Ground prep area for 18' Ultra Frame Intex with pics

[ylomnstr]

So this year we decided to purchase an 18' Ultra Frame, but we got everything late in the season, and being in NY we decided to wait until next spring to put it up. This gives me more time to prep the area. From the pics, you can see I have some rocks to move, but if I plan on putting down a couple of inches of sand and the insulation board, how anal do I really need to get with removing the rocks? Can I just get the major larger rocks and get away with leaving the smaller pebbles and rocks?

 

[lizardflats]

We just put up a similar 16' x 48" Ultraframe. Our site had to be dug down about 6 inches on the uphill side. Our ground is so full of rock every time I pulled up one small one, I'd find two more. We unearthed the large boulder in the pic attached. Since I didn't want a huge hole to fill, we used a jackhammer to split off the part above the final grade (it was soft sandstone). Take a look at the pile of rocks behind the site! That's just a small sample of what I had to remove. I had to put some base rock on the low side where it ended up an inch or so lower than I wanted, but that compacts real well and doesn't move around much at all.

For your site, I'd rake it with a landscape rake until you don't feel the rake hanging up on anything large. Then, a thin layer of sand or fines (that compact better than sand) and your foam should turn out fine. You probably don't want anything bigger than an olive when you're done raking.

Good luck next spring.

 

[PAGirl]

Rocks can and will push their way up through the sand if you leave to many near the surface.

 

[cramar]

Not if you use insulating boards, if your using boards you don't need to go overboard on the rock removal.