gone longer than I thought...

[Silvan]

On a more serious note, 20+ years from now I won't have to worry about it so much anyway. I have a willow, a maple, a birch, another birch, three dogwoods, two redbuds, a hawthorn, five or six crab apples, two lilacs, about six roses of sharon, some flavor of eating apple, some hazlenut bushes, a Japanese maple... All this on 1/3 of an acre.

You might say I like trees. :)

OTOH, I planted a buncha Arbor Day trees in Mom's back yard about 15 years ago... They're much, much bigger now, but the grass under them, unfortunately, still requires mowing. It takes a long time to turn a yard back into a forest.

[J T]

Wed, Apr 21, 2004, 1:48pm [e-mail] (Silvan) says: <snip> Scale that up to 400 sq. ft. and it looks like about $1200 for the concrete and fixins alone. Ugh.<snip>

Awhile back I a got quote for pouring a slab about 20X30', for a mtetal garage. This was when I had not chance of coming up with the bucks for quite awhile. $600 for just the concrete alone. My kids said they'd do all the work, forms in, work the concrete, etc. Yeah, right, I can count on that. I beleive in Clinkerbell too.

But, got a quote from a guy that would do all the forms, etc., including concrete (ordered ready mixed), for $1500. A higher bid was about $1800. I may even be able to afford it soon. Then only need to figure out how to put the building up. The kids promised to do that. Hahaha

JOAT The Good are Innocent so they invented Justice. The Evil are Guilty so they invented Mercy.

- Unknown

[Charlie Self]

Not so's I've ever seen, but $200 a yard is way high. I haven't checked in 3 years, but in the Bedford area, it was around 60-65 bucks a yard then, IIRC. You'd probably be stuck with a delivery charge on 2-3 yards, but over that, maybe not, so that should serve as "scaling."

Charlie Self "Ambidextrous, adj.: Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket or a left." Ambrose Bierce

[Charlie Self]

Stick in some pin oaks. Decent habitat and in 15 years you won't even know there's a lawn under 'em. Wish I'd done that with 90% of mine, instead of only a couple. Branches have a droop to them that brings them right down to the ground, so once they leaf out, any grass that lives through the growth.

Charlie Self "Ambidextrous, adj.: Able to pick with equal skill a right-hand pocket or a left." Ambrose Bierce

[Silvan]

Part of my $200 figure was because they have to send a truck with an extra-long snoot and it's just generally going to be an above average PITA for them compared to a typical job. I'm pushing the limits of what they can do.

Though actually, I saw my neighbor have a dump truck run right down his yard and to his out-building area to dump a load of gravel. He pulls off his carport, drives around behind his house and then through the front yard to get back out. He doesn't give a crap about landscaping. He might let me just have the damn truck drive down his yard and get 15' away from the site with no obstructions to speak of. Especially if I throw in some of whatever hooch he favors.

Oh well. I'm only daydreaming anyway. It ain't gonna happen this year, or the next. Maybe never. Big things have a way of turning into a carrot on the end of a stick. Usually that's because if it takes long enough to get there, I finally come to my damn senses and make do with something more practical.

[Wood Butcher]

Last year I bought 2&1/2 gals of the 41% concentrate at Costco for $150. Still expensive but much better than buying the quart size bottles. I split it with my neighbor and still have enough to last thru this summer.

Art

"Silvan" wrote >

<snip>