Reducing costs for leveling my garden

[ineedhelpfast]

Hi, I need to remove 700cu metres or so of soil (mostly solid clay w/topsoil)
in order to level my garden. This equates to over 30 truck loads of 15tons each. I am being quoted anywhere from 160-280 +vat per load to remove the soil. It is tooo expensive! Can anyone here make alternative suggestions pn how to reduce the cost please?

I have considered hiring a lorry myself but I am told by the waste site that they charge 75 pounds per ton of waste.

I am able to dump a small portion (abt 5 loads) onto a different area of my property, but after that, I dont know.

Thanks for suggestions.

ps. I am in surrey

 

[Gervase]

Can you turn the equation around and try to sell it? The soil might be attractive to a landscaping company, while the clay...depending on how good it is, and where you are it might be of interest to a local brickworks or the like.
Just a thought, and possibly a non-starter in the case of the clay, but I was able to do something similar with a mass of rock recently - turning a potential cost of £200 per 12-tonne load into a small profit as it went for hardcore.

 

[CHRIS]

The price you have been given is about right for the SE of England for domestic dirt to remove it, you could try looking out for some new houses being developed in your area and talk to them - I know from experience that they are always tight on topsoil when doing final landscaping

Can you not do a design where you have a 0 cut - fill value where you shift it around but dont remove it? all you will need is a Mini digger and a man for a few days

By the way I have 56000m3 to get rid of so you think you have problems!!!!!!! Also you could try the Great Escape style by having holes in your trouser pockets and dropping it over the exercise area!!!!

 

[ineedhelpfast]

Whoa! 56,000? Can I ask, why so much? What are you doing, removing
the side of a mountain?

Hmm I havent thought about selling the clay. It is a grey clay - solid with some sandy. I didnt know it would be desirable.

I found a tipper lorry service for 150 pds/load plus vat... not bad, but still so darn costly for 30 loads!

Yup, I can move about 1-5 loads to another portion of my property. After that I have no more room.

A grand idea for the 56000m person- buy some greenbelt land ie. 1-2 acres or so and place your clean soil here. If you own the land, I cant see anyone complaining.

 

[skier-hughes]

Except I think you'd need to check you weren't falling foul of land fill charges.

 

[CHRIS]

I am building a new town for the goverment!!!!

 

[Penners]

What are you doing, removing
the side of a mountain?

Not in Essex, he's not! Highest point is Chrishall Common - just 147 metres above sea level.

 

[Penners]

Hi, I need to remove 700cu metres or so of soil (mostly solid clay w/topsoil)

If you're levelling your garden, I really shouldn't get rid of the topsoil. You'll have trouble getting anything to grow in a clay subsoil. Normal practice is the take off the topsoil, remove as much subsoil as necessary and then replace the topsoil.

 

[middi]

If I were you I seriously consider what Penners suggests, I have done it a few times.

Hire a JCB for a day or two and get the driver to rearrange top soil, sub soil and clay in the right order whilst levelling the garden.

 

[NT]

At that price I'd seriously forget levelling the garden.

NT

 

[NT]

Sloping is the new level

NT

 

[Lime]

Have you thought of selling the soil as an anti-global warming kit?

~No more worries about rising sea levels, just raise your garden above the waves or build your own dikes and polders.~