Anyone willing to help me decipher aggregate choices for my run-in? How much?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I find this all very confusing. 12x16’ run in…willing to do the entry area too. Would you do the same depth if you added mats? How much do I need? Current base is a mix of dirt and gravel.

I know lime packs like a rock, but it is much more $ than some of the others…is it necessary?

A significant cost will be hauling I think…

Quarry 1
List Price per Ton

210 2 ½" x ¾" Washed Quartzite $11.20
213 1 ½" x ¾" Washed Quartzite $12.90
201 1" x #4 Quartzite Rock $13.35
221 ¾" x #4 Quartzite Rock $13.95
202 1/2" x #4 Quartzite Rock $16.00
230 3/8" x #8 Quartzite Rock $13.55
232 #4 x #20 Quartzite Rock $14.95
243* ¾" x 5/8" $12.35
248* 5/8" x 3/8" $10.20
249* 3/8" x ¼" $10.20
240 ¼" Minus $9.10
235 Manufactured Sand (Rock $10.20
250 Surge $9.50
258 3 ½" x Down $7.35
246* Select Fill $6.70
173 Crushed Road Gravel (3/4") $9.20
285-288 Riprap (Class A, B, C, D) $15.85
284 Gabion Stone $14.30
355 Crushed Concrete (-1") $7.35
100 Concrete Sand $9.75

• As Available

Site 2 East Rice Street Distribution Yard

100 Concrete Sand $10.20
101 Mason Sand $17.00
120 2" Washed Natural Rock $33.50
121 1 ½" x ¾" Washed Natural $33.50
123 ¾" Washed Natural Rock $13.00
135 3/8" x ¼" Washed Natural $19.00
141 Concrete Mix $21.00
156 Landscape Boulders $60.00
213 1 ½" x ¾" Washed Quartzite $19.00
174 Crushed Gravel $10.20
201 1" x #4 Washed Quartzite $19.00
230 3/8" x #8 Quartzite Rock $19.00
235 Manufactured Sand (Rock $15.00
202 1/2" X #4 $19.75
221 ¾" x #4 Quartzite $17.70
232 #4 x #20 $17.55
355A Crushed Concrete $9.95
160 Shakopee Brown $64.00
162 White Limestone $64.00
163 Falls Granite $64.00
165 Red Granite $47.00
166 Western Sunset Rock $106.00
167 Colorado Cobbles/Skippers $350.00
602 W. Red Cedar Mulch-Bulk cy $47.00

Site 3 Asphalt Plant

501 G-1 Asphalt $65.00
502 G-2 Asphalt $65.00
508** 3/8" Surface Mix Quoted
518** Fines Mix * Quoted
530 Cold Mix $98.00
531 UPM – As Available $155.00
*As Available

[Simkie]

I don’t know nothin about nothin, but our prior boarding barn filled our run in with that recycled asphalt stuff. It was really pretty awesome–good base that drained well and was heavy enough that it didn’t walk away. It did stink for awhile, though…but I think it was super cheap or even free. Would not want to use it if the horses took naps in the shed, but ours all slept outside (generally in the manure pile, sigh.)

The dirt guy down the road would say to use compacted lime, but that it needs to be refreshed fairly regularly.

What I have found REALLY interesting is a product from this guy here:

http://mankato.craigslist.org/grq/4608986911.html

He makes a wooden grid for stall flooring…sort of like the plastic stable grid stuff. I don’t see it on CL right now, but thought it was a really cool idea. Fill with lime or whatever and I bet there would be very little maintenance needed…and it wouldn’t get slippery like mats.

PS: I would LOVE to hear about how you built your shed!!

[PlanB]

I just put 7/8" crushed gravel in the shelter and sand on top of that, a few weeks ago. It was never really muddy in there except in one corner, so I’m hoping it will be about perfect as we get into mud season this year.

[SLW]

No specific answers but sharing a couple ideas. I use limestone screening for the base in my stalls and as an apron outside the stalls where the horses come and go 24/7/365. Every couple years I bring in a new load of screening to freshen up the apron of screening. The base is 6" and the horses have never gotten down to the dirt level.

I have never had to add any new screening to the matted stalls. With a run in shed I would suggest adding a low lip of treated wood across the front to help hold the mats in place in the shed. Otherwise as the horses come and go if the mats are unsecured they will wiggle around. You want a slight slope from the back of the shed to the front opening- like a 1-2% grade to keep rain that blows in from pooling in the back.

As for tonnage to order no help here. You are correct that the greatest expense is the transport so order more than you think you need and put the extra off to the side for touch up work. IOW if the quarry offers a little dump truck load or a big dump truck load at least take the big truck load. For example, my barn is 40’ wide and the limestone screening originally went out only 30’ and one big dump truck load of screening gave me the 6" depth coverage for the area. I say originally because over the years I’ve added 15’ more length to the apron so now it’s 45’ out from the barn.

Good luck!

[Calvincrowe]

If you give me the square footage of the area you want to fill, my math teacher husband can figure out how much rock you need to fill to a certain depth. He’s done this for me several times, as well as other COTHrs. I’m an English teacher, so I can identify dangling participles, but cannot do math at that scale! :lol:

If you are putting mats over the gravel in the run-in, then I’d go with 3/4 minus under the mats, packed. How muddy does it get in front of the run-in? 3/4 minus (think small driveway gravel, angular in shape) works well for this as it packs, but allows drainage. My overhang 12x40ish, is dirt and screenings sized gravel (tiny angular pieces that fall through the screens during crushing of larger rock), with mats over them. I second the use of a “frame” of wood to hold in your footing material and mats. I have RR ties around mine, then the mud-free paddock footing butts up to that. My paddock is dirt base + geo cloth + 3/4 minus 2" depth + screenings 4" depth. It is roughly 60x 80 of gravel, opening onto a pasture.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Great info everyone, thanks!!

Well it’s 12x16 so 192 sq feet, but I’m still not sure on how deep I need to do?
It does already slope from back to front–probably almost by a foot, and is higher ground than the dry lot it opens into. So I think a ledge/timber/RRtie front is definitely a good idea, or it will just work it’s way out.

My plan is to get this done this fall, and then tackle more of the dry lot next spring. The dry lot naturally has 3 tiers (sloped). The shed opens to the middle tier. The water and gate are at the top tier and the pasture opens at the bottom. I’d like to do the lowest layer with geotextile and gravel and work my way up. I may need to do some terracing with RR ties. I can’t get over how expensive practically rotten RR ties have gotten!! I may try for used telephone poles or something. I can buy a new 6x6x8’ creosote (unfortunately round) for about the same cost as a nasty old RR tie. I do have some cut off 6x6 pt square timbers from building the shed that may get me close if I buy an 8’ one too.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Simkie. I am blogging about the shed–picture in the bottom of the most recent post. Let me tell you I screwed up on step one (squaring the posts correctly) and am paying the price on every single step since. It is not square.
I rushed the posts because we had a skid rented, and I wanted to do some fencing work too. So stupid. I’m usually a lot more meticulous about this kind of thing.

I also should have gone double the width or at least another 8’ over for a tack room. I was thinking I could add on, and placed it accordingly, but now that I’m into it, I think it would have been much better to go wider right away. I can easily add an overhang in the front if I want however. But it is roughly 16’ long x 12’ wide. I find depth is good in this climate for flies in the summer (the darker it is the better with flies) and winter snow. I used 6x6 timbers, 2"x8"x18’ pt “rafters” and 2x12"x12’ “headers” using at least one at each level (meaning I have one in the middle too). My husband and dad were appalled last night to find out I plan to do fascia (ha! lol). 3/4" OSB for the roof with shingles. This is overkill, but whatever.

It will be board (pt plywood) and cedar batten siding painted red with a dark grey roof and white trim to match my other outbuilding shown here (but the color is off, it is more of a cranberry, not China red) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zC1qSjGYnLE/Uh0Ak6RdujI/AAAAAAAAAe4/X4OjpW6NZVE/s1600/20130817_160228.jpg
I am thinking I might build a little slant roof tool-shed off it right away to hang my shovel, rake, halters, and put the garbage can holding the grain in).

[BeeHoney]

I would go for the 1/4 minus from quarry number one, and start with one truckload and then spread it and see where you are. You aren’t going to order half a truckload, so the question is are you going to need one truckload or two. If you are spreading by hand, I’d say you are going to feel “done” after one truckload. And honestly, one truckload is probably PLENTY for a 12 x 16 shed unless you have a significant grade you are dealing with. Remember to spread some outside the front of the shed as well as inside the shed. You can always add more later.

[blujen]

I agree that one truck load for that amount of space should be plenty. I got two 17 ton loads of screenings a couple of weeks ago, and did an area outside my barn, 48ft down the one wall of the barn, and out about 25 feet, with a little to spare. It’s 4-6 inches deep over the whole area.

My whole barn is built over a base of screenings, and I add to the outdoor run area every couple of years as it washes away. The stalls need holes refilled every 4-5 years of regular use, but the holes are usually only 18" across and maybe 2" deep at that point, no major scary potholes.

Regular gravel would work but I really prefer the screenings because I don’t ever end up with abcesses, and also the lime helps cut down on urine smell. An added bonus is that the barn critters roll in the lime and never get fleas.

[Mosey_2003]

You’ll need approximately 1.185 tons per inch depth you want to do if you do a rock with fines (like a road gravel). Or 0.888 per inch if you want to do lime/fines.