geoffbeaumont Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Not entirely off topic, since I need the stuff to sort out the drainage behind my fiance's (and my future) garage. I'm going to be spending this weekend digging a large hole in the ground, which will then be filled with hardcore and a soakaway in an attempt to keep the water where it should be (not in the garage). So far I can only find places that sell ballast by the 1 tonne bag (actually 850-1000kg, so far as I can work out). At about £35+VAT each, and 1m3 weighing in at approximately 1.7tonnes, I reckon I need 12 bags (£500ish delivered) to fill an 7m3 hole. It seems to me that it would be both cheaper and more convenient if I could find somewhere that will turn up with 12tonnes of ballast in a tipper truck and dump it straight in the hole. Do such places exist (for retail customers) or am I stuck with the bags? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 They do , and it should be £15 - £20 a tonne delivered in bulk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishbosh Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Your challenge may be getting exactly the volume you require as most companies will deliver by the truck load which can mean a 20 tonne load..... Depends on what vehicles the company uses and if they can do a part load.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmobile Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Yes, that's about double what you should pay per bag. Another option would be to have a look for a small local builder/landscaper to see if they have any jobs where they're shifting any suitable material. But you still have the problem of transport, IIRC skip companies wouldn't be able to dump their waste material at yours due to waste licensing regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterR Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Sand & Gravel Suppliers in Yellow Pages should bring up hauliers and companies able to deliver bulk loads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 When I tried sorting the drive at my last house I ordered some type 1 roadstone. (40 to dust I think). Ordered it by volume +10%. They deleivered in a huge tipper truck and delivered what I ordered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Geoff, Bear in mind that you want it as a soakaway so Type 1 / Ballast is not the way to go. Type one is compactable so will have very low pearmeability when it has been in the ground for a while. I use 40mm round stones from our local quarry for drainage. That leaves plenty of room for water to soak into and does not compact. It also looks quite good and is pleasant to walk on. For price comparisons, Our local B&Q sells 13mm gravel for about £38/bag. I collect it from the local Chap quarry at Park for about £9/ton. The 40mm stone is about the same price... While you are digging the hole, look carefully at the soil as you go. There is no point in digging a deep hole in a clay based area because it will just act as a tank and never drain. In those sitiuations, you are better to try and get surface area rather than depth or even better, grade the area for the water to run off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I wasn't suggesting to use 40 to dust for the soak away, just saying that all the company's I dealt with or got quotes from would deliver exactly what I ordered not what they could fit in the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Get with it Mark , everyone knows type one is no good for drainage Its better with Ashphalt on top of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Walfy, I wasn't suggesting you had Geoff also used words like Ballast / Hardcore and I had a vision of someone phoning a sand/gravel company, innocently asking for 10 tons of XXXX and only finding it was the wrong stuff when it was tipped... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 A quick Yell.com search came up with this company in the Birmingham area: Valley Aggregates I'm sure if you went in or rang and spoke with them you might come to an arrangement on a discount for bulk... cash might even be the right language to talk, even though it's getting less common these days!! The yell page also came up with: Yell search If you want a few ideas on soakaway construction, let me know and I'll dig out a few standard details for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Get with it Mark , everyone knows type one is no good for drainage Its better with Ashphalt on top of it Sorry Jase. I'll go and thrash myself for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 I used what the quarry term +40/-30 for mine (which as far as I can tell is 30 to 40mm) as the soakaway and it works a treat. It doesn't ever pack down though so my driveway is "loose" - but the option was to have the entrance to the garage under three or four inches of water so there wasn't much choice! If I did it again I think I would try a layer of the big stuff at the bottom for drainage, a layer of geotextile and then some type 1 on the top to provide a solid surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Bear in mind that you want it as a soakaway so Type 1 / Ballast is not the way to go. Type one is compactable so will have very low pearmeability when it has been in the ground for a while. How long is 'a while'...? The area isn't going to see a great deal of traffic. It'll get parked on occasionally, possibly used a bit as a passing place, plus a small amount of foot traffic. Recycled type 1 is exactly what I've ordered. I could change the order, but it's two thirds of the price of 40mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Not quite so bad as I thought - changed the order (to 75mm recycled brick - supplier only does cotswald stone in 40mm and says that's not great for drainage), but they've given my a bigger discount off that for having it delivered by tipper. Thanks - another save for the LR4x4 guys (and gals, before any of them lynch me) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treebloke Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Not quite so bad as I thought - changed the order (to 75mm recycled brick - supplier only does cotswald stone in 40mm and says that's not great for drainage), but they've given my a bigger discount off that for having it delivered by tipper.Thanks - another save for the LR4x4 guys (and gals, before any of them lynch me) How far into Brum am ya, are you a proper blue nose or just slighly tinted. I have just had a quote from a firm over our end for reject bricks which is ideal. If you are still looking I can give you their number. Yam Yam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 How far into Brum am ya, are you a proper blue nose or just slighly tinted.I have just had a quote from a firm over our end for reject bricks which is ideal. If you are still looking I can give you their number. Yam Yam Barely even painted on - my fiance's place is in Quinton, all of about half a mile from Halesowen. My own house is in Northfield and I can be in Worcestershire in five minutes too. I'm only an interloper anyway It's actually recycled brick I'm getting - costing me £420 all in (del + VAT) for 12tonnes. It's an expensive little hole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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