Fitz wrote:
Hello all,

Glad to say the garden has benefited from a nice long easter weekend.

I've got a big pile of old concrete I've taken up from a knackered
path that was cracking and ugly. I'm wondering whether I can save
the money I might pay for a) a skip and b) 'crusher run'/bulk bag of
hardcore for the planned patio by crushing all the left over concrete.

A year or so ago I was at the Hirex/Interbuild exhibition and a stand near
ours was showing a concrete crushing machine. Huge beast, towable by a
three tonner I reckon. The idea was that old concrete went into one end and
type 1 sub base emerged from the other.

The maths worked out well IIRC. It cost a whole bunch of money to hire the
beast, but when you deducted the disposal cost of the old concrete and the
purchase of the type 1 you ended up quids in. We saw one in use later
opposite our office. They knocked down a building, crushed it & used the
hardcore for a base.

I also know that, if you only fill a skip with clean hardcore, its about £25
cheaper. Apparently instead of the skip hire company having to pay for
disposal, they can sell the hardcore to be recycled. A company called
Gallaghers near Maidstone do it, so they take it there instead of to the
dump.

Don't know if there is a DIY equivilent, but the technology exists. If its
available to hire I reckon one of the big groups might have them, HSS,
Speedyhire, Hewdons or Brandon maybe.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257