How Do I Price A Rock Wall?

[Moosemus]

Ok Ya'll Here is my prob. A customer wants a rock wall. This wall is gonna be 18" tall and 72' in length. I know I need to build a footing at least 6 inches thick and 10 inches wide in order to ensure it doesn't heave this winter. I don't have any idea on the time this is going to take or how far 1 bag of mortar will go. I have built quite a few dry walls but mortaring them is a new one for me. Here is another laugh for ya. She wants me to go to the mountains and hand pick the stones... Any help and or advice on pricing this beast would be appreciated.

[CleanCutMaint]

go to the mountains and hand pick the stones...

She's kidding right??????????

Sorry, can't help you with a price for this. I would have no idea how long it would take to hand pick rocks for a 72' long wall, much less transport them back to the job site. How far are the mountains from you?

Scott

[Stephen M.]

Its been my experience when people want me to "go to the mountains and..." they are trying to be cheap, or as they would say, "thrifty". Same diff.

I have alsways explained that this won't save them any money since my time is worth $xyz and that it will actually take more time than its worth to them, especially since you can go to the nearest rock shop or quarry and "hand pick" from there and have it delivered for a nominal fee. Besides, your truck can only carry up to 1 ton?, but a dump truck can carry at least 10 ton in one delivery.

In my case, this usually refers to forest products such as Salal, an understory plant that grows only in the NW. The cheap people think that it will be cheapper to have it dug and transplanted into their yard; but with a mortality rate of %50-75% done like this, its cheapper for them to pay me to pick it up at the nursery already established in pots and then plant it.

You are dealing in rock, but the principal is the same.

[chriscampbell]

stephen is 100% correct in all that he said....

[MGO]

Run away from that "customer"!!!!!

[Seascape]

1st i would check local law before i harvested that much rock,,, initial off the top my head figures tell me your up into 7 tons or so. In limestone anyhow.

2nd,,, this would fall under CUSTOM WORK. If this client is actually wanting pure unblasted native stone,,,, than perhaps theyre willing to pay the 14k-15 k i would ask to complete this wall?

3rd,, if this is a money saving stradegy,,,, theyre on the wrong path.

[pow]

$750 a day for wilderness adventure

[Moosemus]

Thanks for your advice folks. I ended up explaining to my customer that what she wanted wasn't exactly economical. One I don't have the time to make it to the mountains in order to pick rock and I am not all that crazy about the idea of loading 7 to 10 tons of granite by hand. The drive up and back isn't the problem. I am only about 45 miles from the little belt mountains. To make a long story short I have her sold on just going to the quarry and picking up stone there. My back feels better already.