Adding gravel to a driveway

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Could anyone recommend a driveway contractor or landscaper who could deliver and spread small stones to an existing gravel driveway?

Comments

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I know this is not exactly what you're looking for, sorry, but I did something similar myself. So if you're able to spend time and physical labor the logistics are not prohibitive. You rent a high load-capacity pick-up from Home Depot and then buy pea-stone by the front-end-loader scoop from Cambridge Bark and Loam on Concord Ave by the rotaries. Then shovel, shovel, shovel!

So, sorry, not what you're looking for, but since I had been looking for the same thing myself and ended up DIMyselfing it, I thought I'd share what I learned in case this might work for you.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestion.

How much did it cost, and how long did it take you?

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

The pick up truck is $20 for 90 minutes, but I think I managed an extra hour and a half, so it was $60. But you want the HD pick-up because of the extra weight capacity and the fold-down sides are cool, too.

So time was about three hours including picking up the truck and returning it. Your driveway will be larger than my garden path, so it will likely be more than that... unless you get more people (we had two of us shoveling).

The pea stone was CHEEP. I was doing a smaller area than yours-- mine was 24"w x 30' long x 6" deep. I paid $22. They're really good at Cambridge Bark and Loam; you give them the size area and they will nail the estimate for how much you need right on the head.

So in the end the truck cost more than the pea-stone. If you have more people helping you shovel that will save you time/money, and also your back!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

FYI: Boston Bark only charged me $60 to deliver FIVE CUBIC YARDS of crushed stone (which is the same price as pea stone). The delivery fee was flat for up to five cubic yards of whatever they sell. They dumped it right where I needed it so no excessive shoveling required. Once the stone is in a pile in the right place, spreading and tamping it isn't much of an issue.

I only live 2 miles from their location so that may have meant a slightly cheaper delivery.

http://www.bostonbark.com/

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Oh, right! I totally forgot that the reason I had to rent a truck was that I was buying below the minimum for delivery. Good catch!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

aha! I figured there was a good reason for your method, it just escaped me :)

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I called Home Depot, and they said it would be a bad idea to put loose stone in one of their pickups, because it might damage the bed. Did you have any issues with this?