Have i royally done over ?

[Dannyboy]

Sorry BEEN DONE OVER

Hi Everyone,

I thought i'd run this one past you. I think i've been well and truly done over. I have a yard that I needed to be cleared and levelled then I wanted some type1 rolled in to make it look presentable before I put any concrete down. Anyhow. I had a few quotes but my old man said I should speak to the bloke who did his drive. He was a civil engineer and mainly dealt with larger companies etc. Any way he came down said he'd clear all the muck veg and roll some road stone into the surface. He said it would take a week and would cost £6000. I had previously had a few quotes saying there was about 5 loads of muck on the site. I popped up occasionally and had a chat with the driver.Anyway they had gone after 3 days. surprise surprise the veg is still there and there is about an inch of road plainings drove my car over it and managed to separate it ??? I met with him today to have it out as I haven't parted with any cash yet. He thinks road plainings cost him £9 ton and that he put down 120tonnes. The area is big but he put most the muck into a ditch that had been previously cleared out. I'd be interested in hearing your comments considering he hasn't done anything I asked I'm very weary to let go of my £6000 but my old man knows him so wants me to come to some arrangment. Be gratful to hear your comments. It really makes me mad after all the advice I gained from this site.

[Dave_L]

Sounds like a right bodge job!!!!

Road planings ARE NOT SUITABLE as a base.

Did you have anything in writing?

£6000? What approx area are we talking about?

[lutonlagerlout]

yep sounds like a pure bodge
how many square metres is the job?
why use road planings they are crap?
cheers LLL

[dig dug dan]

Its not what you asked for, and it has been bodged, so do not pay, just because he is amte of your dad's. He should know better.

[seanandruby]

done over big time.

[Dave_L]

he came down said he'd clear all the muck veg and roll some road stone into the surface. He said it would take a week and would cost £6000.

That sentence really should have started the alarm bells ringing!

"Roll some road stone into the surface"

[Rich H]

Can you tell us the area, dannyboy? Should be easy enough to do the calculations from that.

[very simple simon]

road plainings cost him £9 ton

not just you that got diddled then. 3" down crushed is only £7.50 - £8.00 down ere

My reckoning

M/away 5 @ 150 = 750
stone 6 loads 120t @ 9 =1080
teram 1 @ 110 = 110
7t for a week +transport = 400
labour allow 1 x driver +1 for 5 days = 1000
120 roller 1 week plus transport = 150
diesel 2 drums 420 @ 0.55 = 231
total with VAT = 4372

probably allow 10-15% on that so looking at 5 grand ish for a proper job

his way

m/away (ditch) = buck shee
stone allow 4 loads 80t @ 9 = 720
teram 0 @ 110 = sweet f.a.
7t for a 3 days+transport = 350
labour allow 1 x driver +1 for 3 days = 600
120 roller 3 days plus transport = 120
diesel 1 drums 210 @ 0.55 = 115
total plus VAT = 2250

plus his cut , probably somewhere about 2500. Like Rich H said, prices vary a bit from 'ere to there prices local to me, probably give or take maybe 400 quid either way.

[Rich H]

Muckaways round here (Thames Valley) vary a lot. 15t around £190, 8-wheeler (18-20t depending on driver) £260.

Based on 120t, could be upto £1700 for the muckaways! But you wouldn't probably do it that way...

[very simple simon]

get it WAC'd Rich H...180 quid a pop but if there is a lot to come out then a fiver off every load is a shedload of money

8 legger grab is 180 per load...value for money depends if driver can speak ingleesh or not. I work on assumption 8m3 in ground = 15m3 in wagon

Even for 5 loads of muck, would still get maybe 1 wagon on turnaround, machine there anyway for stoning up

[Dannyboy]

Hi Everyone,

I had priced the job up myself but thought it would be better to have a professional ??? do it. The area is about 1,500m2 although there was already a concrete base on half of it so say 500m2 would need stone. This muppet managed to spread the muck covering the concrete then put a little bit of planings on the top to cover the muck. I'm really upset about the whole situation. a real mess. I'll put some photo's up so you can all see. I priced muck wagons up at £110 per 8 wheeler in Birmingham. And was going to pay a driver £180 a day all inc. Any way I met with him on Sunday and the 15 loads that he said he'd shifted became 10 although he'd charged me £1700 for the machine for 2 day he said he had to use a 20 tonne. Also apparently all land near railways are contaminated ??? just soil to me so shifting it cost him £400 per load. He said I could call his mate to ask ??? The bloke must think i'm a right chump... He started by trying to tell me that road plainings are as good as road stone and that thay cost him £9 per ton I said so it would have cost you £300 more to use stone (I'd priced it up earlier) I think he was a bit shocked to be honest. I've changed the locks on the yard but don't need any crazy retalliation or anything. Thought about calling trading standards?? Any way would apprieciate your comments.

[very simple simon]

the man's talking shite. Muck from near a railway is basically same as muck from anywhere else. network rail might be a bit sniffy if you get less than 5m from rails or some arbitrary distance like that, but as for contamination 400 per load is just a piss take

as for 1700 for a 20t for 2 days, the man is on another planet, he could of got away with a 13t, and even for a 20t don't pay more than 550 per week, drivers go for maybe 23 quid per hr.

where did he tip muck in the end anyway? did it go to tip or into ditches?

[matt h]

seems this guy likes butter on top of his jam sandwich... over pricing on all aspects of the job, and cutting corners to boot. Go to trading standards if he still insists he is justified in his price... and tell your old man to find some decent friends!:(

[Dave_L]

Sounds like you have been done over 125 times!

Agree, lock the gates.

[lutonlagerlout]

keep the 410 by the bed
lot of vermin about :;):
LLL