Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Dec 05, 2009 11:09 am Just a quick one, we have been doing the ring arounds trying to find someone to excavate/level our front/back yards in order to lay turf. So far we are having NO luck, we got a quote form one guy $2500 for excavation, new soil rotary hoed, removal of old soil etc, he also had a machine that could fit in our narrow side (870mm) but he hasn't returned our calls/emails in 5 days so I think he has given up on us... Everyone else I call doesn't have a machine to fit the side way... I can hire one from Kennards that would fit, but would my DH evenknow how to use it, is it difficult? Then I got thinking, do i actually need to excavate? Our soil is clay, we want to get rid of atleast 20cm of the top layer which is mostly overgrown weeds, crushed rock, old dirt, glass, broken building supplies (just crap in other words) is there any other way to do this (besides by hand!! ) besides an excavator/mini digger?? Oh and another question while I think of it....after we have a level site we want to lay down fresh organic soil and all the goodies Fu mentions in preperation for our turf, can we lay this before Christmas and let it sit until we lay the turf (possibly a few weeks after) or will all the goodies lose thier function while waiting for the turf? Or is it better to put down the fresh soil and then immediently after the fresh turf? My karma ran over your dogma Re: Do I need an excavator?? 2Dec 05, 2009 11:11 am I was told that if you want to level out a yard to around 20cm you could use a bobcat? Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Do I need an excavator?? 4Dec 05, 2009 11:45 am You can get machines that will fit through doorways, generally dingoes will but the smaller the machine the longer the job will take 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Do I need an excavator?? 5Dec 05, 2009 5:39 pm I used a guy from Berwick who had a small digger, the size was between a dingo and bobcat. He levelled off our front yard and spread out 3 cubic metres of new soil. He also dug trenches around the side for stormwater pipes. The whole job took about 1.5hrs and cost $200 (which was the minimum fee). Let me know if you want his number? For the backyard we are using a dingo, he also has a tipper truck, cost is about $60 an hour. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Do I need an excavator?? 6Dec 05, 2009 7:01 pm For the job that he was going to do, he sounds worth his $2500 and I would be more inclined to try and get him to do the job. Excavating and soil don't come cheap. Building Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=13002 Site start: 8th July 2009 Handover: 11/12/2009! 5 months total build time. 40 sqs of luxuary...Bliss! Re: Do I need an excavator?? 7Dec 05, 2009 7:07 pm Thanks for that Hels - I have called/emailed a few more from around my area but if they don't work out I might grab it off ya Pinkfairymagic - I'm starting to think the same the $2500 might be an ok price, we have called/email him atleast 5 times since Monday when we inititally spoke and he hasn't returned our calls or picked up so I'm starting to think either he doesn't want the job or he isn't reliable.... My karma ran over your dogma Re: Do I need an excavator?? 8Dec 05, 2009 7:10 pm haywgl Thanks for that Hels - I have called/emailed a few more from around my area but if they don't work out I might grab it off ya Pinkfairymagic - I'm starting to think the same the $2500 might be an ok price, we have called/email him atleast 5 times since Monday when we inititally spoke and he hasn't returned our calls or picked up so I'm starting to think either he doesn't want the job or he isn't reliable.... Yeah, either doesn't want/need the work or isn't reliable. These type of tradesman are very far and few between, and they know it. Building Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=13002 Site start: 8th July 2009 Handover: 11/12/2009! 5 months total build time. 40 sqs of luxuary...Bliss! Re: Do I need an excavator?? 9Dec 05, 2009 8:04 pm A standard dingo will need 1050mm to fit through an access point, but some guys have the narrow option wheels/tyres that narrow it to 870mm. Or, you can get 1.5t excavators that have retractable tracks that can move from around 1200mm to roughly 860mm (depends on model). Bobcats are roughly 1600mm, so they won't fit, unless you can get a machine through a neighbour's side Re: Do I need an excavator?? 10Dec 05, 2009 8:13 pm haywgl I can hire one from Kennards that would fit, but would my DH evenknow how to use it, is it difficult? it is so easy, you could it and you'd have a ball too. When you don't do it everyday they can be good fun Re: Do I need an excavator?? 11Dec 06, 2009 8:23 am Thanks for all the information/help guys It is so HARD trying to find someone, Ihave foudn atleast 3 who could fit through the side - but not ONE has returned my calls/emails!! The ones who do return my calls/emails don't have a machine that fits, I asked one of themwhat they thought of the $2500 quote I got and they said WAY too expensive, they said it would be half of that..... I'm seriously considering the whole DIY, but the mini digger/bobcat still won't fit.....the only option we have is this one http://www.kennards.com.au/index.php?fu ... tors&lvl=2 but it looks complicated to move around....also we have some underground pipes etc which we don't want to hit, and we only want to dig the soil up to 30cm, this looks like it would dig much more than that... The neighbour idea is a good one, one side wouldn't do it, the other side is basically an abandoned house which we could get through, just wondering about ripping part of the fence down because we only just put up the new fence and I don't want to spend heaps putting it back together... My karma ran over your dogma Re: Do I need an excavator?? 12Dec 06, 2009 10:32 am Update: We think we are going to do it ourselves after more ringing around today! I have found two places that will supply us with a kanga dingo that will fit and looks easier to operate then the excavator. The only problem is they are both in Pakenham, Bayswater way....does anyone know a place in the Western Suburbs to hire mini diggers, I have googled with no luck!! Kennards don't have the right size either.... My karma ran over your dogma Re: Do I need an excavator?? 13Dec 06, 2009 12:39 pm What kind of fence do you have? We took a section out of our back fence at our old place more than once to get access to the back yard. Standard timber paling fence, easy to do.... if my husband could do it, anyone can. Colorbond is even easier, since it just unbolts. Re: Do I need an excavator?? 14Dec 06, 2009 6:34 pm It is timber paling, I'm sure it will be easy but the problem with the abandoned neighbour wouldn't be worth it I don't think... Anyway we found a place that will hire it out to us for $200 for the day, so we will get that for Sat and Sun plus a skip, should end up costing us about $700, then we will buy some organic soil, hire rotary hoe etc and hopefully we can get it done ourselves for around $1500 as opposed to $2500 My karma ran over your dogma Re: Do I need an excavator?? 15Dec 06, 2009 8:44 pm haywgl It is timber paling, I'm sure it will be easy but the problem with the abandoned neighbour wouldn't be worth it I don't think... Anyway we found a place that will hire it out to us for $200 for the day, so we will get that for Sat and Sun plus a skip, should end up costing us about $700, then we will buy some organic soil, hire rotary hoe etc and hopefully we can get it done ourselves for around $1500 as opposed to $2500 That sounds heaps better We have done a lot of work in the yard today. All it cost us was 2 trailer loads of stones, plus $50 and a pack of smokes to my nephew for giving up his day to help us Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Do I need an excavator?? 16Dec 06, 2009 10:13 pm hi hagyl We recently did what you are talking about, although we had access through our garage, so we didn't have the size problem you are facing. We first got a dingo thingy, very small, vererrrrry slow, only hire this guy if you have to for the amount of soil you want removed, it will take them at least a day. Doing it yourself - great idea, I agree with Fu, that if you don't normally do this kinda thing, you can really get a kick out of it, very rewarding. Our front/rear yard was quoted $15,000 to do all up, by project managing myself, not getting a landscaper in to run the show, I saved $5,000 (or maybe $4K), but it wasn't hard, (although in the heat it was a bit testy!) and overall very rewarding. We did not have to remove soil as we had no grass, but I wouldn't recommend removing much off the top because you can add gypsum over it b4 the top soil and it breaks down the clay soil. We are in Melb west too so I know what you are talking about - it's like bloody concrete! Trust me, I've tried to dig plants in - verrrrry tough stuff... I'd only take off 10cm MAX! and 20cm is heaps for top soil if you put the gypsum (rotory hoe) on b4 the soil. ANyways, just PM if you want our bobcat guys no, he was pretty good (not the cheapest, but very professional!) with a tipper etc (and remember you can dump clean fill in Truganina for free (so don't let them charge you a dumping fee for your soil taken away), I think 7 days a week next to Westbourne Grammar on Sayers Road. Can't wait to see yours. Our lawn seems to have survived the heat wave, thank god for the recent rain! A thankful person is a happy person. [/color]My hobby design blog: http://aviewondesign.blogspot.com/ Re: Do I need an excavator?? 17Dec 07, 2009 12:16 am annietom, be careful with the gypsum thing and layering topsoils. Gypsum will not do it's thing for years and is not as effective as fulvic and humic acids found powerfeed and certified organic soils. layering the soil will result in a shallow weak root system on all your plants because you will have a rich shallow layer of soil that holds lots of water close to the surface. best to hire a rotary tiller and have it worked through the clay as deep as possible (300mm is good) along with gypsum and then lots of powerfeed after that. 10 ltrs of power feed will do what 1 tonne of gypsum does in years. The effects of shallow root systems will become evident in the years to come and can result in a very expensive garden to maintain in regards to water and nutrients as well as time. Re: Do I need an excavator?? 18Dec 07, 2009 7:14 am Thanks for your advice guys, it is really quite confusing. I'm not sure I'm even doing the right thing! I got an email back from one of the Dingo guys and he was very imformative, he did mention this but I don't really get what he means "Please notethe removed clay/rock/material will expand approximately 3 fold. So if you dig up 1 cubic metre of material it will expand to 3 cubic metres" Can anyone shed some light on this?? I think we can do it ourseleves, I'm just a bit worried about the stuff underground - the dingo guy advised me to call Dial Before you Dig and I did and am awaiting a report - I know we have Telstra underground phone connection, underground power and also an easement at the back of the property....I'm hoping these are all WELL below the 30cm we want to dig.... My karma ran over your dogma Thank you so much for the effort. We will use it to talk with builder. 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