most important part to get right as well.


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## dibbin (23 March 2015)

FfionWinnie said:



			Remember that the ground works are the most important part to get right as well.
		
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Yup  I spent years at a yard with an arena that flooded with the slightest rain because they'd skimped on the drainage. OH's friend is an environmental engineer (water/drainage a speciality) so he knows what he's doing.


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## Jericho (23 March 2015)

We just paid £26k for rubber sand 20x40 manège plus £340 planning fee plus 2k of road planing tracks (about 50m), £500 for grader, £200 for netting round manege to keep out rabbits, £3k for quad bike to pull grader, £200 for grass seed to reseed area where all the spoil went.


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## dibbin (23 March 2015)

This is all really helpful, thanks. We're basically trying to decide how much we can afford to offer given that we'll want to build an arena in the next year or so.


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## Pen (23 March 2015)

A lot depends on the site and soil type etc. not to mention what surface you go for.  We saved a bit by OH doing the fencing when we did ours about 6 years ago.  We used Andrew Hunter who is based in Ayrshire and I think the total cost then was around £15,000.  We did have belt and braces drainage and the arena has never flooded even in heavy rain and we are on heavy clay.


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## CBAnglo (23 March 2015)

Jericho said:



			We just paid £26k for rubber sand 20x40 manège plus £340 planning fee plus 2k of road planing tracks (about 50m), £500 for grader, £200 for netting round manege to keep out rabbits, £3k for quad bike to pull grader, £200 for grass seed to reseed area where all the spoil went.
		
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Please could you post links for netting, quad and grader as I need to look into all of these.  thank you and sorry to hijack post.


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## meesha (23 March 2015)

Did mine for under 10k, land was already fairly level but had local drainage guys in to put in drains,membranes x 2, stone etc then had cushionride topping, posts and retaining boards but thick brown electric tape, always dry, rides well, needed top up after 5 years, pictures in my album.


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## Spottyappy (23 March 2015)

Hijacking too, as about to put planning Jon.
My neighbour will do the ground works as he is a civil engineer, but has already said the stone for the base and drainage alone is £4000 plus vat never mind him digging it out, and so on. But, he has done them before and emphasised how vital it is to get the base and ground work right.mthe menage will also go on the wettest area of my field so drainage being correct is vital.
I am probably going to buy the kit from Mcveigh parker as it seems very good value:

http://www.mcveighparker.com/content/riding-arena-kit-40m-x-20m
I haven't decided on a surface yet, does anyone know if you need to state the type of surface on your planning application or not?


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## Tiddlypom (23 March 2015)

Spottyappy said:



			I haven't decided on a surface yet, does anyone know if you need to state the type of surface on your planning application or not?
		
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IME yes. CB dealt with our PP as part of our arena build package, and specifically mentioned the colour of the sand and rubber surface in the application. It was approved with no probs.


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## CBAnglo (23 March 2015)

Tiddlypom said:



			IME yes. CB dealt with our PP as part of our arena build package, and specifically mentioned the colour of the sand and rubber surface in the application. It was approved with no probs.
		
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A few people I know had issues with rubber depending on where the land drains; they ended up having to use wood/fibre.


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## madmav (23 March 2015)

Yard I'm on, the very nicely surfaced arena cost £25,000 about 10 years ago.


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## catembi (24 March 2015)

No post on arenas would be complete without a link to my dedicated website showing what happens when an arena is put in badly...  www.cheapmanege.weeblycom.

Take a minute to look at the pictures & please, please don't make the same mistakes!

T x


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## PeterNatt (24 March 2015)

Get it built by a professional organisation with a good reputation.    Arenas built by people with little experience normally fail and have to be re-built or abandoned.


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## Spottyappy (24 March 2015)

Catembi, I can't your link to work. 
Think I need to get quotes for the surface then, for planning! 
Thanks.


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## catembi (24 March 2015)

Sorry - my mistake - missed out a 'dot'...  Should have put www.cheapmanege.weebly.com 

T x


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## Geoffcooke (6 April 2015)

£26k was that including vat?


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## Geoffcooke (6 April 2015)

Your website doesn't work either


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## Spottyappy (6 April 2015)

Catembi, thanks link now works.
Do you kniwmhowmyou membrane Is sealed? Heat? I've never seen mention of sealing it, and as we are diying it, it's obviously something we need to do.


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## Highlands (6 April 2015)

Really want one too, trying by Daddy it will add 100 k to the house...


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## Tiddlypom (6 April 2015)

Spottyappy said:



			Catembi, thanks link now works.
Do you kniwmhowmyou membrane Is sealed? Heat? I've never seen mention of sealing it, and as we are diying it, it's obviously something we need to do.
		
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I posted these pics in an earlier thread started by Catembi, hope this cut and paste works (I'm not very tech savvy).

'In case anyone is interested, here are some photos showing the CB guys heat sealing the top membrane layer in my arena build.

























Apparently not all membranes are suitable for heat welding, some have to be glued instead.'


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## Polos Mum (6 April 2015)

Highlands said:



			Really want one too, trying by Daddy it will add 100 k to the house...
		
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Be careful he doesn't do any research - most estate agents will tell you it devalues the house because they take quite a lot to dig up and remove!  I nearly cried at the thought but if you're only selling to horsey people you have a narrow market and they're a waste of space to the non horsey.  I had one agent look at mine (when selling) and say 'oh well I suppose you could turn it into a tennis court!'


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## Spottyappy (6 April 2015)

Thanks tiddlypom. I really like the way your retaining boards are done out too.


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## Tiddlypom (6 April 2015)

Spottyappy said:



			Thanks tiddlypom. I really like the way your retaining boards are done out too.
		
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Thanks. Do you mean the way the boards are angled outwards? This is the CB 'leaning fence' extra cost option. The first arena I viewed was done this way and I thought it was a brilliant idea. There are 4 kick boards, instead of the 2 in the standard upright fence, and they slope away from the arena surface. This means that, when riding, you are much less likely to scrape your knees along the arena fence .


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## Cheshire Chestnut (6 April 2015)

Polos Mum said:



			Be careful he doesn't do any research - most estate agents will tell you it devalues the house because they take quite a lot to dig up and remove!  I nearly cried at the thought but if you're only selling to horsey people you have a narrow market and they're a waste of space to the non horsey.  I had one agent look at mine (when selling) and say 'oh well I suppose you could turn it into a tennis court!'
		
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There's one near my parent's house at a gorgeous house - must be at least 20x60 and it's just been left by the current (non horsey) owners. Has massive thistles and weeds sprouting out everywhere - they just use it as a 'dog toilet' apparently  arrrghhhh no!! Give it to me!!!


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## Highlands (6 April 2015)

Polos Mum said:



			Be careful he doesn't do any research - most estate agents will tell you it devalues the house because they take quite a lot to dig up and remove!  I nearly cried at the thought but if you're only selling to horsey people you have a narrow market and they're a waste of space to the non horsey.  I had one agent look at mine (when selling) and say 'oh well I suppose you could turn it into a tennis court!'
		
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I will make sure he doesn't but my property wont be sold plus fields, stables (14 acres) too much land for normal people ...


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## Highlands (6 April 2015)

Cheshire Chestnut said:



			There's one near my parent's house at a gorgeous house - must be at least 20x60 and it's just been left by the current (non horsey) owners. Has massive thistles and weeds sprouting out everywhere - they just use it as a 'dog toilet' apparently  arrrghhhh no!! Give it to me!!!
		
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Like our neighbours gallops ...


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## WindyStacks (6 April 2015)

catembi said:



			Sorry - my mistake - missed out a 'dot'...  Should have put www.cheapmanege.weebly.com

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OK, just to put a couple of things straight about your "mistakes":-

1) The company will only be registered at Companies House if it has been incorporated (e.g., Limited) - many people operate on a self-employed basis. As self-employed you can be VAT-registered, employ staff and do all the things a Ltd. company can - and you've probably got a whole host of insurances too... FYI Kelly Hoppen is (or at least was until very recently) operating as self-employed - she's hardly a cowboy.

2) A registered address is not a sure fire way of detecting "trouble". I use an official business address which hosts probably hundreds of other businesses too. I work mostly from home and as it's a legal requirement (with many types of businesses) to have your address published - well, would you put your home address out there online deliberately?


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## snowstormII (7 April 2015)

Sorry, I may not have read really thoroughly. What does CB stand for, as in 'CB leaning fence option'?


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## TGM (7 April 2015)

snowstormII said:



			Sorry, I may not have read really thoroughly. What does CB stand for, as in 'CB leaning fence option'?
		
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I presume she means Charles Britton - a well-known equestrian arena company.


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## Tiddlypom (7 April 2015)

TGM said:



			I presume she means Charles Britton - a well-known equestrian arena company.
		
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Sorry, yes, CB stands for Charles Britton, (who constructed the arena shown in the pics).


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## OWLIE185 (7 April 2015)

For a 20 x 40 you should allow £40,000 + vat for it to be built correctly.
In most cases DIY arenas turn in to a total disaster.
You need a reputable professional company to build your manage if you want something that will give you many years of trouble free use.


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## TGM (7 April 2015)

OWLIE185 said:



			For a 20 x 40 you should allow £40,000 + vat for it to be built correctly.
		
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I'm not sure where you are based but that is definitely not the case in our area, unless prices have rocketed.  When we were looking for a supplier two years ago, the going rate seemed to be about £20k plus vat, give or take a grand or two.  That is the sort of price we paid to have ours built by a reputable, long-established company with a five year guarantee.  Obviously, you can pay more if you want lots of extras, or if you have a difficult site to deal with.


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## milliepops (7 April 2015)

OWLIE185 said:



			For a 20 x 40 you should allow £40,000 + vat for it to be built correctly.
In most cases DIY arenas turn in to a total disaster.
You need a reputable professional company to build your manage if you want something that will give you many years of trouble free use.
		
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TGM said:



			I'm not sure where you are based but that is definitely not the case in our area, unless prices have rocketed.  When we were looking for a supplier two years ago, the going rate seemed to be about £20k plus vat, give or take a grand or two.  That is the sort of price we paid to have ours built by a reputable, long-established company with a five year guarantee.  Obviously, you can pay more if you want lots of extras, or if you have a difficult site to deal with.
		
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I'm in your ballpark TGM, we paid a lot less than £40k+vat for a 20 x 60 last month!  
professional company, awkward site with lots of cut & fill. Done a fab job.


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## 9tails (7 April 2015)

I would like to book a daytrip to tiddlypom's arena when it's finished.


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## Tiddlypom (7 April 2015)

9tails said:



			I would like to book a daytrip to tiddlypom's arena when it's finished.
		
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Visitors always welcome . The pics were taken in May 2011 so the arena is now nearly 4 years old. I still cannot really believe that it is mine. It is fabulous.

When we moved here, I jokingly used to say that having an arena was part of the 25 year plan, so 1986 to 2011 was within target (just).

The construction team duo were on site for about 13 days (excluding weekends), working 10 hour days. They lived on site in a caravan (which you can just see in the pics). Everything went like clockwork, and every stage was finished to perfection before they proceeded to the next.

The cost of the arena was barely more than that quoted by much less experienced and reputable operators. I was able to view any number of existing CB arenas that were 15 plus years old  in the local area. We hadn't intended to go with one of the big boys, but are very glad that we did. Experience is priceless in arena construction.


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## Ceriann (7 April 2015)

We've just had a quote from CB and arena 20 x 40 nowhere near 40k  - cost does depend on finish and extras though.  We are about to move house and plan to get a yard put in in the new place.  I'm stupidly excited about it and lucky that OH is bought into getting experienced people in to do it - we want to do it once!


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## Shazzababs (8 April 2015)

We had one put in about 10 years ago by a small local company.  
We went to view a few they had done, and rode in the one at the local competition yard before we picked them.

Ours is a 25x50m (big enough to jump across the short side which is great), we have sand with rubber and have never had any issues with it, although I would like to add some fibre to it now to give it a little more 'bounce'.  It cost £16k including VAT (10 years ago).


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## 9tails (8 April 2015)

Tiddlypom said:



			Visitors always welcome . The pics were taken in May 2011 so the arena is now nearly 4 years old. I still cannot really believe that it is mine. It is fabulous.

When we moved here, I jokingly used to say that having an arena was part of the 25 year plan, so 1986 to 2011 was within target (just).

The construction team duo were on site for about 13 days (excluding weekends), working 10 hour days. They lived on site in a caravan (which you can just see in the pics). Everything went like clockwork, and every stage was finished to perfection before they proceeded to the next.

The cost of the arena was barely more than that quoted by much less experienced and reputable operators. I was able to view any number of existing CB arenas that were 15 plus years old  in the local area. We hadn't intended to go with one of the big boys, but are very glad that we did. Experience is priceless in arena construction.
		
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Just packing the horse and tack into the trailer...

My yard has just had their arena redone. On the cheap.  Again.  As the YO doesn't ride, he likes to let us know how much cash he's forked out but it's already compacting and bricks are being found on the surface.


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