Help with pricing please... listed tree content!

I have a job to price and would love some input. There is an overgrown bed at the side of a drive that needs to be completely cleared and set with 30-40mm chips. This involves removal of a lot of shrubs and herbacious plants, existing chips, large granite stones and some other bits and bobs. Right in the middle of the bed is a tree that cannot be removed (no idea what sort of tree!) so I have to work around the trunk and roots without damaging them.The area is roughly 30-35m2.My plan (and I would love to know if this sounds right):-Hire a skip and an able bodied man for a day.-Cut back all shrubs, dig out roots, scrape off/dig out 3 inches of soil and run a compactor plate over the area to level it. The area without shrubs (just chips) I plan to scrape off with rakes and dispose the chips. The stones I hope to be able to move with 2 men and dump.-lay impermeable membrane then 3 inches of new chips.Is this the right way to go about this or totally up the wrong tree?The other issue is the protected tree... (large knobbly trunk in the pic)... I'll have to be careful when digging out the soil around these roots. I am assuming the finished level with new chips will be higher up the trunk than the existing soil level due to the difficulty of cleaning away the soil at the trunk. Will this hard the tree? Should I wrap the very base of the tree with something before I do this?It all seems a bit complex to me, a simple maintenance man, but I'd like to start taking these jobs instead of just passing them on!(PS The wee conifer is coming down regardless!)

2 men for maximum 2days, but depending on how it goes the first day you may be able to finish up on your own the second day.

Dan Frazer Gardening said:

Thanks. Do you mean 2 days with 2 men each day, or two 'man days'? Thanks for the info.

D

Anthony Toop said:
I should'nt think the new chips will affect the tree, i can't see them being any further up the trunk than the existing soil is already, looking at the pics it looks like the tree base is higher than the surrounding edging anyway so your new covering should be fine.

Why an impermeable membrane, i'd have thought you would want any rain water to soak straight through, unless you mean a landscape fabric that is water permeable but impermeable to weeds?

Personally i would'nt bother with the wacker plate, just rake approx to level and heel in before filling in with chips, you could also damage the tree roots and or the edging as there is not much room for manouvre.

Price wise i would be looking at 1.5 maybe 2 days if ground is hard going, for two men, including losing the conifer and digging out the stump, skip, materials, profit!

HTH

Replies

Anthony Toop April 6, 2010 at 8:40pm

I should'nt think the new chips will affect the tree, i can't see them being any further up the trunk than the existing soil is already, looking at the pics it looks like the tree base is higher than the surrounding edging anyway so your new covering should be fine.

Why an impermeable membrane, i'd have thought you would want any rain water to soak straight through, unless you mean a landscape fabric that is water permeable but impermeable to weeds?

Personally i would'nt bother with the wacker plate, just rake approx to level and heel in before filling in with chips, you could also damage the tree roots and or the edging as there is not much room for manouvre.

Price wise i would be looking at 1.5 maybe 2 days if ground is hard going, for two men, including losing the conifer and digging out the stump, skip, materials, profit!

HTH
PRO

Paul @ Ashgate Garden Care April 6, 2010 at 8:44pm

Don't use the wacker plate inside the trees drip line. It will stop the tree roots form getting air and water.
Dan Frazer Gardening April 6, 2010 at 9:02pm

Thanks. Do you mean 2 days with 2 men each day, or two 'man days'? Thanks for the info.

D

Anthony Toop said:
I should'nt think the new chips will affect the tree, i can't see them being any further up the trunk than the existing soil is already, looking at the pics it looks like the tree base is higher than the surrounding edging anyway so your new covering should be fine.

Why an impermeable membrane, i'd have thought you would want any rain water to soak straight through, unless you mean a landscape fabric that is water permeable but impermeable to weeds?

Personally i would'nt bother with the wacker plate, just rake approx to level and heel in before filling in with chips, you could also damage the tree roots and or the edging as there is not much room for manouvre.

Price wise i would be looking at 1.5 maybe 2 days if ground is hard going, for two men, including losing the conifer and digging out the stump, skip, materials, profit!

HTH
Andy Thorne April 6, 2010 at 10:54pm

Dan
You don't need to dig out 3" over the whole area. Around the edges I would take out about 5" and gradually slope this up to existing ground level, over, maybe 2'. There is normally no need to have areas like this level. These must, however be firm, smooth, even gradients with no isolated lumps of earth or other objects sticking out. It the ground is uneven you will end up with areas that have too thin a covering of gravel or wood/bark chip.
The purpose of the dressing material is not just to look pretty- it is needed in the correct depth to help block out sunlight to the earth underneath. Figures should ber available from the manufacturer of the membrane to help you decide on 'mulch' depth for a given fabric.

Andy
Anthony Toop April 7, 2010 at 8:30am

2 men for maximum 2days, but depending on how it goes the first day you may be able to finish up on your own the second day.

Dan Frazer Gardening said:
Thanks. Do you mean 2 days with 2 men each day, or two 'man days'? Thanks for the info.

D

Anthony Toop said:
I should'nt think the new chips will affect the tree, i can't see them being any further up the trunk than the existing soil is already, looking at the pics it looks like the tree base is higher than the surrounding edging anyway so your new covering should be fine.

Why an impermeable membrane, i'd have thought you would want any rain water to soak straight through, unless you mean a landscape fabric that is water permeable but impermeable to weeds?

Personally i would'nt bother with the wacker plate, just rake approx to level and heel in before filling in with chips, you could also damage the tree roots and or the edging as there is not much room for manouvre.

Price wise i would be looking at 1.5 maybe 2 days if ground is hard going, for two men, including losing the conifer and digging out the stump, skip, materials, profit!

HTH
Kirsty Blair April 8, 2010 at 9:58pm

Hi Dan

I'd be inclined to go with 1day, 2men.

For me, I'd schedule the chips delivery for the afternoon so that the area could be cleared and membraned ready for the chips. Get them hi ab'd off into the exact spot you need them and slit the bags in the air (safely of course) - less raking and no barrowing involved.

Chips - coverage will depend on the size you go for - the supplier should be able to tell you what the figures are roughly. Calc your area m2, chips should be about 50mm deep. (for eg we used 11t for 100m2)

Don't whack - no need - if your clients are going to drive on it its a different job altogether sub base etc.

Tree should be fine with chips if you use normal permeable membrane. Try not to disturb the roots, I'd not take any soil away from it. It won't be perfectly level but no damage to the tree.

Hope it helps!
Lawncare-4u.co.uk April 9, 2010 at 2:51am

i agree !

dont wacker around a tree - no no no . u should be putting a load of sand down though to protect the roots from any damage whilst working around it.

Paul @ Ashgate Garden Care said:
Don't use the wacker plate inside the trees drip line. It will stop the tree roots form getting air and water.