# Best cheap way to raise ground in stall



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I asked a related question and got some responses you might find worthwhile:









Dirt stall wet floor


The barn where I board has dirt floors (I think you'd call it a pole barn). Due to the elevation of the ground, the floor of Teddy's stall tends to get wet every time there is a strong rain event. This last time, I had just put a bunch of fresh shavings in. They are true shavings, dry and...




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## Maxify (Oct 18, 2010)

*The best answer I can give is that:*
_It's not either easy or cheap._

It's going to take a lot of drain type material {eg: gravel, stone, drain mesh barrier}UNDERNEATH whatever material you want to put under your stall pad.
Otherwise, you're going to continue with the very same outcome as you currently enjoy.
THEN, you get to find and repair WHY the water is getting up against stall/barn exterior wall.
There's probably no gutters/eaves trough or downspouts. That's usually the culprit with older buildings.
Lack of maintenance + time + rain = Your inserted pics


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## ferricyanide (Jan 14, 2020)

Yes the problem is a lack of gutters and the property drainage should be redone. Like one of the old drainage paths now has a tree gumming it up. The other needs to be redone. But i really don't want to invest thousands of dollars into fixing it because i lose access to the property whenever my grandpa dies. Like really grandpa and estimated it would probably be 20k to fix everything that needs fixing. The barn is huge. I just need something to hold out for a few years. I rather not spend the thousands fixing up a property that goes to another person on his death. I would rather save the money to help buy my own place in the future.



So i see stuff about gravel and crush and mats. But i just feel like that just lets the water run underneath? Why not put dirt with the gravel instead of crush so that it could repack and prevent the water from coming in like it does in the good stalls? Im not sure what kind of dirt it is.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Maxify said:


> *The best answer I can give is that:*
> _It's not either easy or cheap._
> 
> It's going to take a lot of drain type material {eg: gravel, stone, drain mesh barrier}UNDERNEATH whatever material you want to put under your stall pad.
> ...


This ^^^^pretty much sums things up

It is going to be VERY labor intensive, as the likelihood of taking out walls in a barn in this condition is slim and none. Everything will have to be done by hand, with a heavy duty landscapers wheelbarrow, unless you’re lucky enough to be able to squeeze a bobcat in the aisle way to carry stuff in and out.

If the roof is still decent and you plan on keeping the barn, spend the money on gutters, downspouts, and cement sluices under the down spouts to carry the water away from the barn.

Nevermind, I just read your reply

base rock for the bottom of the stall, 3/4” driveway gravel on top of that, then the remaining inches with limestone crush, aka 1/4-down, aka cat litter

Put your mats on top of all that, which I much prefer grid mats than conventional solid stall mats.

Shavings on top of the mats.

Every stone product you buy is going to have to be delivered in a tri-axle load for three stalls. Whatever small gravel and crush you have left, will get used up somewhere, over time — believe me.

This is about as cheap as you can get away with, in order to keep the horses dry. You should be able to get away with 2K to 4K, depending where you live —- and a hernia from all the lifting, unless you can rent a bobcat for some of the heavier work


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Remember no matter what you do...
_*All of your stall doors will need to be reset to proper heights*_ or have to low and horses attempting a walk-out only to get hung up on a door now to low when you raise a floor a significant amount in height...
The rest is totally up to you how you approach and how much you spend..
🐴...


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Have a dump truck load of sand or class 5 . Fill stalls you want to use pack it down put mats over it. Will last at least two years or better. Cheapest way I know. 

Since you probably won't be there in a few years. I wouldn't stick a ton of money into it. If you planned on staying there yeah do base flooring the right way spend the $$$$. But no sense in dumping money into it otherwise.

Neighbor did sand in stalls then mats over it,has worked for many years. Is it perfect no but does the job stalls are dry.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Buy sand, if only a small amount needed buy sandbags.


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## ferricyanide (Jan 14, 2020)

Thanks guys. Yeah i think it's in the price range that a dump truck is cheaper than a garden store. I have a friend that owns a dump truck, i haven't asked him about his job. I could see if he has sources for materials i need and if he is competitively priced compared to local ads.


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## Maxify (Oct 18, 2010)

ferricyanide said:


> Thanks guys. Yeah i think it's in the price range that a dump truck is cheaper than a garden store. I have a friend that owns a dump truck, i haven't asked him about his job. I could see if he has sources for materials i need and if he is competitively priced compared to local ads.


Now comes the hard part. Just, pray tell, is that sand to appear into the stall/stalls?
One wheel barrow load at a time? Don't forget to compact it before putting your mats down.
If you're not using mats, you'd better plan on bringing in more sand as time goes by.
Urine soaked sand, that your shavings don't absorb, must be removed routinely.
Then, over time, you'll be back where you are right now.
You'll learn the value of two wheeled wheel barrows over the one wheeled variety.

At this point, though in my life, this old mule opted for a BobCat S70 {36"W} for the stall doors.
Best money I ever spent. 
Yep, lotsa callouses & blisters from moving sand the hard way.


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## ferricyanide (Jan 14, 2020)

I only have a 2 wheel wheelbarrows. I didn't realize bobcats were that small. I can see if i can find a small one to rent that will fit. Im really not that worried about it. 

I have some other problem that a small bobcat would solve, so that might be worth the effort.


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