fill dirt questions

[heppeone]

Looking for help with fill dirt. Have a smaller 7ac plot of land in coastal SC that has held horses for many years, it is low and has about 4-5' of clay then good sand underneath. Pine trees border the property ditch lines as well as in the pastures, though they are scattered about. Needless to say, it holds lots of water. Lots.

Wife and I are going to put a home on site but work needs to be done.

There is a site works contractor down the road that has unscreened fill material with roots and other organic material in it that they will truck to me and spread out with dozer along with about 20 dump trucks of large tree stumps they will bring over, dig holes for them and cap.

Thinking of using dug out material from stump holes to use at home site and fill material for surrounding areas just off home. Going to use ripper rake to remove large debris in the fill material after placement with my Kubota 3750 with a LA950A, also have Woods box blade w/ depth ajustable Ripper teeth, 5' Woods roller, & yard rake to help with some things. Even doing this, I know there will be a fairly big settling issue down the road for the "yard" areas and a big settling issue where the stumps are.

The contractor has also said if access road can't handle the use, they will bring in material to make it work.

Advise? Problems seen or experienced? All advise welcome, good or bad.

Thank you

 

[dave1949]

I would only do that if you can pick one spot you will never need, dig it out as deep as possible (with a large excavator), large enough to hold the fill, put the fill in then cap it. You should end up with some clean clay and sand to use. I wouldn't advise spreading it around then trying to clean it with your tractor.

The contractor needs somewhere to get rid of that stuff, remember that aspect of it.

Any chance you could have a pond dug then use the soils from that to raise your building site?

 

[Whitnel]

Is that guy going to pay you for using your place as a dump? I don't know that I would pay anyone to come bury stumps on my property. If there is much construction going I n around you could possibly find some better material someone is needing to get rid of.

 

[dave1949]

I would only do that if you can pick one spot you will never need, dig it out as deep as possible (with a large excavator), large enough to hold the fill, put the fill in then cap it. You should end up with some clean clay and sand to use. I wouldn't advise spreading it around then trying to clean it with your tractor.

The contractor needs somewhere to get rid of that stuff, remember that aspect of it.

Any chance you could have a pond dug then use the soils from that to raise your building site?

 

[MacLawn]

I would NOT use that old boy's dirt. Get some good road fill. If ye place is wet, get some good South Carolina Low Country building advice.

 

[heppeone]

Thank you. Not looking to do a pond here, wanting to keep pastures. As far as one hole, would have to be very big to hold the fill dirt, its a lot. Stumps, maybe 20 trucks. Fill, 200 maybe?

 

[heppeone]

No, not paying me and I'm not paying him. I approached them. Have asked the last 4 contractors doing large housing projects around us over the past two years. Plus road companies too. Nobody is giving away anything. One even wanted me to pay $130 a load for muck, from 1/2 mile away. Instead they trucked it 20 miles.

 

[dave1949]

You could calculate the approximate number of cubic yards of fill you need or want and just make one hole or trench large enough to generate that amount. Cap it with 3-4 foot of soil.

When wood is buried deep enough and packed hard enough that air can't reach it, it will rot very, very slowly. Solid stuff like stumps could outlive you. :laughing: Think about the logs they haul up from lake beds that have been there 75-100 years and still sound, they sell for a huge premium over standard lumber logs.

 

[Whitnel]

No, not paying me and I'm not paying him. I approached them. Have asked the last 4 contractors doing large housing projects around us over the past two years. Plus road companies too. Nobody is giving away anything. One even wanted me to pay $130 a load for muck, from 1/2 mile away. Instead they trucked it 20 miles.

Well that is crazy, unless we have a use for material on another paying job the closest permitted place we can find is where it goes.

If you are not paying anything for the material, hauling and excavation work, had a area away from your house site that you could mine out the good material then put in his fill that might work out.

 

[hosspuller]

Watch out. You could be charged with operating a waste disposal site. Around here, a stump dump is permitted and engineered....And inspected by the state. With local zoning approval....Not a land use right. Depending on your local zoning laws.. it could end up costing you a bunch of time & money. Might even have to dig up the materials and truck it to a permitted site at your expense!

Do some due diligence before allowing this on your land.