Soil - a bit of advice required

C

coffeecorner

Guest
I have (or rather the missus has) 23 rai of land (roughly 120m x 320m) . We will build a house in the next year or so on the back of the land.

I need some soil to make a 250m x 4m road probably to a height of 1 metre - let's say 1.5 metre = 1,500 m3.


I also want a pond.

Ideally I would like to have a 20m x 50m x 4m pond = 4,000 m3.

Have been quoted a number of pricing options including 25 Baht per m3 for excavated soil or no charge for excavating but 200 Baht a truck to move the soil.

I am told that no one (in our immediate location) wants soil now so it is suggested that the surplus soil is left on the land. I say bollocks to that - if I can't get a price for the soil then I may as well just have a 1,500m3 pond dug out and use what I need for the road.

I was then quoted a ridiculous price for 'trucking' the soil on my own land.

It occurs to me (Prakhonchai Nick actually) that if no one needs soil at present then there will be a lot of trucks not being used, ergo I should be able to hire a couple of trucks, tractor and drivers to move any excavated soil.

Frankly, I don't trust the Thais to compute the most cost-effective way (for me) and I shall be interested to hear of anyone else's experiences with soil/ponds etc.
 
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Getting a good price and job for all of this is all about local knowledge!

To get a good price the person normally needs be local.

+1 That is sound advise
My wife has always done it for us and always gets it done dirt cheap
 
I am going to persist with this thread :biggrin:.

If I can avoid paying over the top, I will.

Part of the battle is doing the maths for the project. No problem - except when you get conflicting information about things. For example, many prices are based on a truck load of soil. This truck is a 6 wheeler. Fine and dandy so far. The issue then is "What is the cubic capacity of a 6 wheeler ?". I have been advised of figures between 1.5 m3 and 7 m3 - makes heck of a difference when moving 1,500 m3 !.

Anyone have a definitive answer on this ?
 
I know some people who do this type of work, Ray. I believe AtB was satisfied with the service they provided on his plot/Lake. Let me know if you want me to see if they are prepared to visit PK?
 
I know some people who do this type of work, Ray. I believe AtB was satisfied with the service they provided on his plot/Lake. Let me know if you want me to see if they are prepared to visit PK?


Thanks Dave - I am happy for the question to be asked. I am also conscious of Alan's (and other) comments that asking someone local is likely to yield the best prices.

Locally, it seems that the 'team' approach works best - although I am happy to look at the individual costs of hiring a digger and driver, trucks/drivers and tractor/driver)

I also want to try and answer the question of how many m3 of soil per 6 wheel truck.
 
Even knowing the volume (height by length by width) of the truckbed. The amount of soil needed will vary with the density you are getting as some types compact a hell of a lot more then others.

I think you can throw out the 1.5 cubic meter estimate, 6 wheel trucks have a bed bigger then 1.5 metes by 1 mete by 1 meter and the 7 cubic meters seems a lot more reasonable
 
OK Ray
I will get 'Her who must be obayed' to check it out for you.

He provides all machinery and turns up with a big Tonka toy on a flatbed truck/tractor and earth-moving equipment (Sounds like Pattaya!).
 
Quote: "Have been quoted a number of pricing options including 25 Baht per m3 for excavated soil or no charge for excavating but 200 Baht a truck to move the soil."

I do not know if this helps but my wife added raised her land in the village about a month ago (about 1 Rai). She usually gets a good price because it is one of her cousins that supplies the trucks, excavator and tractor. Anyway, the cost per truck load of soil was 170 Baht per 6-wheeler. The tractor to spread the soil and level the ground was 30 Baht per truck load of soil delivered. Those prices include the excavator to dig out the soil and the cost of the soil itself.

Given that you are excavating on site, that is minimum distance from the source to the target, the quotes you have received seem to be on the high side. I would have thought somewhere in the order of 100 Baht per truck load of soil delivered and levelled, including excavation, would be in the right ball park. That said, your guess is as good as mine.
 
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