Manual Labor – Working the Rock Pile
/
DIY or landscapers?
We were recently tasked with getting a backyard landscaped and we wanted it to be as ‘green’ and maintenance-free as possible. Remember that in Las Vegas ‘green’ translates to rock, desert plants and low water requirements. We solicited three bids from local landscapers to complete the job which included removing a small area of grass (10’x10’), removing what rock was currently in place (which wasn’t much), laying down weed barrier material and, with the existing rock and new rock, ‘re-rocking’ the entire area. All bids were in the $3+K range. Since David worked his way through grad school operating a landscaping business, we decided we’d do it ourselves.
First, David removed the small grassy area and plugged the sprinkler heads not in use. Then we raked up the little bit of rock there was, laid down the weed barrier over the entire area and re-used the existing rock which sparsely covered only a tiny area. After measuring, David estimated we’d need about 12 tons of rock, so we went rock shopping.
12 tons of rock at the bottom of our driveway
We ordered twelve tons… that’s 24,000 lbs (~11,000 kg) of rock… ¾” Tuscan Rose, to be exact, and had it delivered for an extra fee. The big dump truck pulled up to the front of the house and unceremoniously unloaded it in a huge dusty, rocky pile at the foot of driveway. Yikes! It looked like a mountain!
We toted the first four or five loads via wheelbarrows… shoveling in, dumping out, back to the pile, repeat. Not very efficient. We figured if we managed 100 lbs/load (which I know I couldn’t do), it would take 240 back and forths… divided by 2… that’s 120. It took us about 10 minutes to load a wheelbarrow, push it to the backyard, dump it and return to the pile. If we worked 6-hour days at 6 loads/hour (36 loads/day), it would take about a week to complete the task of just transporting the rock. Then, of course, we’d need to rake it into place and level it. Definitely, not an acceptable timeframe, especially once we added in the cost of Ibuprofen at the end of each day.
We thought a skid loader would be a good option. After removing the backyard gate, we had a 52” wide entry. Unfortunately, the skid loaders available to rent at The Home Depot, United Rental, etc. were all of the larger variety, the smallest being 53”, not to mention we’d have to rent a trailer and a truck to transport the equipment since it was too heavy for Blanche. As it turned out, The Home Depot had just acquired a Toro Dingo Walk-Behind skid loader that came with a trailer and we could rent their truck to tow it.
After signing all the paperwork and getting a quick operation briefing, the Dingo’s battery was dead and had to be jump-started. Then the truck had issues. We finally sorted it all out, got back to the house, unloaded the Dingo, jump-started it once again and while I returned the rental truck, David began working the pile.
I was all geared up to operate the ‘heavy equipment’, but after a couple of loads, I determined it was a bit too heavy for me. I found it hard to control and maneuver and though I could manage, I was significantly slower than David. We agreed David would load and unload and I’d do the raking and leveling.
The Dingo made fast work of the rock pile.
With the Dingo, David could transport about 300 lbs/load every 6 minutes. I could rake the pile of rock he’d unloaded in just about the same amount of time. We watched the pile slowly shrink… down, down, down, until finally it was only pebbles and dust. Miraculously, we finished in the dark in one, very, very long, hard day. We were able to return the Dingo that night using Blanche as our tow vehicle… a definite plus.
The next day, I hosed down the driveway and street to remove all traces of the rock pile. We finished the leveling and raking and then bought some mulch for the small garden areas where a few bulbs and perennial flowers were already popping up. Job complete!
Total cost including rock, rock delivery, weed barrier, equipment/truck rental, mulch and Ibuprofen: ~$1200… a significant savings from the landscapers’ quotes we’d received. We’ve got big muscles and big credits toward our upcoming trip to Alaska.
The results, in our humble opinion, were awesome. A nice, neat backyard… easily maintained, low water requirements and still attractive… if you like desert and rock, that is.