On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 17:21:39 -0800, Tony Sinclair
wrote:

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:27:41 -0500, "EXT" etonks@sunstormADD-DOT-COM
wrote:
Check out other brands of retaining wall blocks, some are good for 4 feet
high and more and are not that expensive. Don't look at the home center to
buy them, look in the yellow pages for concrete products and buy direct from
the manufacturer.

Thanks, I will do that. One problem, though, is that I am in a very
small town, and the nearest city of any size is over an hour away, so
the delivery charges may be prohibitive.

Seems to me you're paying delivery charges for everything, including
the stuff they deliver only as far as the store you buy it at. If the
store is 10 minutes away and the supplier is an hour away, the
supplier is at least 50 minutes from the store. Unloading might be
a little cheaper at the store, because they have a forklift, but to
buy it from the store, you'll have to load it a second time, and
unload it a second time at your house.

I know that this is not perfect, because you plan to only buy the raw
ingredients, which are sold from a different place than pre-made
blocks, but it seems to me it would all add up the same way.

This is NOT a recommendation to buy from the manufacturer an hour
away, only an effort to challenge your idea that shipping would be
more. It might well seem more because it would be itemized, but the
stuff at your local store doesn't ship itself for free, and it doesn't
hitchhike. If the place an hour away had to send a whole 2
two-ton truck to carry 5 pounds for you, that would cost you a lot,
but it sounds like you need a whole truck load or whatever you need.

You have to look at total price, including how long it's going to take
you. If you make 20 dollars an hour at your job, maybe you shouldn't
figure 20 for your spare time, but at least 1 or 2 dollars an hour for
your spare time. Unless you plan to enjoy this so much that it will
replace *spending* money on recreation, and I think you might for the
first day, but it will take longer than that. There is also the pride
of doing things from scratch. You have to consider all that.
Sadly, I doubt many people will be very impressed that you mixed your
own concrete.

Is that true guys?

It would just be something you are prooud of, and they are slightly
impressed by.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.