Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ug - pond proposal sticker shock!

So I got back the proposal for my 1/2 acre excavated pond and I'm in sticker shock.

Here are the specifics: 1/2 acre excavated pond, no tree clearing needed, 25% of pond at depth of 15ft - the balance averaging 10ft, pond spoils left on site but graded in a berm averaging 8ft above grade, existing topsoil to be mixed in with spoils during excavation and grading.

Total price: $30,200

I've never had a pond dug, and this is the only quote I've requested at this point. I was hoping to use this guy as he is a client of mine and a very professional/experienced excavator, but I can't justify a $30,000 hole in the ground. I plan on looking for some additional quotes from other contractors.

Am I way off base by thinking that this is too much for my proposed pond? Anyone else care to share their thoughts and or costs of their pond that is in this size range?

You should be able to find someone to do it for at the most 20 grand. Hopefully you are not in that part of Michigan where it's mostly sand?

Boy, it's been a couple of years, but I'm thinkin' anything over $1.50 per cu yard is high. This would be just digging the pondsite. Dressing the spoils at the perimeter would be extra, but would be a fraction of the dig cost.
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Rocky T had a figure he was using down in TX. ???
Personally, I paid by the hour, but that can be risky unless you a) trust the dirtguy's honesty implicitly or b) can be on site all the time to diffuse "a".

$30,200 for a half acre pond! Holy.....!

That appears very high priced at least down in TX. A totally excavated hole 1/2 acre X 10 ft deep is approx 8000 cubic yards X 1.50 = about 12k. Depending on what rates are in your area I would shop around for a better price.

One of my customers recently got laid off by an excavation company. It would seem in this economy you could get a good deal.

That is near what I paid for a 2.5 acre dig along with tree removal that covered entire surface. This was three years ago when diesel prices were just starting to approach $3.

For the record, my first quote was for $90K from Milestone. Kicking the bushes a little sure paid off. Too bad it is a client. I had a new neighbor quote me $70K. Good luck and don't give up hope.

Get at least three quotes before making a decision and ask lots' of questions.

I know that this isn't digging a pond, but I was just quoted $650 to finish grade an acre of land. Shop around. There's lots of hungry dirt movers out there.

Otto: Thanks for giving me an idea what it would run down in Tx.

WOW, I had a dam built to back water for my 5 acre pond. I have no clue how many cubic yards were moved, but when diesel was 4+ a gallon, I had it built. The dam was at least 300ft long and on a 5:1 slope and its 17ft deep. The hole it self was at least 1/2 acre and 17ft deep, cost me $6,500




This hole is 17ft deep in the bottom, that is a 4 door truck for size reference

For sure. I got five quotes one year and only three responded! One was way out there. He must have thought I was rich. One showed up a year later on the property and I said, "You're too late it's been built for a year."

NonTypicalCPA,

I agree with most here, seems like the price is a bit high especially for W. Michigan. There are a lot of hungry excavators out there, get some more prices and be detailed in discussions so you both are happy. Have you considered purchasing your own equipment and doing the work yourself? You could do the work and still sell the equipemt after, just a thought.

I usually figure about $10,000 per acre for lakes and ponds, but there are quite a few variables to factor in.

NTCPA:

That's about 50% more than I paid 18 months ago for a half acre down to 12 feet deep, mostly excavated pond with a lot of trees cleared before and mulched after, a lot of excess topsoil spread on three adjacent fields, and a lot of excess clay hauled 75 yards and piled.

welcome to the pay to play club

An excavated pond by the best, most expensive pond builder in NW OH is around $3000/one tenth acre at 15-16 ft deep, 3:1 slopes. Shop around and for sure talk to his references and go see their ponds. Ask to see some 4-7 yrs old, not just new ponds.

After talking with a few other clients of mine that had ponds dug recently, I was hoping for around 10K but expecting it to come in at 15K, but $30k really suprised me. I will be finishing up tax season in a few weeks and will have more time to shop around. I have a few more referals to look into, and hopefully one will work out.

I'll keep you posted.

Yeah thats too high unless the contractor has to haul the sand out, which it sounds like he does not.

Mine was dug by a friend in four days, 1/2 acre, for $6k. Now thats a friend price, and I did ALL of the dirt moving, grass planting, and landscaping myself.

If I would have asked him to show up and do everything it would have been more than double, but still a much better price than you received. When it comes to ponds, dont bother with the big excavation companies, they dont want to mess with ponds because the money just isnt there. They usually want to contract with builders and municipalities. Stick with smaller companies, there are a ton of them out there starving, trust me.

I had a Friend who is in the business dig my 3/4 acre all escavated out of clay, 3/1 slopes and outside 6/1 berms all soils stayed on site but 2/3rds of it was moved about 100 yards away and that really used up the time and diesel cost. My cost was rediculus low but was told the work would have been around 30K if I had been an official customer, gas was at its highest then and was told it would have taken about 10 days to do all the work with some huge equipment but as it stands, it took 2 years and lots of smaller equipment to finish it. I am pleased with the final outcome though.... I agree 30K sounds high but I would expect 15K. A lot of my cost was because it was pure clay and sticky at that, hard to dig/move and pack.
Salmonid

Would the cost differ much based on the equipment used - excavtor vs dragline? This guy was going to use his excavator (not a long reach). The next call is to a guy with a dragline.

Does anyone have an idea what the weight is on a typical dragline? I have a bridge that is the only access point to this side of my property. It has had logging trucks over it in the past on a couple occasions. I currently am having a structural engineer rate its capacity, but he's not done with the work yet.

Have you thought about maybe renting some equip and doing the work yourself? I don't know, could be fun.

I just dug my pond in SE Michigan this last Summer. The total cost for the 1/2 acre was around 30K. They used excavators and bulldozers. it took about a week. They ended up having to haul all of the dirt (8000 cubic yards) about a mile away for an additional 8K. My is sculpted with three points and a depth of 15 feet. They had to repack clay back in to cover some sand.

I would think a drag line would be cheaper.

30k for an acre pond is probably a midland price around here. it sounds like alot and it is alot. take the advice and get lots of bids, those that are truly hungry and interested in yer project will come out and meet you. use things you have learned here and engage these folks, ask them alot of questions, describe yer goals and get their ideas of how to achieve them. the work you put into getting to know a potential contractor will pay off later on.

i got quotes anywhere from 30 to 60k to renovate my 1 acre pond. i ended up doing it myself w/ some friends and rented equipment for around 20k, this included the costs of imported clay (of which i didnt get enough), hard structure (rock piles and whatnot), final grading and grooming of excavated dirt, hydroseeding disturbed areas.

I think the pertinent info that we all lack here is the scope of the work; specifically the soils. Alot of the Mich area is a sugar bowl with water table at 3 feet in many areas.
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Can you expound a bit on this, NTCPA?

My entire 80 acres is wooded with the exception of this 2 acre opening and another 1 acre opening. All lowland riverbottom timber (excellent deer hunting). I have 1/2 mile of river that splits my 80 into a 20 and a 60. The water table is at 2 to 3 feet below grade year round. The top 12 inches is good black topsoil, and below that is water sand. I don't think I will run into any clay at all. I had a test pit that went down 10 feet and didn't hit any clay. There is not a single rock on the entire property that I have found in the two years that I've owned it. Ironically, there is a glacial till ridge not 2 miles from my property that is loaded with rocks/gravel. I am planning on making a few calls to see if I can find someone interested in buying the topsoil.