Landscaping: Fieldstone experiences?

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Jsorens Buffalo, NY (Zone 6a) April 2, 2008 12:01 PM	I'm looking into purchasing a good quantity of rough fieldstone for a garden path, but the two quotes I've gotten so far have diverged considerably. I need about 120 sq. ft. covered. One place quoted me $400 for that amount, and another quoted $1,250! So I was wondering whether any of you have had recent experiences buying fieldstone, what prices you paid (if you don't mind saying), and where the good sources might be. Both of the places I contacted were local, independent garden & landscaping centers.
ecrane3 Dublin, CA (Zone 9a) April 2, 2008 3:23 PM	I'd check back with both places and verify what exactly they're quoting you on. The $400 place might have been assuming you'd pick it up yourself while the $1250 place may have assumed they were delivering it, or something else along those lines. Either that or the quality/type of stone you're getting may be different between the two, that seems like an awfully big discrepancy if they're really giving you quotes on the exactly the same thing. Stone can vary a lot in price though, so if they're quoting you on two different types of stone I wouldn't be surprised that there could be that much deviation. In terms of suggestions for where to buy, you'll probably have better luck if you head over to whichever regional forum is most appropriate for your area, you're more likely to find someone who lives near you there. (prices may vary widely depending on where you are in the country because of differences in local availability of materials, etc so you may get better price info there too)
bellieg Virginia Beach, VA April 4, 2008 7:36 PM	We buy stonss by the pallet and here in Virginia Beach it is around 200.00. They will ask you what size you want 6 inches, 4, and 3 . We used it for landscaping as well add to the rocks around the pond. Bellieg
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 4, 2008 8:54 PM	We purchased by the pallet - but Ecrane is correct about price differences according to the quality/type of stone. I would also add according to the size of the pieces. I am not sure if it is availability or just the handling of the large rock --but the bigger the more expensive. I know we looked at several sizes - trying to choose so that the overall path had the look we wanted. (Large and 'chunky') The smallest sizes were the least expensive. I think the largest rock we got was (a guess > 3.5 or 4 feet by 4-5 feet) and on that pallet there were only about 2 of those sized rocks. Later on, my husband and I went and got about 5 more stones (smaller) 1.5 feet by 1 foot etc., and because we needed so few, we paid 30 cents a pound. So it really does vary. Your best bet is to go to a stoneyard and find the size and the type that you want and it will have a price on the pallet. The shipping is usually only about 50 dollars here. Also, I know in PA (and I figure same in NY) there are quite a lot of stone quarries. Maybe you could go there yourself and if you had a truck or a trailer - they could load it for you. Eliminate the middle man. As far as our cost - of the 4 foot rock for the path - we got 3.5 Ton and it was $325 a ton. And the 3 foot rock it was 4.5 tons at $295/ton. I will look for a photo to see if I can find one that shows the scale of the rock. I think we covered quite a few more feet so it should be less for you. Hope this info helps.
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 4, 2008 8:58 PM	this may give you some idea View Larger
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 4, 2008 9:20 PM	This is a better photo - it shows the two sizes - largest foreground then next size down going towards that cedar arbor. View Larger
Jsorens Buffalo, NY (Zone 6a) April 4, 2008 10:21 PM	Thanks for the info. That does help give me an idea of what's available. I found a local place that specializes in stone & soil; I'm going to go tomorrow to see what they have. From what I've been able to tell from searches online and such, I'm going to need about 1.5 tons if I get the standard field stone, which is apparently usually used for walls rather than paths. But I'm also going to look at flagstone, which is the traditional path material. I'm trying to go for a relatively rough, wild look, with moss growing in the gaps & such, so I'm skeptical about the flagstone, which I think of as being quite smooth. But I do like the path that you made & could certainly live with something of that kind. So ultimately it may come down to price for the quantity needed.
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 4, 2008 11:49 PM	Ours is the flagstone - but it is not smooth - I think we use field/flag term interchangeably. Even the stacked stone we used for the front porch - was called quarry thins and it was a flagstone - and I know it was a mix of crab orchard and others to make the colors. For the path, we wanted a very thick stone and the larger pieces lent themselves to the thickness we wanted. But, the surface is not flat and smooth and formal..it is rough and has curves and 'hills' in it. Here is an internet site that shows stone. And, I will include a photo of the quarry thins (on the porch) ..I don't think these would be good for walking unless a great deal of prep or maybe mortar would be needed so any uneven ground would not cause a breakage in the stone. Here is a site with examples: Hope this is not more info than you want/need. [HYPERLINK@www.millcreekmachinecutstone.com] View Larger
Jsorens Buffalo, NY (Zone 6a) April 5, 2008 8:31 PM	Hm, those quarry thins look a great deal like the sort of fieldstone I'm looking at, actually. I went to 3 places today & they pretty much all have the same thing: something called "Pennsylvania Colonial Wallstone." And the only flagstone they had was really large pieces that are more suitable for a patio than a path. The good news is that the prices are more reasonable than I feared. My plan is to cut up turf along the path and select stones thin enough that they fit comfortably within the trough that results. Topsoil will be filled in the cracks and underneath as needed. If done right, I hope that this would prevent breakage, but since I've never done this before, I don't really know!
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 6, 2008 9:27 AM	J - You can ask at the stone center, but I think that the wall quarries are too thin to make into a path (they do come in great colors tho - browns, lilac, pinks). They snap and if not supported really well, I think you may end up with much smaller pieces than you have in mind. I guess the smaller the piece --the less likely the breaking --but you don't want to go too small. Fieldstone will come in many sizes but once you find the size you want for your path's esthetic, you should look for thickness that will support the walking.. Top soil will shift and wash and sink. You may want to put some crush and run on the path - it packs well and stabilizes the rock. The stone people should be able to lead you. Our wall quarries were made into the steps of the porch ---but the quarries are sunk in mortar as opposed to the sides that are just stacked with a tad of mortor for stability. I feel quite sure that if no mortar, the quarries would not hold up on the steps. You can get the really thick fieldstone similiar to what we have --but --it doesn't have to be in the very large size like we have. For sure you will need to dig it down deeper, but what we have done is lay the rock on top of the ground where we want it... fit it like we want (but that is not hard because the pieces were so large it was basically end-to-end with a small area of dirt between for the mosses,etc) Then my husband sort of did an outline of the rock in the dirt, moved the rock and escavated the outline. That way he didn't have to pull up the entire area and intrude into the firm ground --the firm ground around helped surround and stabilize the rock. Of course we only did a few pieces (these rocks were heavy!) The major walkway was done by the landscaper and they just cleared the path depth to six inches or so (I guess) and laid the stone in and then backfilled. But they had a lot of equipment and manpower. One of the reasons we chose the bigger dimension stone is because I am always tripping and smaller stone and rounded edges and me don't mix. When our dog Rosie was alive and we took walks, she got used to me being on the ground more than up. If "it" can be tripped on or over--- I'm your gal to give it a go! This message was edited Apr 6, 2008 5:19 PM
evesta Kearney, NE (Zone 5a) April 15, 2008 6:56 AM	Check out your local sand and gravel companies. Most carry decorative stone and it is much cheaper then the landscaping/stone places.
missingrosie Hillsborough, NC April 15, 2008 9:52 AM	E - That is what I thought too - but I had no luck here in Hillsborough. I went to two sand and gravel suppliers (beautiful stone there too - the stone yards were vast and well organized) but there was no difference in price so I let the landscaper supply it - just in case something went wrong and a large rock split during installation, etc.

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