Gardening and landscaping stone can be expensive, especially if you need really large cut stones or you need several bags of decorative aggregate. If you are looking for ways to cut costs and get the stone you need, there are alternatives to the traditional stone supply brands in home improvement stores. Here are just a few of those alternatives.
Farms
Farmers have to stone-pick their fields almost every spring. The earth in their fields has a tendency to unearth many stones and push more up to the surface after a long and frosty winter. After the farmers collect all of this field rock and stone, they usually give it away or try to sell it because they do not want it back in their fields. If you live near some farms, you may inquire of your friendly farmers for this rock and stone that they harvest before they plant fresh crops.
Quarries
Quarries are constantly mining more rock and stone and digging farther and farther down. As they scrape, dig and collect rock, they may send the more valuable or higher-priced stuff to a refinery or a plant that smooths the rock and breaks it up for landscaping aggregate. You can cut the middle man out, as it were, and go directly to the source, which is the quarry. They often have piles of stone and rock for someone to claim. You may be able to convince the quarry's foreman to let you have some, or possibly buy a truckload.
A Garden Statuary Shop
Do you know what happens to broken garden statuary? It is turned into garden stone and sold. People can also choose to buy the broken pieces of statues and turn them into interesting flowerbed pieces. Think about it; you buy a Greek maiden statue that is missing arms and half her torso and you instantly have what looks like the Ruins of Pompeii in your yard. If you are not into garden statuary or stone landscaping pieces, then you can request the ground-up remains of statues that customers have accidentally broken while visiting these stores.
Precast Stone Manufacturers
Precast stone manufacturers like Harristone Pre-Cast - Merrillstone Natural Stone Products - G. S. Harris Co., Inc. use aggregate to mix the concrete and cement for precast stone slabs. Whatever they do not use becomes waste, but you can help them recycle it. If these factories are near you, you may be able to stop in their reception office and inquire about leftover stone for purchase or free-of-cost.
Share24 August 2016
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