Are you wondering how long it should take to install a gym landing pit?

With time being a main driver for most projects – especially for gyms when the ROI is greater with an earlier opening time – you may be concerned that below-ground construction can take quite a while.

Traditional methods of below-ground construction, such as in situ, can be quite labour intensive – and precast concrete isn’t best suited to gym landing pits due to their size.

But, you might be surprised to learn there’s another option, in the form of prefabricated steel – and it could save you a significant amount of time on-site.

As a subcontractor who specialises exclusively in prefabricated steel substructures, I’m going to explain more below with regards to how long it should take to install a prefabricated steel gym landing pit – and the factors that can affect timescale.

How long does it take to install a gym landing pit?

The answer isn’t a straightforward one, as all gym landing pits are entirely bespoke. I am completely confident when saying that prefabricated steel is the fastest method of below-ground construction.

To give you an idea of the time you could save, if you were quoted the works initially for in situ concrete, changing the programme to implement prefabricated steel could save you up to 70 – 80% of time spent on-site.

However, as much as I’d love to give you a solid idea of timescales for your project, it’s a tricky one, as this will of course vary depending on factors such as each individual gym landing pit’s requirements – and the site in question.

I can give you two real-world examples of gym landing pits we’ve installed. The first one was Tamworth Gym Club, which took just five days to install – this was an L-shaped substructure measuring in at 4.3 metres wide x 3 metres long x 1.5 metres deep

The other Witham Gym, Lovells, which took a little longer at 8 days for a T-shaped substructure measuring in at 3 metres wide x 10 metres long x 1.5 metres deep.

What are the factors that can affect timescale?

There are a couple of factors in particular to bear in mind when considering timescales for a prefabricated steel gym landing pit.

The biggest factor is the shape and size of your gym landing pit. These factors can either increase or decrease the installation time; for instance, a more complex shape, or larger gym landing pit can take longer to install than a simpler shape and smaller pit.

Another big factor to consider is how much of the unit we can bring to the site already prefabricated. As a rule of thumb, the more we can bring to the site already prefabricated, the quicker we can install.

Usually, if we tell you it’ll take five days for your landing pit, 99% of the time it will be accurate. The only risk is when we start excavating and run into some large rocks or loose soil.

TIP: For more general factors that may affect the installation time for your gym landing pit, check out our recent blog on timescales for installing prefabricated steel substructures.

Advice from a specialist subcontractor

If you’re considering prefabricated steel as the best method for your gym landing pit, we’d recommend contacting an architect, engineer or specialist subcontractor who can talk you through your options, and give you some free, impartial advice.

Take a look at the case studies we’ve linked above to get a better idea of roughly what to expect from a prefabricated steel gym landing pit, and get in touch with us directly for a more accurate quote.

Typically, prefabricated steel is a much faster solution to in situ concrete – even if you don’t run into common problems such as cracking and leaking in high water table areas (something that prefabricated steel completely eliminates).

Here’s what Jamie Saunders, Head Coach of Witham Gym, Lovells, had to say upon completion of their project: “The club looked into getting the in-ground pit built by traditional methods of digging out and shuttering the walls, and then pouring the concrete.  This would have taken about 2 months work and would have to had partitioned off more of the gym.

We went through the design with Premier pits and Continental Sports who were fitting out the finished substructure. They were extremely helpful and delivered their part of the job, the dig out and fitting and concreting the substructure in only 8 days while the gym was closed.

The club were extremely happy with the job and when it came to the fit out by continental they said it was nice to work with the substructure and fit the padding to the edge. The finished pit is a big hit with all the gymnasts, and all the clubs that visit.

I would highly recommend this type of pit to any other gymnastics club.Thank You Premier Substructures”

Conclusion

Thanks for reading. Hopefully by now you should have a better idea of how long it could take to install a prefabricated steel landing pit in your gym – unfortunately I can’t be more accurate without seeing the specifics and requirements for your project.

If you’d like to know more, I’d recommend getting in touch with me directly to discuss your project and see what might be possible with a prefabricated steel gym landing pit.

Alternatively, if you have any more general questions for me that I’ve failed to answer above, just leave me a comment below!