How do you grade granite on a building lot?

[Moses]

I'm thinking of buying a building lot near Lake Tahoe. Lot prep will require removal of an area of granite about 5 ft X 10ft and maybe three feet deep at the most. The alternative is to build on top of the granite, but that screws up the elevations.

How do you grade granite from a building site? Air hammer? Hydraulic drill? Wedges and chisels? Dynamite????

If it's crazy expensive to remove I won't go forward.

Thanks for any advice!

[porsche4life]

I'd say get an estimate from local dirt work guys......


Beautiful lot BTW!

[BeyGon]

you could pay me to spend the summer there and carve it into a Porsche.

[porsche4life]

I think dean has the best idea.... I'll be his paid helper too..... Stone that big I'm sure he'll need a helper.

[rusnak]

How do you grade granite on a building lot?

[LakeCleElum]

Dunno - But we'll all be there for the Open House Party.......Beautiful lot........

[saxen]

drill holes, drop explosive. pick up smaller (still big) pieces- it will cost a bit- but not bad- great lot!

[drcoastline]

if you are sure it is only 5x10 probably a jack hammer to break it into a few more manageable pieces. Possibly a front end loader to remove it in one piece. That's assuming it is not the exposed section of a larger piece.

[pete3799]

Originally Posted by saxen

drill holes, drop explosive. pick up smaller (still big) pieces- it will cost a bit- but not bad- great lot!

This.
Keep in mind that a square foot of granite weighs 166 pounds.

[javadog]

If it wasn't the tip of a larger piece, he could just push it out of the way with a dozer. I'm betting it's an outcrop...

It will probably take a trackhoe-mounted hammer, at the least. Dynamite might also be needed, which isn't that big a deal, really.

The bigger question for me would be, what depth is the granite on the rest of the site and how does that impact the foundation you plan to use?

Nice looking site, BTW.

JR

[911SauCy]

Can't you connect with someone who can buy/sell it and have them come and check it out?

If it would be worth something to them, work out a removal deal...?

Just a thought.

~unreal lot~

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by pete3799

This.
Keep in mind that a square foot of granite weighs 166 pounds.

just being picky, but it would be a cubic foot, and to go along with Javadog, get LB Penhall crew with a HoeRam, bust it out and haul it off.

[Zeke]

5 x 10 doesn't sound like a big area and I doubt that an explosives permit can be obtained if there is development nearby. And if it's a "building" lot, I'm sure there is. I'll bet the local dirt and foundation folks have seen this movie before.

[rusnak]

We use explosives to plant trees here, due to hardpan. You have to cover the area with heavy matting.

But getting back to the question, have the corner pins been set? Do you know if a building is allowed on the area with granite? Is there a geotechnical soils report if so? Are utilities present?

[javadog]

Permit, what permit?

Drill, cover with sand, blow, go to lunch. Nobody will figure it out.

Another option might be to hire an architect and design the house around the site conditions. That's what they do, I'm told.

JR

[Tobra]

That might fly in Oklahoma, no way in hell you get by with that within 20 miles of Lake Tahoe. Tightly controlled and closely monitored is putting it mildly.

You get the property and apply for a permit as I understand it, unless the other party already has the permit, which I believe can be transferred with the sale. I know people that waited more than 10 years for a building permit. You may not be allowed to remove the granite from your own property, depending on how it would impact drainage, you are talking about better than 12 tons of rock. You would need to speak to some local contractors. I don't know any of them up there personally, but I know a guy who could give me the names of at least one or two.




Needless to say, you want to be on the Nevada side of the line.

[RWebb]

you need to find a new friend - a friend who owns a ground penetrating radar setup...

[dtw]

Shouldn't there be an environmental study commissioned first, to determine if there are any endangered mosses growing on the granite? All this talk of drilling and dynamite sounds really hasty.

[gtc]

Dig it out, slice it up, turn it into your countertops.

[Moses]

Pretty sure I dramatically understated the amount of granite to be moved. I called a grading contractor. He will break it up with a hydraulic RockHammer. Will use the big pieces for landscaping. The promontory is the tip of a granite iceberg. Might need to move close to 1000 cuft of stone. Gonna cost a bit...