Q. What is the difference between yards and tons and how do they relate?
A. Yards is the actual amount of material, measured in cubic yards. If you took a box that was in a perfect cube shape; its dimensions were 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, and filled it up with sand, that would be one yard of sand. Tons are a measurement of weight. A ton is equal to 2000 pounds. Most materials that we deal with weigh between 2800 and 3000 pounds, with the exception of dirt, which varies highly depending on the amount of moisture it contains.
When ordering sand or any type of gravel, our customers are charged based on weight, or the amount of tons in the truck. By way of checking, and for ease of calculation, it is assumed that there are always 3000 pounds (1½ tons) in a yard of sand or gravel. It is our policy to always be accurate within 1000 pounds (½ ton) on delivery. Dirt orders, on the other hand, are charged by the yard, so the quoted price is always exactly what you'll be charged.

Q. How do I know how much material I need?
A. If you are looking to fill a rectangular area, multiply the height, width, and depth together. For example, if you want to install a sand box, measure the length and width of the sand box in feet. Then decide how deep you want the sand (say six inches, or half of a foot). 10 * 10 * ½ = 50 cubic feet. You must then divide this result by 27 (a yard is 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide by 3 feet deep). In this case you would need 1.8585 (approximately 2) yards.

To figure out how much you would need in a circular area (such as under a pool), it would be easiest just to run our Material Calculator. This will also calculate the rectangular area.

Q. I need help deciding what material to get, or I'm still not sure how much I need. What do I do?
 A. No problem, we can come to your door and give you a free estimate. Also be sure and check out the services page where you can see what material is appropriate for common situations. Beyond that, feel free to call us at (815)385-2711.

Q. How far away do you deliver?
A. We'll go pretty far around the northern Illinois area, but our fees are directly related to travel distance. As a rule of thumb, we'll go up to 60 miles around our home base in McHenry. Call us for more detailed information on travel costs.

Q. What are your days and hours of operation?
A. We deliver sand and gravel Monday through Friday, 7:00am through 3:30pm. Sometimes you can get dirt beyond those times, especially in the spring when the sun's out forever. We often deliver sand and gravel on Saturdays, usually only until noon. We usually do dirt orders all day on Saturdays. Sunday is vacation time.

Q. I have a pickup truck, can I come in and get material myself?
A. We do allow you to pick up dirt yourself, because we own the dirt field. We do not, on the other hand, own the gravel pits (quarries), so if you want to pick up sand or gravel yourself, you have to get in touch with the gravel pit directly.

Q. How far in advance do I have to place an order?
A. It depends. It is a good idea to place your order a few days ahead of time, especially during the spring and summer months. Often times we can get it to you the same business day. We may, in some instances, even be able to deliver material right away (within an hour), but, as in life, it's always a gamble to wait until the last minute.

Q. What methods of payment do you accept?
A. We accept personal checks, business checks, and cash. If you are a company, you can set up a charge account with us where you receive a bill around the 5th of every month. To set up a charge account, call us. We are not accepting credit cards at this time, nor do we have any future plans to do so.

Questions that weren't addressed here? Call us at (815)385-2711 and we'll resolve any further issues.

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