I am about (trying) to start a small sand , gravel , clay , topsoil , rock , ect. ect. bussiness...Got any pictures you would like to share with me ? I am trying to get some ideas , oppions and advice from people (or company) to see how you have put a small (or large) place together .... And maybe you can share some input on you place on what you did or didnt do , or what you should have done different ... I am starting from scratch here and a little leary about just driving up to my (future) competition and asking "can I look around and get some ideas?" .... I know they are each 25 miles from me , but I am not sure how I would react if I was in thier place knowing that there will be another sand and gravel place comming soon ... I have plenty of concrete blocks to seperate the materials from each other as a display and plenty of land to stock pile the rest... If thats how its done? ....... Thats all I know at the moment as far as a plan to show what kinda "stuff" I will have ... Some other help I will be needing are some going rates.... I dont mind checking out the others around here , but, I am just trying to get a general idea of what material is going for ... For instance. How much for a YARD of top soil, sand, clay, gravel , rock or do you sell by the load ? Do you charge for delivery ect. ect.? And if there is any other info. you can offer, that would be greatfuill ! I would just like to get this started on the "RIGHT TRACK" and I know you guys are the ones to get great info from to give me a push in the right direction .... Please excuse the long post, I just want to learn , and have fun playing in the dirt as well ! Thanks in advance , Wingnut ..... I hope this is the right forum to post this !!
I don't have much time, & I'll finnish my post later, but it sounds like you have a lot of questions for somene starting a bizz. Give us some background on you. Own one before? what do you do for a living? Just with the info provided it looks like ti will be an epic fail. So, give us more info on you, so we can give better feed back.
You ask some big and open ended questions. I'll make a start and hope that others will also respond. What's your budget, and how big an operation do you visualize? Do you own a gravel pit and have your own source of fill and top soil? Or are you buying everything? If you need to buy and haul the material to your site first, your chance of making a profit are not as good, unless your market is hot and allows for a substantial markup. Pit run gravel is not worth much, at least not around here. We get about $3 per cubic yard for pit run. It becomes worth a lot more if you can add value to the gravel, by screening or crushing it into various sizes of aggregate. You then might get $15 or $20 per yard for the material. But you may end up with large piles of sand that noone wants or that you almost have to give away. Every time you handle the material, your costs go up. And screeners or crushers aren't cheap. You might take in more money but not earn any more. Unless you are selling only very small quantities or selling to contractors with their own equipment, you will need to find a way to deliver the material. That means buying a truck(s) and a loader. You can spend a lot or a little on those items. Also watch out for those who want a share of the action. I'm not talking about the traditional mafia here but the government bureaucrats and insurance companies that line up with their hands out. Thanks to a few so-called "accidents" that led to large law suits, liability insurance can be unbelievably expensive. And municipal and other levels of government seem to think that small gravel operators are mining gold. They would not dream of sticking up the farmers every time they pull out of their driveway with a load of grain, but they think struggling gravel haulers have nothing but money. This situation will differ from one jurisdiction to another. But check it out in advance. Sometimes all the permits, royalties, insurance premiums, safety compliance costs, and other regulations are enough to sabotage an otherwise good business idea. I'm not trying to discourage you, but you should be aware of the downside.
I would say scope out the competition by seeing what they are charging or getting for the items you may sell. You can call or look over the fence at their operations. I always look to see what other masonry contractors are doing to learn a trick or two. Most here can tell you what their area is but it won't help you in your area if you are not competitive. Try to figure you cost for machinery and yard coast like rent or ownership. Then sit down with an accountant to figure your cost. Also don't forget insurance cost and payroll if you are hiring anyone.
Hey guys, Thanks for getting back with me ! I am starting out with a low budget (very low) but I do have a few things in my corner that is possible a good thing .... I own most of my equipment (C-60 dump truck , TD-9 dozer , and a D-7 cat , tilt single axel dozer trailer) The only payment I have is on my backhoe and backhoe trailer and that is only a few hundred a month ... Mind you , its all older equipment and its equip. that I have gatherd thru the years. IVE gotta start somewhere , right ? I have been a auto mechanic/welder since I was a teen (now almost 40) and pretty fimilar with any thing that has a engine so, upkeep/breakdowns are not really a problem (when the money is available) lol. kinda scarce at times though and just doing what I can to get by, dozer work, selling sand , and topsoil off of my on prop. from where I am gonna build a 4-5 acre pond . I have been buying 3/4 -1 inch washed rock from a quarry down the road and just adding a hundred bucks or so to help me get noticed in this bizz. Just got a leed on rail road rock and other types of bowling ball size and bigger rocks off a abanded rail road site that has been bought by a man several years ago so I thought I would try to stock pile and sell that as well... But I am not sure if its worth more than regular washed rock or not.... I have owned a couple of mechanic shops thru the years (small shops), but never a sand and gravel bizz , so that is why I am asking the pros here to get some info. to try to help me get started . I am not looking at this time to be a real BIG , just a mom and pop place till I can see where it leeds ... Thanks again , Wingnut
Well if you have had other businesses before you know much of what you are in for.