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Bridges?

18K views 129 replies 18 participants last post by  Tscarborough 
#1 · (Edited)
I've been asked to give a price on building a small bridge out of stone across a creek, maybe 10' across. I haven't gone to look yet but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with bridge building (I don't) and has any tips about things particular to bridges to be looking for at the site. I'll be looking for signs, and asking questions about high water levels, and asking about styles wanted etc.. I guess just wondering if there's anything bridge specific as opposed to any old arch that needs to be thought about

Oh, one thing i've wondered is what are common/popular walkway materials? Obviously wood, what about concrete? i don't think asphalt, maybe flagstone or cobbles (wet set callade stonecutter) If wood, what would be the best way to attach it?and I guess it would want to be raised so that water could get away.
 
#38 ·
Well this is interesting. Haven't heard from this guy in 6 mos, last time was when I gave him a ballpark estimate (he didn't have any drawings or anything) which was almost 3x what he was expecting, haven't heard from him since. Just got an e-mail this weekend saying that the drawings are done, all permits are approved and he wants to pour footings before we get into a deep freeze. We still haven't even met. Hoping to schedule a meeting next week or the week after. I had mostly given up on this project, I'm pretty exited to say the least
 
#43 ·
don't worry Matt, I'll have lots of pics I'm sure

Fundi, I was anxious about it for a while, but I had pretty much given up hope. In fact I had told a client about the project in the winter and he recently asked if it was going forward and I laughed and said I was pretty sure it was dead in the water (I tried for the pun but not sure if I succeeded) That was just last week, i hadn't even thought about it since the spring
 
#48 ·
Met with him this weekend and got a lot sorted. It's funny he's actually the romantic one with images of a nice stone bridge in the countryside and his wife is the more pragmatic one worried about cost. At least got a solid top dollar from them and it's lower than i would have liked to hear but may be within possibility. I'll need to get some prices on concrete and site work. The biggest piece of good news is the the river conservation authority isn't interested in it at all so long as it doesn't narrow the creek more than the closest culvert does (I think he said 15' so we're aiming at a 20' span)and so long as it doesn't collapse and block the flow. Otherwise it's pretty much do as RJW suggests and have the enginner stamp it when complete.

IF it can't get done at or under cost then there will still be a steel bridge with a lot of stone fancying it up

So we'll see
 
#58 ·
Some pics. Most likely nothing will be done this year since temps are below 4C/40F and I don't see any break in the long range forescast but if they do i will be out there to lay up some corers at the least
First a picture of the lot...you can see the piles of stone in the bottom right corner


then a few of the 150-200 tons of stone that I get to use next summer and a pic of the creek and footings. creek is at a fairly low level




 
#66 ·
I really couldn't say. It is an old barn foundation. the barn was dismantled a while ago for the barn board and the beams. the owner wanted the rest of the site cleaned up and the bridge owner wanted stone so I'd imagine the stone had zero value and the price was whatever the shovel and trucking costs were. the barn was at a guess 5 miles maybe less from the site of the bridge. If the bridge owner paid over $5k for the stone I'd say he got ripped. As you can probably see there is ab unch of junk in the pile as well. Some blocks, some steel some concrete etc....It has value but not a huge amount
 
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