Pond building in NJ. Help me with contractor, pricing, and advice.

[deerefan]

He said he'd be using excavator and bull dozers. The dirt only needs to move about 150-250 feet from pond to house site. I talked to the local NRCS office. They were not very helpful because we are not agricultural.

We have gone back and forth and back again about a walk out basement. The problem is that the basement sill not be finished until some time in the future. Creating a walkout completely changes the flow through the house and how it would be used. As it is designed now, without the walk out, we will have a deck attached to the great room that will allow easy access to the backyard. If we put a walkout under the deck, we would need a full flight of stairs to get from the great room to the back yard. You really have to design the house from the start for a walkout. Unfortunately we found out about the water table and clay when we were all ready very committed to some things on the house.

Using that equipment means a lot of man hours. 3 operators and 3 pieces of equipment can run you $300/hr. At those rates, he is saying he can build it in 4 weeks. 2 tractors with 15-17 yard dirt pans and 1 dozer can do it in half that.

 

[emanaresi]

He did tell me about a month, so yeah I see what your saying. I will shop around. I just want to make sure I get someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[CurlyDave]

...Creating a walkout completely changes the flow through the house and how it would be used...

There is enough money in this fill that you might want to reconsider the design.

I designed a house with this type of layout for DW and I about 8 years ago, we are now living in it. We like it, and everyone who visits wants to move in.

To get some ideas, look up "riverfront" house designs. These are designs where there is a scenic attraction on one side and vehicle access is on the other side of the house, which is at a higher elevation.

The attraction we have is a great view. The whole thing is sort of upside-down from many houses in that entrance is on the upper story and there is a deck which overlooks the view. Guest bedrooms are on the lower story which is actually a walk-out basement. No one thinks the layout is weird or hard to live with, and it seems very normal once you are in the house.

Anyway, if you are flexible about design now you may end up with a better house for less money.

 

[forgeblast]

Try ducks unlimited they sometimes have grant money for pond builders. Good luck.

 

[farmer2009]

Using that equipment means a lot of man hours. 3 operators and 3 pieces of equipment can run you $300/hr. At those rates, he is saying he can build it in 4 weeks. 2 tractors with 15-17 yard dirt pans and 1 dozer can do it in half that.

+1

The distance you are talking about moving dirt is nothing. A good dozer operator could do it with just a dozer if he had too and you didn't care for him filling in some grass and leaving a muddy path. I have done it. Takes a while to get started because you have to push dirt and let it roll out the sides and form a wall. But this is how we put bedding back in for the birds push it in and level it out and we are pushing 500 feet.

Think it can be done a lot cheaper than that. If it was me I would buy a dozer build pond and do the fill for the house, then sell dozer for close to what I paid for it. Then cost is almost nothing. But that's me.

 

[Coyote machine]

For education of the rest of us who haven't seen one before, what is a tractor dirt pan? :confused3: Any pics would be appreciated too.

Thanks,

CM

 

[farmer2009]

For education of the rest of us who haven't seen one before, what is a tractor dirt pan? :confused3: Any pics would be appreciated too.

Thanks,

CM

Dirt Pan for Sale | Used Dirt Pan by Manufacturer | Fastline.com

Some listings it has all sizes.

 

[Beltman60]

I hate to burst your bubble but you might consider changing you're house plans
for 50k you could build an extra wing on it
that's allot of square footage

 

[miklnj]

Worked in Nj most of my life moving earth soil shoulf be 1 dollar to 1.30 a yard moved compacted in place that's just for the earth work not the clearing. Hope thid helps

 

[emanaresi]

Mike, are you suggesting that since I need to move about 2000 Yds of soil from where tehe pond would be to where the house is, it should cost me about $3000? I'm confused...

Beltman, are you trying to say 50k is a lot of money? Because if so, that seems kind of redundant. I think that's why i started this thread was to say "boy I can't spend 50k digging a pond, that's crazy".

Maybe you missed that somehow?