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Landscaping Advice Needed...
Jabba:
Hi all, I am hoping that there are people "in the landscaping business" or others who are knowledgeable about the subject on the boards that may be able to lend me some advice.
I need to lay soil and seed about an acre of property. Currently, only about a quarter of the property is sodded (when I moved in). The land was graded where I need to place soil/seed, but has a lot of wild plants on it which we current mow down 2-3 times a year.
I've contacted a few landscaping companies and their rates are CRAZY. One guy even quoted me 16K with a straight face.
I was thinking of making this a DO IT YOURSELF project. Rent a Bobcat (something like in the pic), get the soil delivered and buy the seed.
Questions I have are...
1. Am I completely underestimateing the amount of skill/time required to complete this job on my own?
2. Is the Bobcat the way to go, or should I consider some other piece of equipment?
3. Any attachments I should consider for the bobcat/other equipment to make the job easier?
4. Would I need to "till" the weeds before starting?
5. How much soil would I need?
6. How much seed would I need?
7. I live in a somewhat rural area. Could a farmer do this type of work for me more cost effectively?
Any ideas or advice on the above would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
DrewKaree:
--- Quote from: Jabba on April 03, 2005, 01:30:20 pm ---
1. Am I completely underestimateing the amount of skill/time required to complete this job on my own?
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No, but we'd probably have it done in less than a day for you. It may take you the weekend to get close to the same results. $16k is SILLY, but that's to me. I don't know the area you live in, and the guy was probably referring to Hydroseeding - if that's the process he recommended, it's not SILLY, but it certainly IS pricier than we'd charge.
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2. Is the Bobcat the way to go, or should I consider some other piece of equitment?
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What's your time worth? A bobcat (use the term skidsteer) will work, but you'll want one more attachment on there called a Harley Rake. That will kinda "even it out" for you and remove a lot of stones you didn't think were there. I don't know what your cost for renting those two pieces of equipment are, but a skidsteer runs ~ $150-200/day for rental, perhaps more. The three-day rate will probably be a better price for you in the long run and allow you to not rush through the job and do it better.
If that's too pricey, you seriously can do this with wheelbarrows, shovels, and landscape rakes, it's just gonna take you time and some SERIOUS energy....probably get the topsoil laid and call it a day, and seed the next day/weekend after you've had time to rest.
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3. Any attachments I should consider for the bobcat/other equipment to make the job easier?
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See #2 answer ;)
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4. Would I need to "till" the weeds before starting?
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Read the Round-Up label, but spray 'em dead. Tilling them in will only spread your weeds around the yard, making it that much harder for the grass to establish. You may have to wait a bit after killing off everything, but then you won't have to worry about established weeds making your job harder.
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5. How much soil would I need?
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How much needs to be seeded? When you say you have an acre, does the house sit on that acre, or is it an acre of open land? A 2" base would be nice to lay down to start a new lawn, but depending on the condition of your present soil, may not require that much. Also, try to price out mushroom compost. We've used a half & half mix of topsoil/compost which is SUPER nice, and seems to get the seed to pop and establish faster than straight topsoil. Ask - some places have a topsoil/compost mix that they call "topsoil". Offhand I can't say for certain without seeing your site or answering those questions, but I'd say 5 yards is a safe place to start off, and you may be looking at upwards of 10-15 yards. Use the 5 yards to find out prices, and ask on the pricing for the larger amounts. You usually can get a deal the more you need.
*edit*
Please don't read this to mean 5 yards will do the job. I'm positive 5 yards WON'T do it, but I mean it to be a safe place to start for you to price this out. I'm almost inclined to say you'll need somewhere in the 15 yard range, but that won't help you price this out. Work in 5 yard increments for pricing.
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6. How much seed would I need?
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It'll depend on the directions on the bag. Some grasses require more, some less, but the bag will tell you how much to spread based on the type of job you are doing and at what drop rate depending on the type of spreader.
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7. I live in a somewhat rural area. Could a farmer do this type of work for me more cost effectively?
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If he's got a tractor with a bucket and a box scraper, he'd prolly charge you a whole lot less than if you rented the equipment, however, you'll still want to go over his finish grading job with a landscape rake, and even out the area, as a box scraper isn't the ideal tool for the job. It WILL work, but it'll depend on his skill with the tool. A box scraper is usually used to rough grade a site, finish grading generally requires a "finer touch" machine
shmokes:
Jesus, Drew. I thought you drove a snowplow for a living :)
DrewKaree:
That's winter work. :)
If I did that for a living full time, I'd have to drive to where the snow is, and I'm allergic to the upper east coast, Canada, and Alaska.
Canada's the worst, though. Up there, they're so snobby...it's all aboot them...cripes, those guys even wanna tell you about their Magnum P.I. dreams ;)
Jabba:
Hey Drew,
Wow, I hit the goldmine