Pea Gravel users, how much did it cost???

[Jo..]

After doing a lot of research, I am editing my op in hopes that what I've learned can help someone else.

When pricing your playground equipment don't forget to factor in site prep if you plan to do any. It can easily double your costs.

The playset we are buying is 12'x21'. the RECOMMENDED play area to mulch etc. (including the 6' on all sides) would be 24'x33'. I am compromising at 22'x30' which I feel is MORE than adequate. I am also compromising at 10" thick of pea gravel instead of 12"; again, I feel this is enough.

Use your phone book and call EVERY company under "sand and gravel" in the yellow pages to price your pea gravel. The cheapest place I found cost less than HALF of the quote I received from another place, so it really pays to comparison shop.

To figure out how much gravel you will need, multiply the length by the width (so in my case 22x30=660). This number is your cubic feet. Divide by 27 to get your cubic yardage (in my case about 24). A rough estimate for pea gravel is 1.4 tons per cubic yards, so multiply 24x1.4 to get about 34 tons. Voila! That is how much gravel I would need at 12" thick. You can adjust your math for various thicknesses (e.g. 6" thick would be 17 tons, 9" thick would be 25.5 tons, etc.).

I wound up needing 28 tons, which in my area runs for a little less than $500 including tax and delivery (cheapest estimate). Don't forget to factor some sort of edging (playground edging, landscape ties) to retain the gravel into your bottom line. HTH!