11 replies to this topic

[tsukiji]

Hi all,

Need some help from the audience.

We're planning to do some landscaping for unimproved parts of our yard (but on a limited budget).

Aside from some plantings, most of the improvement we're thinking about is the use of large areas of decomposed granite (as opposed to ground cover, grass or other things that require water and maintenance). We're envisioning a sitting/eating areas and maybe some pathways.

I think the cost per yard of decomposed granite is about $40 but not sure (need to run down to a supply store to check).

But I'm looking for some expertise:
1) anything in particular to look for in decomposed granite? or is it basically all the same and just look for the best price? any suggestions on where to buy?

2) how much does it cost, ballpark, to install decomposed granite? including ground prep, if any (the area is mostly flat but slightly sloped for natural drainage). Or can the area just be bordered by pre-fab concrete sides and/or wood edges (ie - like those used for lawn edges)?

3) to what depth is decomposed granite installed? 1"? 2"? more? Any website pointers for DIY installation?

Thanks all.

[Dave Burrell]

I just ordered a yard of decomposed granite about an hour ago...

we're making a walk way/path on the side of our house with moss rock flagstones using decomposed granite as the filler

The stuff I got is Golden Decomposed Granite (5/16 minus screened) Price per yard is $50.00 from Resource Building Materials (formerly Nimbus) 985 2625

For prep - make sure the ground is level with an incline to your french drains (if you have them)

Here's some ideas on depth coverage that 1 cubic yard will cover
1" deep - 320 square feet
2" deep - 160 sf
3" deep - 108 sf
4" deep - 80 sf

[tsukiji]

I just ordered a yard of decomposed granit about an hour ago...

we're making a walk way/path on the side of our house with moss rock flagstones using decomposed granite as the filler

The stuff I got is Golden Decomposed Granite (5/16 minus screened) Price per yard is $50.00 from Resource Building Materials (formerly Nimbus) 985 2625

For prep - make sure the ground is level with an incline to your french drains (if you have them)

Here's some ideas on depth coverage that 1 cubic yard will cover
1" deep - 320 square feet
2" deep - 160 sf
3" deep - 108 sf
4" deep - 80 sf

Thanks! You always seem one step ahead of me in all the various posts.

I'll go check them out. I hope I can get away with 1" deep; $50/yard is yikes. Moss rock flagstones sounds nice. If we can afford it, it'd be nice to get some stepping stones but haven't even begun to think about what type.

Are you doing the prep and install yourself? I'd like to look into that. If you're having someone do it, do you have any estimates for installed costs, say, per square foot?

[tsukiji]

I just ordered a yard of decomposed granite about an hour ago...

BTW, nice pic! Did you take that?

[Dave Burrell]

Thanks! You always seem one step ahead of me in all the various posts.

I'll go check them out. I hope I can get away with 1" deep; $50/yard is yikes. Moss rock flagstones sounds nice. If we can afford it, it'd be nice to get some stepping stones but haven't even begun to think about what type.

Are you doing the prep and install yourself? I'd like to look into that. If you're having someone do it, do you have any estimates for installed costs, say, per square foot?

heheh, naw not one step ahead... just coincidentally happened to be working on a backyard project like you..

yes my wife and I are doing the work ourselves, the home improvements are mostly her ideas and she's good at it and does all the research and reading etc, me... I just pay for it and do the grunt work cause I like saving that dinero and the workout and outdoor time is good for me ....ideally, I would rather pay someone else to do it, but that's the part that gets too expensive for me...

[Dave Burrell]

BTW, nice pic! Did you take that?

thanks, naw.. that's not one of my pix but I like it - it's good for this week's holiday

[shergill]

try to call above all landscape 916-997-1038 for free estimate

Hi all,

Need some help from the audience.

We're planning to do some landscaping for unimproved parts of our yard (but on a limited budget).

Aside from some plantings, most of the improvement we're thinking about is the use of large areas of decomposed granite (as opposed to ground cover, grass or other things that require water and maintenance). We're envisioning a sitting/eating areas and maybe some pathways.

I think the cost per yard of decomposed granite is about $40 but not sure (need to run down to a supply store to check).

But I'm looking for some expertise:
1) anything in particular to look for in decomposed granite? or is it basically all the same and just look for the best price? any suggestions on where to buy?

2) how much does it cost, ballpark, to install decomposed granite? including ground prep, if any (the area is mostly flat but slightly sloped for natural drainage). Or can the area just be bordered by pre-fab concrete sides and/or wood edges (ie - like those used for lawn edges)?

3) to what depth is decomposed granite installed? 1"? 2"? more? Any website pointers for DIY installation?

Thanks all.

[folsom500]

the $50 per yard price that Dave mentioned is without delivery unless you order more than 4 yards then the delivery is free. Less than that is a $50 charge for the Folsom area. Resourse has trucks that can supply up to three separate items so last time we got 2 yards sand , 1 yard DG and 2 yards combined shredded redwood and cedar ..

We just put the extras into piles in our side yard

on the DG- you might want to put down Landscape Cloth or Black plastic sheets ( depending on if you want the water to run off or just soak in ) before to keep the weeds down..

1" is normally OK - but having some extra might be good to over cover spots that get bare over time - DG will also show some black mold or fungus that should be raked every year or so with a light overcoat of new material.

As with any ground cover- you may have weeds eventually grow in the DG- but they easy to pull.

Also , if the slope in portions is significant - watering and rain may cause some erosion in the DG exposing the underlaying material ...



Cheers
F500

[tsukiji]

the $50 per yard price that Dave mentioned is without delivery unless you order more than 4 yards then the delivery is free. Less than that is a $50 charge for the Folsom area. Resourse has trucks that can supply up to three separate items so last time we got 2 yards sand , 1 yard DG and 2 yards combined shredded redwood and cedar ..

We just put the extras into piles in our side yard

on the DG- you might want to put down Landscape Cloth or Black plastic sheets ( depending on if you want the water to run off or just soak in ) before to keep the weeds down..

1" is normally OK - but having some extra might be good to over cover spots that get bare over time - DG will also show some black mold or fungus that should be raked every year or so with a light overcoat of new material.

As with any ground cover- you may have weeds eventually grow in the DG- but they easy to pull.

Also , if the slope in portions is significant - watering and rain may cause some erosion in the DG exposing the underlaying material ...
Cheers
F500

Thanks! Great tips!

I didn't know that you could combine different types of mulch. I never thought about that (show how linear my thinking is). That's a great idea.

Sounds like you've had some good experience with DG. I didn't know about the mold/fungus. We'll have to keep an eye on that.

I was hoping the DG would do a good job of weed prevention by itself. I guess I need to think about using the sheets for weeds. If sheets are needed, I wonder if I need to use jute netting to stabilize the DG on slopes.

I'm also still trying to figure out if we need to edge the DG (to prevent erosion) or if we can just lay it down without a barrier edge (prefer the latter as it would be much easier and cheaper). You raised a great point -- I think I need to understand how easy it is for DG to erode away with rain.

[Leslie_R]

Over the last 5 or 6 years we have used lots of decomposed granite in our 1/3 acre yard.

Weeds will definitely grow in it, if a weed preventor is not put in place first.

If it is on a slope even the hose or sprinklers will wash it down hill let alone a rain storm; therefore, it does need some barrier in place.

In the last five years or so we have ordered decomposed granite twice. When it is delivered and dumped in the driveway, be aware that it is very heavy and takes lots of work to move it by wheelbarrow. This last time we hired a teenager to do the heavy moving.

We have paths of decomposed granite, paths of pavers inset in decomposed granite, and paths with a base of decomposed granite and other materials on top.

No matter what after a few years of use, the decomposed granite seems to disappear and reapplications or spot covering are necessary.

Decomposed granite can also be very slippery if used with pavers, etc. They should be swept clean of the decomposed granite. It is very easy to slip on the granite.

In spite of all, it looks really good, is fairly long lasting, but heavy to move and to work with especially on surfaces that are not flat.

[tsukiji]

Over the last 5 or 6 years we have used lots of decomposed granite in our 1/3 acre yard.

Weeds will definitely grow in it, if a weed preventor is not put in place first.

If it is on a slope even the hose or sprinklers will wash it down hill let alone a rain storm; therefore, it does need some barrier in place.

In the last five years or so we have ordered decomposed granite twice. When it is delivered and dumped in the driveway, be aware that it is very heavy and takes lots of work to move it by wheelbarrow. This last time we hired a teenager to do the heavy moving.

We have paths of decomposed granite, paths of pavers inset in decomposed granite, and paths with a base of decomposed granite and other materials on top.

No matter what after a few years of use, the decomposed granite seems to disappear and reapplications or spot covering are necessary.

Decomposed granite can also be very slippery if used with pavers, etc. They should be swept clean of the decomposed granite. It is very easy to slip on the granite.

In spite of all, it looks really good, is fairly long lasting, but heavy to move and to work with especially on surfaces that are not flat.

Hi! Thanks for the benefit of your experiences. Another surprise for me -- I didn't anticipate having to replenish the DG every few years. It's something I was hoping to stay away from because we've been having to replenish our mulch in the front yard around every couple of years. So, instead of mulch, we're focusing on planting more ground cover / bushes so that it's more sustaniable.

Mulch I could kind of understand -- it's organic and it degrades over time. But the DG is rock -- where does it go?

So, I think your key points will drive some design changes -- 1) minimize the DG area, especially on slopes, and replace with ground covers (this could be tricky - minimizing DG area while minimizing ground cover planting costs; may need to get some HS student to help me with the calculus here ); 2) use edge barriers to minimize erosion loss.

Thanks for all the tips, folks. This is really useful to prevent washing money down the drain, so to speak. I really appreciate all the help from your experience.

[Dave Burrell]

Over the last 5 or 6 years we have used lots of decomposed granite in our 1/3 acre yard.

Weeds will definitely grow in it, if a weed preventor is not put in place first.

If it is on a slope even the hose or sprinklers will wash it down hill let alone a rain storm; therefore, it does need some barrier in place.

In the last five years or so we have ordered decomposed granite twice. When it is delivered and dumped in the driveway, be aware that it is very heavy and takes lots of work to move it by wheelbarrow. This last time we hired a teenager to do the heavy moving.

We have paths of decomposed granite, paths of pavers inset in decomposed granite, and paths with a base of decomposed granite and other materials on top.

No matter what after a few years of use, the decomposed granite seems to disappear and reapplications or spot covering are necessary.

Decomposed granite can also be very slippery if used with pavers, etc. They should be swept clean of the decomposed granite. It is very easy to slip on the granite.

In spite of all, it looks really good, is fairly long lasting, but heavy to move and to work with especially on surfaces that are not flat.

Thanks! this info was helpful to me - I start my project tomorrow as soon as the truck arrives with the DG, moss rock boulders and flag stone. Really looking forward to finally having a path along the side of my house.