Replacing Grass with pebbles

pbergin

Hi
Im planning on digging up our front lawn, widening the drive by about 3 feet and filling in the rest with gravel.
SO I need a bit of advice.
The grass area is around 25-30sq yards, could anyone recommend someone in the Celbridge area that would simply dig up the grass and cover & compact hardcore?
I got 1 quote of 50 euro per sq yard which seems a bit steep, someone with the proper equipment could do it in a few hours.
If I was to do it myself what quantity of hardcore would I need?
I plan on doing the rest myself (cement and pebbles), what quantities would I need to order?

Im guessing around 25sq yards 4 inchs deep of hardcode
5 sq yards of concrete also 6 inchs deep
and around 20 sq yards of pebbles.

I presume the stone is bought by weight, so I thought around 8 tonne of hardcore and 3 of pebbles. what about concrete?

pbergin

Anyone?

Wishbone Ash

The retailers of those products will be able to calculate that for you.

Sonnenblumen

You will need to compact the hardcore area to approx 4" for pedestrian traffic(otherwise 6" is required for driveway). You did not mention what colour gravel you intend using, eg if you plan to use a bright colour then you will need to blind the compacted hardcore surface with approx 1" of light coloured dust (typically Ballylusk dust) or regular 804 dust if you plan to use regular gravel, ie pea gravel. The compacted dust effectively seals the hardcore base and prevents that awful scenario you see everywhere in poorly executed driveways whereby the grey hardcore is gradually but surely mixing and churning with the lighter coloured ornamental stone.

Also worth remembering on stone selection, chipped stone lock in and much better for driveways, otherwis eyou can also consider rounded pebble if the area will be more ornamental. Pebbles are poor for cars, create ridges which are unsightly.

On average 1 tonne bag is sufficient for covering approx 12 sq yds at 2" thickness. The ornamental surface ie pebble should not be greater (deeper) than 1" or 25mm, otherwise you are (a) wasting money and (b) encouraging track marks/ridges etc.

You should do much better than € 50/yd. Hired mini digger + Driver approx € 250, plus waste disposal again 20ton truck plus grab will cost c €300 + VAT (Maxwells in Kildare).

conleth

I've done excatly the opposite and have bags and bags of gravel that needs a home. So you are welcome to it if you like - I have a van and can help get it to you as well. See attached for pics of the gravel - would work well for your hardcore fill.

pbergin

Thanks for the replys guys.
Sonnenblumen:
I am planning on putting down a light coloured pebble, I didnt know anything other than hardcore would be needed, thanks for that, I'll take a look into it too.
Would maxwells dig it out for me or just take it away?
I can rent a mini digger for between 120-190, It shouldnt take more than a mornings work to dig it out.


conleth:
I think Im probably ok, I have a friend that can sort me out for hardcore and just drop a few tonnes onto the spot so that will make spreading it much easier.