I'd figure a ton of crushed rock per 100 sq ft 2" deep, so:
160 ft x 5 ft = 800 sq ft, or 8 tons of crushed rock, about $100 here +
delivery and spreading. In cubic feet, that's
160' x 5' x 0.167' = 133.6 cu ft or just under 5 cu yards.

For a nice quality river-washed stone that was about 1/4 inch diameter per
stone on average we were being quoted $260 per ton. So at 8 tons that
gets to be serious money. You really get 8 tons for $100 there? I guess
I should start calling quarries and that's a good idea.

In terms of types of stone, I was hoping to find something with a smooth
surface, maybe brownish tones. River washed rock would be perfect. What
do you spend for small pebble stone of that type in your area? I guess I
need to do more aggressive shopping on price.

Your response was very helpful on many levels, thanks!

--
Will


"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 01:29:30 -0700, Will
wrote:
I need help calculating potential cost for building a pebble stone
walkway
on the side of an office building. The walkway is made of dirt, and it
is
the only way to get from the main parking lot in back of the building to
the
front entrance. During heavy rains it floods and you end up getting a
lot
of mud on shoes. We had the idea to lay down about 2 inches of pebble
stone, and then set on top of the pebble stone flagstone to use as
stepping
stones. This would hopefully raise the steps high enough to get out of
the
accumulating water.

Can you just do a drainage system, rather than raising the area? What
would
you use to contain the crushed rock? (you don't want a mower flinging
around
rocks!)

This is a more typical method of building a flagstone walkway:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/vide...632389,00.html
and an article on garden pathways
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...220000,00.html

I'd figure a ton of crushed rock per 100 sq ft 2" deep, so:
160 ft x 5 ft = 800 sq ft, or 8 tons of crushed rock, about $100 here +
delivery and spreading. In cubic feet, that's
160' x 5' x 0.167' = 133.6 cu ft or just under 5 cu yards.

Call up some sand and gravel companies and tell them your dimensions, and
ask how much stone (I'd ask for 3/4" minus) and delivery would be.
Prices will vary all over, depending on who you call (cheaper from the
quarry
than from a "landscaping materials" dealer, and a whole lot cheaper than
buying bagged stone). The actual weight is going to be dependent on
the density of the materials -- I'm just giving you ballpark figures from
my little corner of the world.

In some instances, a good delivery driver can help spread the stone by
dumping while the truck moves along the area -- this will depend on
the stability of the area and how open it is, as well as on the driver.
When we have gravel delivered to our private road, we ask for a driver
who can do this... saves time and money that we'd otherwise pay the
dozer driver to spread it evenly. Sure beats having to spread rock
that's in a big heap, though. g

There are also "side dump trucks" that might be more appropriate
for dumping in your location. The guys at the gravel plant can tell
you what's available and what is possible for your jobsite.

Can't tell you who to talk to in the yellow pages... I'd just walk across
the road and talk to Tom, who has a grader for spreading, and call the
local quarry for the crushed rock. Not very helpful, I guess. g

You should also check on whether a permit is required for this work...

Kay