Flagstone walkway

I tried to search for this......no luck finding anything.

I am building my first flagstone walkway and would like to know some things about it.

1. Is it a good Idea to set it in cement? I am leaning towards laying them down and filling the cracks with rock.

2. How much do I charge per sq ft?

3. How long with this last?

4. Anything else I should know?

 

No, dry laid will work fine. Flagstone can mean many different types of rock too, BTW.

That's up to you. See the thread titled "sod bid urgent request" for my comments on per square foot pricing. You need to figure all aspects of the job. Probably the larger the patio, the less $/square foot actual charged price. Consider access, equipment, labor, materials, delivery, etc. No one can tell you what to charge, that you must determine on your own. Too many variables we can't see looking at a computer screen.

If you mean how long the patio will last, well, if it's done right, it should last for nearly forever. If you mean how long the job should last, once again, too many variables, too much unknown. You will lay the same patio in a different amount of time than I (or anyone else) will.

Yep. Don't shoot yourself in the foot when you price it!

Any more specific questions?


Dan

 

Thanks
D flex

Anyway you could be more specific on pricing? I know theres a lot of variables but could you give me an example or a price range?

Thanks again

 

That's good advice from D Felix. I also like to price each job according to its variables. I do however, like to use square foot pricing, or percentage markup pricing to compare the price. Depending on the size of the patio, most of my dry-laid flagstone work comes in at approx. $12-$15 per sq ft. I usually figure 'flagstone' to cost about $3.00- $4.00 per square foot.

Again, I like to figure the approx. sq ft charge ( this may be the number you give to a client as a 'ball park' price, or wild ass guess, depending on how much experience you have with guestimating). Always make sure you calculate all material costs, labor and overhead costs, and profit before handing over the written proposal. THEN check to see what the square foot price came to- this will be your future number for 'ball-parking.'

 

Thanks bcx400!

Another question is how exactly do you put a flagstone walkway down? (I do a lot of retaining walls but this is my first walkway)

 

I ususally excavate/remove existing soil to 8" depth. Compact sub-soil, install geo-textile soil seperator fabric, install and compact 3/4 modified base to within 3" of finished walk height (this may change based on the thickness of your flagstone), install quarry screenings to finished height of walk minus the flagstone thickness, and compact. I set the flagstone using a level and rubber mallet. When all is finished, I sweep screenings between the joints.

 

Exactly ... except for me..not quite so deep. In IND we use #58 limestone compacted base and depending on width of joints..sand or dusty sevens. (dusty rock) people use crushed Granite I hear.. like to try that .. looks good

 

out here in Tucson, we charge around $10sqft., but many factors can affect the price. For instance, if by walkway you mean flagstone placed 6-8'' apart, I would charge less. If you mean Flagstone with a 1''gap in cement it would be $10-12$, as that would mean cutting and placing the flagstone like a puzzle, taking it up and putting back down in concrete. Also, there are different types of flagstone, the 1'' stuff is more expensive but it covers more so you need to figure that out. Out here, we don't prep the ground as much guys back east, basically we level, tamp, lay sand,level and lay flagstone. The ground is very hard, so hard that I can't remember the last time I dug a hole without a jackhammer. I agree that a Sqft. price isn't always best, as there are many factors that can affect costs, but my sqft price is a worst case scenario, so if the job goes smooth I make lots of money, and if it goes lousy, I make what I projected.

 

Good point. I'll use that thinking this coming year. I have a difficulty giving every customer a price break...it's why I'm broke alla time.

Peach

 

ok guys need help I have a guy who want me to do a walk way for him he want it done with steping stones he's not sure what type he wants just yet but i know that the lenght of the walkway is 53ft by 4ft and he want's to use mulch around the stones I don't have alot more info to give at this time so what kind of price would you guys charge. thanks sorry I also know I need 1.4 cu yd of mulch spread 2inch