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Re: Gravel driveway material & labor prices?

To: Mark Andy <mark@sccaprepared.com>
Subject: Re: Gravel driveway material & labor prices?
From: nick brearley <nick@landform.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 21:58:58 +0100
At 14:40 12/07/04 -0400, you wrote:

>Howdy,
>
>So we need to put in a (non-paved due to cost) driveway to the (future)
>shop.
>
>We'll have a contractor out for septic work anyway, and were talking with
>him about doing the driveway at the same time.
>
>He's willing to do it for time & materials.  Time is $80/hour for labor &
>machinery.  He recommended Limestone as the material, at ~$12.50/ton,
>since it ended up being the cheapest (higher per ton cost, but it 'goes
>farther' than the other options of mill slag or gravel).
>
>Are those reasonable numbers for this type of work?  We don't know much
>about these types of projects...

Hi Mark,

It'd help to know what's being offered for $80/hour. How much labour and plant?

Also if you decide to go down that route make sure that the material 
deliveries are well scheduled. Waiting time could run away with your money.

I'm a contractor in the UK and it looks a bit open ended in favour of the 
contractor to me. He may be an honourable man with your best interests at 
heart but the odds are definitely stacked his way.

One other thing I'd like clarified is the chosen material. As a rule slag 
is foamed material and tends to be less dense than limestone, it may not 
crush and screen as well as limestone but all things being equal you would 
get better spread from slag. On this one though you be better to go with 
local knowledge, advising from another continent on local material choice 
is not an exact science...

Try to get a cap put on the likely final cost before you start. Specify the 
depth of stone. IMO eight inches should be adequate unless you are going to 
run 40 ton trucks over it. If your subsoil is anyways damp or soft a 
geotextile membrane under the stone would be money well spent.

Good luck.

Nick Brearley






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