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Everybody knows the happy face icon - it is round and yellow with a big smile and cheery eyes. Happy culvert pipes under driveways have the same round shape on their inlet and outlet. Take a look at the pipe(s) under your driveway. If you cannot see the entire round shape on both ends, your pipe is sad to some degree. When silt, organic debris, dirt, roots and other bad things are in the space where water should flow your pipe is not carrying as much water as it should. Timely pipe cleaning is an important part of driveway maintenance. Happy pipes are just part of a healthy driveway drainage system. Read our blog for lots more information and answers to gravel driveway FAQs. Chatham Gravel Driveway Repair is in the business of making pipes and customers happy. Please give us a call for a free gravel driveway inspection and we'll leave you with a detailed estimate to make your driveway a pleasure. Always Happy to Help Friendly Neighbors, ...read more

Lots of folks ask:  How much does a load of gravel cost delivered and spread? The short answer is, around Pittsboro most full-size dump truck loads of gravel spread in a driveway cost between $300 and $400 plus tax. Folks who only look at the cost of gravel are asking for trouble down their road. What you get for money you spend on your driveway is what set's my company apart from typical gravel guys.Hauling is a big part of the delivered cost of any product, especially stone because it is so heavy. Any hauler will need to know your address to calculate your delivered cost. Customers need to know what type of gravel they are getting to calculate their value.Most dump trucks that spread gravel on driveways can carry up to 18-tons and or 12 cubic yards. The capacity of some trucks is less. One cubic yard of material will cover a 10-foot by 10-foot square (100 square feet) at a depth of 3 inches. As a rule of thumb I figure I can cover a distance of about 80 yards, 10 feet wide, at a healthy thickness, per load of the best driveway gravel.Most gravel guys cover more ground per load because they deliver roundish, uniform-sized gravel with air between the stones. 9 times out of 10 putting this material on a driveway falls somewhere between a bad idea and malpractice. Around here this inferior driveway material goes by the name 67s; similar variants are called 267s and 257s. There are very few, very specific situations where using this type of stone results in a long-lasting driveway. Pick up a handful of gravel from a driveway and ask yourself, is the shape of most of the stones more like marbles or poker chips? Flatter stones stay in position longer than rounder stones. Marbles roll down hill and out from under vehicles more than poker chips. If a driveway quickly looses it's shape, odds are its stones are rounder in shape.I use gravel mixes that are 100% dense with crushed stones and stone powder filling all gaps between larger stones. This mix packs down to keep stones in place and sheds water. Two problems with ...7 materials in driveways are: there is little or nothing holding stones in place and water freely runs between the stones and softens the ground underneath the driveway.The most important characteristic of every healthy gravel driveway is that it is shaped so that water follows the shortest distance possible off their surface, Driveways I work on keep their upside-down V shape much longer, so they shed water to resist ruts and holes. - CONTINUED ON COST OF GRAVEL PART 2 ...read more

- CONTINUED FROM COST OF GRAVEL PART 1As you're driving around look down the driveways you pass. If a driveway is shaped like a W, with elevated center and sides, odds are it was covered with types 67, 267 or 257 gravel that put more money in the pocket of the hauler than value in the customers property. I'm not in the hauling business; I'm in the gravel driveway repair business.Lots of driveways I repair are for folks who've had gravel spread over imperfect surfaces showing ruts and holes with inadequate gutters, pipes and/or drains.In many ways gravel spread from a truck is like paint spread from a brush; it is a wide, thin coating of uniform thickness.Preparation of the surface being covered is critically important to aesthetics and long-term performance of the coating.The look and performance of a coating can only be as good as the surface on which the coating is applied.If the surface being coated is imperfect (with areas that contain or concentrate the flow or water) an even layer of material will simply and uniformly raise the relative level of existing defects.The success of a paint job or gravel driveway repair is directly related to the quality of the substrate being coated.When gravel is dump-and-run from a truck, gaps and piles can occur due to starting and stopping, low overhead limbs or wires, clogs in the material, etc.No delivery driver can guarantee that a load will come out of their truck evenly.If a load doesn't, can't be or isn't spread right from the truck, a tractor is usually the best way to even out the spread.Folks who are sure they just want a load of gravel delivered and spread should contact a hauling company that will deliver a load of gravel sight unseen.Note that when they are give the choice, it is common for haulers to deliver the gravel that spreads the easiest and is most profitable for them.There are a dozen different kinds of gravel that I apply to specific locations where that type of product will perform best.Lutterloh Farms is one of the reputable haulers based in Pittsboro that I use to deliver my loads. Note that I have negotiated my gravel price directly with the quarry, and purchase hundreds of 18-ton loads per season.My price for a delivered gravel load, as part of a larger driveway repair project, is often lower than haulers charge the general public onesy-twosy.I'm happy to provide folks with a free driveway inspection and detailed estimate of what it will take to bring their driveway up to a state that will make them happy long term.Always Happy to Help Friendly Neighbors ...read more

Lots of folks ask:  How much does a load of gravel cost delivered and spread? The short answer is, around Pittsboro most full-size dump truck loads of gravel spread in a driveway cost between $300 and $400 plus tax. Gravel purchased from anywhere but a quarry is taxable in NC.  Folks who only look at the cost of gravel are asking for trouble down their road. What you get for money you spend on your driveway is what set's my company apart from typical gravel guys. Hauling is a big part of the delivered cost of any product, especially stone because it is so heavy. Any hauler will need to know your address to calculate your delivered cost. Customers need to know what type of gravel they are getting to calculate their value. Most dump trucks that spread gravel on driveways can carry up to 18-tons and or 12 cubic yards. The capacity of some trucks is less. One cubic yard of material will cover a 10-foot by 10-foot square (100 square feet) at a depth of 3 inches. As a rule of thumb I figure I can cover a distance of about 80 yards, 10 feet wide, at a healthy thickness, per load of the best driveway gravel. Most gravel guys cover more ground per load because they deliver roundish, uniform-sized gravel with air between the stones. 9 times out of 10 putting this material on a driveway falls somewhere between a bad idea and malpractice. Around here this inferior driveway material goes by the name 67s; similar variants are called 267s and 257s. There are very few, very specific situations where using this type of stone results in a long-lasting driveway.  Pick up a handful of gravel from a driveway and ask yourself, is the shape of most of the stones more like marbles or poker chips? Flatter stones stay in position longer than rounder stones. Marbles roll down hill and out from under vehicles more than poker chips. If a driveway quickly looses it's shape, odds are its stones are rounder in shape. I use gravel mixes that are 100% dense with crushed stones and stone powder filling all gaps between larger stones. This mix packs down to keep stones in place and sheds water. Two problems with ...7 materials in driveways are: there is little or nothing holding stones in place and water freely runs between the stones and softens the ground underneath the driveway. The most important characteristic of every healthy gravel driveway is that it is shaped so that water follows the shortest distance possible off their surface,Driveways I work on keep their upside-down V shape much longer, so they shed water and resist ruts and holes. - CONTINUED ON COST OF GRAVEL PART 2 ...read more

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Edible LandscapingHendall has been working in the edible landscaping field for over three years now.  We design landscapes with your household in mind.  We come up with plans and designs that are easy to read and can bring alive your dream garden along with you.  We can do this while also meeting your budget and maintenance needs.  We also work with other like-minded, qualified landscapers, masons, plumbers, and carpenters to help your dream come to fruition.We are now offering custom, sustainable landscape design services, including hourly consultation, overhead maps/drawings of potential layouts and color plant profiles.  Our designs are made to work with household members, to create a space that will grow more beautiful as it coexists along with you.  We will use our color pallet and design skills to suit you.  We try to implement permaculture principals and focus on sustainable agriculture with a focus on heirloom and organic plants.Basic design packages run from $600-$1500 generally and include 3 hours of consultation, overhead scale design drawings, and a detailed plant list.  In our consultations we will get a thorough understanding of what you are looking for, your aesthetic, and your budget.  We can provide phasing recommendations to space your project out over time.  We also offer DIY instructions and hourly tutorials.Landscape DesignsOur complete comprehensive designs include grading, drainage, tree planting, bed creation, annuals, perennials, pathways, arbors, fencing, irrigation, and lighting.  We use evergreen, eidble, medicinal, NC native, low maintenance, butterfly/bee attractive plants.  We also love designing chicken coops and small scale livestock operations.Landscape installation price can vary a great deal depending on the size and complexity of the project.  An average full yard renovation, including hardscaping can cost up to 10% of the value of a home. Design ElementsEvergreen, edible, medicinal, native,ornamental plants, rased beds, Custom designs forbamboo, wooden, and metal garden structuresSculptural elements from natural and human-made materialscontainer gardening and trellisingCustom chicken coop designs ...read more

Contact me today at (888) 983-0548 in Pittsboro, NC, for services from a dependable dog trainer. Start Them Right Inc. N/A Pittsboro, NC 27312 Phone: 9196420185 Contact Email:    instructors@startthemright.com Keywords: dog trainer, pittsboro, nc ...read more

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Last week I had a prospective client that was shocked by the total price of my gravel driveway repair estimate. The following is an email I sent to him to address his concern. *********************************** Hi Jim, I sure am sorry that you got sticker shock from the estimate I prepared for you.      Perhaps our disconnect happened because I didn't explain that my very detailed estimate was basically a menu of services. As from any menu, you could have chosen the items you would have liked a la carte, or if you preferred I would have been delighted to work with you to come up with the mix of materials, services and equipment within a budget that would have made you happy.      The driveway described in that estimate was like a new Cadillac with all the options. You did not have to build the high end driveway reflected by that estimate. Talking with you as I inspected your driveway and seeing your fine home and nice neighborhood, I got the impression you may have liked to have a beautiful pea gravel driveway that would last many years.      It is not my first time at this picnic. A few months ago I sent a prospective customer the following cover letter with their driveway repair estimate. I was eventually hired to do that project and after I did my best on that driveway and path the customer posted the following notes about me on a local public internet chat list.     ********Past Cover Letter Sent with Estimate********Hi Cccccc and Mmmm,Attached is a 3-page PDF estimate for me to build you a first-cabin parking pad and alley of gravel along the side of your out building.     As usual these days, the total price seems high to me. I am sorry, but everything is darned expensive upstream and down and your project will take a good couple days of labor and equipment to build right (first cabin) as I like to work. If budgetary concerns require you to lower the cost and we can figure out a mix of materials and services that will get the job done at a lower level of quality and shorter expected lifespan. Many of my competitors just do not do the quality work that is described in the attached estimate.     Note that I did not quote you on the 67 washed gravel surface Mmmm asked for. Number 67 or other gravels with air between the stones do not hold up as well at the 100-percent stone materials I use on driveways. Washed gravel is designed to be used in drainage applications such as trenches and culverts - applying it to a new road is a bad idea. The number 26 material I plan to surface your areas is composed of stones that fit through a 3-quarter-inch screen, the same as 67, but crushed stone fills the spaces between stone not air. I build gravel surfaces with optimum water shedding capabilities. Please see my blogs for much more technical information about the gravel I use and other aspects of my work.     As Cccccc requested, I will prep and email you another estimate to complete your paver path.      All this work will require dry weather to complete. Next week is projected to be wet, but given your Go Ahead I will schedule your project for the first opportunity. I work on a first scheduled first done basis. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, etc.     BTW I can deliver more red fill dirt than will be need to elevate your parking area at no additional cost. Keep that in mind if you've got other low areas that might need a few cubic yards of material.     Happy Thanksgiving,     ********Same Clients Chat List Post - After Gravel Project - 12/13/13********     Craig Witter recently put  in parking pad and driveway extension for us and did a fantastic job! He was punctual, professional, and a perfectionist. Hope you will call him. He is going to put in a new walkway for us soon, and I will let you know about this job. Plus, you get to meet his adorable, well behaved dog, Tuck, too!  Cccccc     ********Same Clients Chat List Post - After Path Project - 1/2/14********     Here is an update about Craigs work. He just completed a paver walkway for us and did a great job for a reasonable price. If you want it done right, call Craig. His cell is 919-949-7181. Cccccc     ******************************     Please let me know if you would like to talk with my clients Cccccc and Mmmm, and I will see if that is okay with them. I hope I get the chance to make you a satisfied customer sometime Jim.     Always Happy to Help Friendly Neighbors, ...read more

Lots of folks wonder how the gravel I put on their driveways lasts so long; some say, It has the staying power of a three-peckered billy goat!      Throughout history applying gravel to a slope has been a slippery proposition.   Even Confucius said, Man who lays gravel on side of hill is not on the level.       Years of ground-breaking research and exhaustive field trials have led Craigs Chatham Gravel Driveway Repair to a three-pronged solution to this age-old problem.    First we start around the edges - pushing spent gravel off the shoulders, cleaning gutters and working good solid material toward the center to form a longitudinal crown.    Next we spread 100-percent-dense driveway gravel over the voluptuous new road profile.    Finally, we smooth the new gravel coating with delicate tractor work and hand raking and compact both sides of the crowned driveway with Big Bertha, the steam roller of love.    This type of high-end service is not for everybody... just look at all the dumpy driveways flayed bare in North Carolina. If you're tired of casual flings with typical gravel guys, call Craigs Chatham Gravel Driveway Repair to enjoy a long-term relationship with a great looking driveway.    Always Happy to Help Friendly Neighbors... ...read more

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This blog post is based on the cover letter I sent to a potential client in Chatham County with an estimate to repair their long gravel driveway. It describes a common situation where a road is nearing the point where severe deterioration is right around the corner. - - - My inspection revealed Section 1 of your road to be in good condition overall. But many parts of Section 1 appear to be at a state where they will start deteriorating more rapidly in the near future, because a good percentage of the road surface is just about at a level where shoulders and gutters cease receiving runoff from the road surface. Increased ruts, holes and swails will be the effects of a road surface that is lower than its sides.      In other words the crowns that your road used to have are turning into cups. - - - I liken the state of your road to a teeter totter that is nearly level. Problems increase exponentially when the level of your road surface and shoulders pass, even slightly, from sloping directly toward gutters or off the road downhill.      A good road sheds water so it follows the shortest path possible off the road. I propose that if you do not raise the level of the road with 100-percent-water-shedding ABC (crusher run) gravel and reshape the shoulders and gutters surface deterioration will occur at an increasing rate. - - - Traditionally, gravel guys love to quote and deliver gravel with various amounts of air between the stones instead of 100-percent dense gravel mix, because a load of gravel with air in it covers more surface area per dollar than dense, water-shedding gravel mixes. Gravels with air between stones do not shed water, but allow runoff to pass between the stones; this causes ruts along sloped road sections, pot holes at flat sections and in saddle backs and wallowing of gravel out from driving tracks which causes birms of gravel in the center and on the shoulders. See your road for example of all these. - - - Gravels with air between stones are inferior is because there is nothing to lock individual stones in place. The fines (powdered stone and small flakes) in dense driveway gravels keep the larger stones in the mix from moving, called wallowing, out from beneath vehicles. Imagine driving over a driveway of poured concrete mix with no cement in it. Roads covered with airy gravels wallow more quickly and create elevated birms along road edges. Birms along the sides of a road are like the sides of a cup, keeping water on the surface of the road.   -   Pick up a handful of gravel from your road and see that the shape of most of the stones are more like marbles than poker chips. When you stand on marbles they roll. When you stand on poker chips they stay put. The gravel I apply to driveways comes from the newest rock plant in the area. This plant has the best shaking, tables and stone sorting equipment that makes the gravel I use more consistently higher quality. That is rock solid value. ...read more

More Gravel Driveway FAQs ...facts many folks are surprised to learn... ...and you don't want to learn the hard way. When should you repair your gravel driveway? Lots of folks say they're "waiting 'til fall" to get their gravel driveway resurfaced. Sounds like a great idea... except right now we're entering the hurricane season and one gully-washer can cause more damage to a poorly maintained gravel driveway than a dozen or two average winter rains. Your best bet is to repair small ruts and pot holes and get your gutters cleaned as soon as they start looking like they need attention. Driveway issues are easy to overlook and they don't get better until they're fixed right. Rain water should take a short path off the side of your road. If you can see ruts or holes that prevent proper runoff, call me.  A stitch in time saves nine. I can repair most driveways for as little as $119 plus tax, if I'm addressing ruts and holes soon after they appear. Water should sheet off a driveway, not be concentrated on it. Whenever proper runoff is interrupted on an otherwise well constructed driveway, one of two things will happen:  ruts will focus water flow and cause erosion, or water will be retained in pot holes. Nine times out of ten, water standing in a hole will saturate the soil around the hole, and driving through the hole will cause it to widen, lengthen and or deepen.  A new rut or hole retains a little water and starts deteriorating slowly. Overtime, as ruts and holes get longer and deeper, they gather and hold more water and deteriorate faster and faster. Sooner or later, a driveway that could have been fixed with a single cubic yard of gravel and a couple hours of elbow grease will take multiple dump trucks, a tractor, a tractor operator and a helper to reconstruct. Don't wait for a pain in your a$$. Minor ruts and holes don't jump up and kick you. Most folks just don't recognize problems in their gravel driveways until their cars start bouncing... and then they feel it in their wallets.  The most common indicator of age... I can tell a gravel driveway will soon benefit from my professional maintenance service when I see a crescent-shaped rut at the entrance. This rut is formed by the front outside car wheel when residents brake and turn into their driveway. Sometimes the middle of a saddle back will get pot holes first. Sometimes a rut will develop down a long downhill. The fact is that sooner or later every gravel driveway will need complete resurfacing. But it is just as true that each and every gravel driveway that was soundly constructed originally will show minor defects before they need major reconstructive work. Investing in routine maintenance and minor repairs will extend the good looks and performance of your gravel driveway. That's my business and I'm always happy to help friendly neighbors. ...read more