How Much Fill Dirt Do I Need?

Landscape projects and construction sites use fill dirt to fill low spots, improve drainage, or elevate the ground. Fill dirt is partially broken down soil containing clay, sand, silt, rocks, and other materials from the source ground. In contrast to topsoil, fill dirt can often be stony, heavy, and inorganic. The best fill dirt is typically inorganic. It is ideal as fill because of its inorganic characteristics because organic soil decomposes and settles.

A building, addition, road, or sidewalk requires to fill dirt to be prepared for construction and to be built on. The foundations of these structures need to be strong and stable. Landscaping or gardens cannot be supported by fill dirt.

Right Amount of Dirt

Considering the cost of filling dirt is the first step in estimating the cost of your building project. The dirt will settle after it is compacted, so this calculation is only an estimate. If you want to build up, fill in, or level out the desired space, settling will require a little more fill. If you wish to purchase the right amount of fill, you should consult fill dirt san Diego.

It is important to estimate fairly accurately for several reasons. If you order too much fill dirt, you will waste your money. Quality fill dirt is available at very competitive prices. In addition, if you don’t place an order large enough, you will incur unnecessary delivery fees. Also, if work stops until more dirt is delivered, you will incur the cost of having work delayed.

Following are the steps you can take in order to estimate how much fill you will need.

Measure the Length

It can be tricky to decide how much fill to use. Make sure that someone helps you take the measurements to ensure your accuracy. As well as offering extra hands, a helper also offers extra eyes.

A circular or irregularly shaped area can be difficult to measure. To measure a circle, you must measure its diameter. Each circular shape should be measured when there are multiples. The dirt contractor can assist you with measuring.

Finding the square footage is as easy as measuring the length and width of the room. By multiplying the two measurements, you will get the square footage. In the case of building a 25-foot-long and 4-foot-wide sidewalk, the total square footage would be 100 square feet (25 x 4). A garden shed measuring 10 feet by 8 feet has a total area of 80 square feet. You get 180 square feet (100′ + 80′) if you add the two buildings together.

To convert your home’s square footage into cubic yards, divide it by 1,000 and multiply it by 3. What is the equivalent of a cubic yard of depth?

Using the formula above, 180 square feet would require 0.54 cubic yards:

It is 180/4000 = .18; .18/4000 = .54 cubic yards

The formula remains the same in the case of a larger project. If you need fill to construct a 40-foot by 25-foot garage structure and a 25-foot by 8-foot driveway (totaling 200 square feet), you would need 1,200 square feet of fill.