Anyone do dirt work?

I am in need of numbers. I hired a guy to build my mound for my house and I feel as if I may be getting overcharged.

My house exterior is 61x77. My builder is requesting I add 8' to each side, so 77x93. I need to go up 3.5'. So, I was told with compaction, you would add about 15%... so about 4'.

My calculations round up to 950 sq yards. For those who've done the work, how much more would I need? I am not considering slope since I am not sure how to calculate that, but with 8' on each side, how much slope do I need for them to work with? I plan on turtle backing once the house is done.

Basically, I am being charged for 502 yards as of now and I don't have near half my lot with dirt. I would like to know from someone who does this work if I am looking at this wrong. The blue stake is the center of my house. The different color dirt is a sand mix from a different company since I decided to change who I was getting it from. I am assuming the guy is salty, thus giving me a large bill. Also, going by the stick, it would appear that the current mound is about 2.5'-2.75' tall.

 

Question(s), Is the excavator supplying the material?... You said 'you' changed suppliers. How is the contractor charging you?.... by the job, hour, how much material etc...

It takes a bit of money since equipment, drivers, operators are being used.

 

My builder does not do dirt prep. I had to hire someone to do it.

It was verbally quoted as $10,000 to do the entire mound with the culvert. It was a handshake deal because he was the brother of my brother-in-law. I screwed up on that part. I received an invoice for $7500 for what you see in the picture. I have no problem paying him, but I am not paying him for more than I have. I don't know how to prove it.

I changed the company because he wasn't bringing dirt. He was OK with it and removed his equipment the next day. I was always told if it doesn't rain we will be out there tomorrow. This is the product of nearly 3 months in the picture.

50 yards was brought in right before I took the picture by a new company, which is why the discolor. The new company said it doesn't look like more than 200 yards.

 

By there being water puddles in the picture, it looks as if that's the low spot.....that took 3 months to do? Seems like a long time for not much being done....maybe the weather was a factor

 

Weather was indeed a factor, but there were stretches where it did not rain and nothing was done. In 3 months, dirt was brought on 3 days. That and I went stake the lot again right after a rain storm since they ran them all over with the dozer. I took the picture on Friday.

 

I'd question the invoice, you have every right to know and ask exactly how much fill was delivered. Ask how many trucks (10 yds) it took. An old trick I've seen is the excavator not completely filling a 10 yd truck, but charging you for the 10 dump.


Ask questions, I certainly would. I was in residential/commercial construction for almost 30 years.

I always think 'shady stuff' when a contractor/tradesman gives a nice, round even figure.... like $10,000.
For example, if they gave you a price of $8,375.00, they wouldn't seem like a whore.
It would tell me that they made an effort to give you the 'Best price' they could. IMHO of course.

 

I have tickets for the trucks and they do indeed equal up to 502 yards. He sent them with the bill. It just doesn't equal on the property. Tomorrow I am going with my tape measure and I will measure the outside of his portion and will give him 25% for compaction... just for the benefit of the doubt. I will then meet with him and we're settling this bullshit.

 

The question in my mind is how many cubic yards per truck? This is always an argument. Soil varies in density and the volume per load depends on the density because of truck weight limits. Not saying the brother of your brother in law is less than honest, but were you getting the volume per load that's on the ticket? Is the net on the truck tickets listed as weight or volume? Also, wet soil is heavier per unit volume than dry, and you don't get anything for the excess water. There are ways to figure this out, but it all depends on how much you want to spend to do it.

 

I have an invoice for 26 - 8 yard trucks and 14 - 21 yard trucks

In terms of water weight, it shouldn't matter since it's volume and not weight right?

 

Water takes the place of air. Water weighs more than air. Trucks are limited by weight. So, if your weight per volume goes up, you can carry less volume for a given weight. If the water is excessive, it gives you other problems. 8 CY per load is strong, but not out of the realm of possibility. 21 CY seems out of sorts. But, depending on the type of truck and the rules in LA, it might be OK. Remember, if you have 15% fluff, the in place and compacted volume will be 85% of what's shown on the truck tickets.