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We are VERY VERY EXCITED about the addition of a riding arena here at Dreamcatcher!!! After seven years of
being in business and always having to work around the weather, we can finally look forward to being able to keep on schedule
with our lessons and camps, without any delays!
NOVEMBER 2, 2005
The building has been ordered! It takes 2 - 3 weeks for the rafters to get done, and the plans for the footings
are now at the engineer's office and the building permit is being applied for. Hopefully the clearing of the property
will happen and the footings will go in next week. We have decided to go with the design that has steel rafters,
with wooden walls inside, and metal cladding on the exterior. This one allows us to have new stalls (if we wanted
to, we could have 22 stalls that are 10' x 12'), a tack room, feed room, storage space for props and jumps, office and kitchenette/lounge
all on the same level. We know it isn't realistic to think that all of this will get done right away, but the potential
is at least there. The total dimensions of the building is 82 feet by 132 feet... the riding arena itself is 62 feet by 132
feet.... not as wide as we would have liked, but certainly ample enough to do any discipline.
November 11... construction is underway with the putting down of drainage tiles.... this arena isn't going to get wet!!
November 14.... back on the job with load after load of crushed limestone.
November 15th - the limestone has all been hauled... holes for the footings start tomorrow. It should only take
two days to put in all 61 of them!
November 21st
Well, not exactly two days for all of those holes.... but they should all be done by Thursday! The rafters/walls
will be finished on Friday and will be shipped from Quebec, so should be here Monday or Tuesday. We will then have some
better pictures to show.
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| Pouring the concrete |
November 30
The rafters and walls are here! Arrived at 7:30 this morning, and at 3:30 all the interior steel was up and the
rafters were started.... it won't take long at this rate!
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| The steel walls are up! |
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| The steel trusses ready to go up. |
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| Steel rafters all up! |
December 3
They have now started adding the wood to the steel rafters - this is what the tin gets screwed into. It takes quite
a long time, even with four men working from dusk until dawn... but they are motoring along.
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| Ramjet attaching the wood to the trusses. |
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| A view of the arena from the bucket truck... looking down over the roof! |
December 6th
They have started the tin on the west side of the roof.... supposed to take four days for that to be all done.
December 8th
The green tin has been started. Light snow and wind is delaying the finishing of the roof.
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| Allie helps put this picture into perspective... |
December 11
The green tin is up on three sides
December 14
A great day for tinning a roof... a little chilly but the sun is out and the wind is gone. Just about half of the
roof on the east side is now done.
December 22
Boy, where does the time go? Sorry for not keeping everyone updated!! Anyways, the roof is all done, the
building is all enclosed and the crew is starting on the interior walls. Once the interior walls are done, then the
sand comes in..... won't be very long now!
December 24
The interior walls are all finished. Just waiting for the sand which should be the week after New Years, as everyone
is closed for a vacation.
December 30
All of the equipment is gone. Ramjet is starting to work on the Dutch Doors.... but since that is on the exterior
of the building, it won't delay us in starting to use the arena... hopefully this coming week.
Unfortunately I have run out of space on this site so I cannot add more pictures. I am working on a website for
Laurin Diesel and have posted two pictures there. Click on the link "Laurin Diesel" below.
Laurin Diesel
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