Wednesday 2 December 2009

Buying Gravel and Soil

When we have to buy gravel or soil, the most economical way is for us to drive to the builders' yard in Yzeures. Gravel and topsoil isn't expensive, but having it delivered is. It's a simple procedure, but one for which you need a trailer.

You drive into the yard and wait until the weighbridge (bascule) is vacant. Once there you go to the office, tell the person behind the counter what you're after, and she weighs your vehicle and gives you a ticket. She then directs you to whatever part of the yard the desired materiel is stored and you wait for the man in the digger to arrive.

Weighing in. I wait in the car
while Susan does the paperwork
You have to keep an eye on proceedings at this stage; he would willingly fill your trailer up - about a tonne - which is a problem if your trailer is only rated to 375kg of load. I get out the car and stand by (but not too close to) the trailer and wave my arm when I estimate I have sufficient. Our last two loads have been 550Kg and 450Kg, which shows I am getting to be a better judge of these things.

Loading up. I am trying to estimate how many
stones have been dropped in the trailer.
You then drive back to the bascule, get weighed again and pay the lady for the difference in weight. 550Kg of gravel cost us €14, which isn't at all bad, but topsoil is even cheaper at €10 a tonne.

Simon

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's brilliant Simon, I did not know you could get top soil by the ton. Which yard is that please?

Simon said...

CMC on the back road to la Roche Posay. It's usually known as Dallay's. They don't do anything in bags, so it's a trailer job every time.

The topsoil is very light, very sandy, and apparently quite weedy. It's what they take off the top of the gravel pits when they excavate.

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