free dirt?

[cat320]

How many guys see this is a way to get your project done for free?

Making my 1 car driveway a 3-car in Saugus. I have a front yard with an approximate 16'x18'x4' deep lot ABOVE GROUND, behind a 4' high concrete wall. (wall is falling down)
Take a backhoe and dig it out and it's yours. Should get you about 30 yards of ggod clean fill.

I guess if you need good fill right away for your own project don't know if I would run out to to go get it.

 

[Bob Horrell]

Dirt is a odd commodity. If you need sand, gravel,DG, etc. you can get any number of companies to deliver quickly and pay a somewhat standard rate for whatever the product is going for in the area.
Dirt on the other hand can be a problem acquiring it or getting rid of it. It all depends on who needs what a any given point in time. A lot of my business is moving dirt. I have a reputation in my area for finding dirt or getting rid of it. I have a situation very similar to the one you describe. This coming Saturday I will be digging out an area of about 100 yards and hauling it to another customer. I can park my dumptruck right next to the area I am digging out and the customer wanting the dirt is only a few miles away. Should be no problem doing it in a day. They will split the cost.
The scenario ranges from someone needing dirt and paying all the costs involved to someone getting rid of dirt and paying all the costs involved and every variation inbetween. If the dirt is good topsoil and I have no customer for it at the time, I will stockpile it at my ranch and sell it to landscapers I work for.
A lot of guys don't want to mess with hauling dirt, but I find it very lucrative. I almost always have a job at both ends of the dirt moving, and working with the customers at both ends to share in the cost has garnered me a good reputation as the "dirt guy".

 

[Orchard Ex]

I guess if you need good fill right away for your own project don't know if I would run out to to go get it.

Hmm, a whole 30 yds and I have to haul equipment out and back to get it. I'd probably pass on that one myself.

I almost always have a job at both ends of the dirt moving, and working with the customers at both ends to share in the cost has garnered me a good reputation as the "dirt guy".

Bob, I'm betting that the reputation is as the "Fair Business" dirt guy. Lots of companies would charge both customers full price, one for disposal of that worthless dirt and the other for tracking down the hard to find clean fill.

 

[D5G]

and its only gonna get worse with the current fuel situation.

 

[tonka]

Hmm, a whole 30 yds and I have to haul equipment out and back to get it. I'd probably pass on that one myself.

me to.... good luck with it tho...

 

[digger242j]

Lots of companies would charge both customers full price, one for disposal of that worthless dirt and the other for tracking down the hard to find clean fill.

The one time I found myself in that situation, of getting paid full price at both ends, this is what happened. :Banghead

Karma I guess...

 

[Bentworker]

I don't think you will find someone willing to do that. Think of it this way. For someone to get your 30 yards of dirt, they will have to pay someone with a backhoe and dump truck at about $100 an hour, and most likely have them on the clock for one workday depending on the length of haul and how complicated your excavation is. $800/30 yards of dirt is $26.67 a yard. I can purchase any rock I want from the local yard for less than $22 a yard, and purchase dirt for less.

Over the past few months I have been messing around with the rough grading on my new home site. To date I have had over 600 yards hauled off, and I am done.

I excavated all of the material and piled it onsite. I would place ads in the local paper for free fill dirt, and about 1 in 5 phone calls resulted in someone hauling off at least 10 yards or so.

Total spent by me to have 600 yards hauled off $850.00.... DEAL!
Total spent on rental of dozer, backhoe, hydraulic breaker, diesel, and maintince of my skid steer, for excavation of dirt and rock about $5,000.00.
Dollar cost per yard removed, about $10.00.

I would place an add in the paper for free fill, state the amount that you think you will have, and wait for a phone call from someone willing to pay for the haul.

Good luck!
Peter

 

[rino1494]

I've had a couple ppl ask me to take dirt out and we could have it. I just decline and say that I have my own dirt.

 

[cat320]

I forgot to mention that was an ad I saw in craigs list.I know that the way fuel is today at close to $5 don't see any silver lining in getting free dirt . If that guy gets any takers they will have to be right next door and need dirt.

 

[20dub]

anybody hear of gotfill.com?
it's a website that puts builders and contrators together on this issue
it seems to be a listing of people looking for dirt and looking to get rid of

 

[dayexco]

i bid every job as though i'm trucking it. somebody comes along, wants it, hauls it, more money in my pocket...i'll give it to em.

 

[Turbo21835]

I worked at a company with a whole division dedicated to buying, selling and trading dirt. There were a few jobs where we gave the dirt away. Weve been on jobs where we charged the customer to haul the dirt out. Most of the time the dirt went to a dump site. The people owning the dump site allowed us to dump there. They would require us to keep clay and topsoil separate, and also to doze and maintain the stock pile. They would in turn fill in the low area they had, or sell the stockpiled material off as someone needed it. We moved in on jobs where someone was giving away dirt. That being said, it was close to where we needed that dirt. Its all about being in the right place at the right time. That being said, no way I would think about moving in on 30yards. Add another 0 to make it 300 and i may consider it. Depending on how close it is to my site and what kind of material it is.

 

[dayexco]

i really don't see what the deal is...as long as you're making the money you want/need to....what's the dif? if you plug it in your bid to dispose of the dirt, somebody wants it...hauls it, more money for you, right? if nobody wants it, and you have to haul it.....you've got that covered in your bid, right? pretty simple!

 

[Bob Horrell]

I did that "100 yard" job I mentioned above. The customer liked what was going on so much they expanded what I was doing and had me remove about 350 yards. It took 2 days and I got paid on both ends. I did well, as did both of my customers. The customer I took the dirt to now wants 2,000 more yards. There is a job close by that will start in a couple of weeks that has 5,000 yards of export. I have a home for about 4,000 yards of it already. For me moving dirt has been a great business and has kept me busy when most guys are really slow around here at this time.

 

[tuney443]

How many guys see this is a way to get your project done for free?

Making my 1 car driveway a 3-car in Saugus. I have a front yard with an approximate 16'x18'x4' deep lot ABOVE GROUND, behind a 4' high concrete wall. (wall is falling down)
Take a backhoe and dig it out and it's yours. Should get you about 30 yards of ggod clean fill.

I guess if you need good fill right away for your own project don't know if I would run out to to go get it.

Yeah,I see it once in a while--people like that are really,really stupid or have a big set, or both.Makes me laugh--I just hope no bonafide contractor would jump at that.Another similiar tactic is '' Breaking up my concrete sidewalk--free clean fill,you load.'' Give me a break.There's actually 3 of those types right now on Craig's list.As for having an excess fill job and a need for fill job at the same time,to me that's like hitting the lottery or having 2 girls at once----go for it,more money in my pocket,and all legit.

 

[Dualie]

I know a feller that makes a fair amount of coin stock piling clean fill.

He keeps a loader on site 24/7 and sells it to environmental company's for major$$$. they want it now and don't care their through billing it to the customer.

 

[eRay]

Dirt is like real estate. The value depends on Location, Location, Location. I needed about 30 loads of fill for a hole at the lake. They are building a new subdivision right next door to me. I simply walked over and informed a couple of excavating crews that they could dump any extra dirt on my property for free. Since I was only 500 yards away, I got my 30 loads with no problem. With high fuel costs is was not worthwhile for them to haul it very far. Worked out great for both of us. Location,Location,Location.