One of the most common questions we are asked is:

HOW MUCH LANDSCAPE MATERIAL DO I NEED????

Here at Adobe, we can give you the trick of how to determine how much material is needed for a landscape project. Too much of the expensive organic topsoil for your garden means extra money spent. Whereas, not enough topsoil means those DIY gardening boxes are just going to have to wait until more material is acquired. Wanting to do a Patio? You only want the minimum rock to give you a base and not a lot of excess. 

In landscaping and construction projects, volume is often figured in cubic yards. A cubic yard is 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. However, a cubic yard of topsoil and a cubic yard of mulch looks different. Each of these will weigh differently and have a different mass but they each have the same uncompacted volume of a cubic yard. (Watch our video for a visual!!!)

In order to determine the volume of material needed for your project you'll need 3 measurements:

Length

Width 

Depth

If your shape is square it will be easy to measure. When the area has some curves it can be a little more challenging and the best solution is to square off the measurement as best you can. If your area is a triangle you can square it off and divide the length in half. 

What if you are working on a modern looking xeriscape project and the area is circle???? (Let's head back to your 7th grade Geometry class that you swore you would never need to remember.)

First, measure the radius which is the distance from the center to the edge of the circle. You'll also need your favorite pi.

Once you have these measurements there are two options to determining the amount of material needed.

Option #1 is to convert all of the measurements to feet using decimals instead of fractions, then multiply the length by the width, and then multiply that number by the depth. Then take that number and divide it by 27 which is the number of cubic feet in a cubic yard. The result will give you the cubic yards needed to complete your project. 

Option #2 is to write your measurements down and call us here at Adobe Rock and let us do the calculations for you. (***Hint hint...just go with option 2. Here's the number (435) 830-6500 ext. 2) 

And if you're an introverted individual with telephobia then we also have an estimation calculator included on our website. You can calculate your yardage right from home! 

http://adoberock.com/landscaping.html

Until next time, let us know how we can help "Rock your World!"