Ballpark EstimatorsTuned to Shawn's Lakes Region pricing. Call or text for a real quote.
Materials
How much mulch, gravel, or loam?
Enter the area and depth. I'll tell you the cubic yards — and how much settling to plan for so you don't come up short after the first rain.
Material
Area (sq ft)
Depth (in)
How settling factors in
Mulch settles — order ~10% extra for full coverage after the first rain.
Estimate only. Actual need can shift with slope, soil moisture, and how deep you actually want coverage after settling. I'll confirm the real number when I walk the site.
A few quick numbers gives you the ballpark I'd quote. The big drivers are diameter, access, and whether it's a crane job.
Trunk diameter (at chest height)18 in
6 in48 in
Tree height40 ft
15 ft80 ft
Access
Condition
Season
What moves the number
Open-access yards let me work fast with standard gear. Tight spots near a house, or anything over 60 feet, usually means rigging lines or a crane — and the price climbs accordingly.
Estimate only. Real jobs turn up things a calculator can't see: rotten hearts, hidden splits, power-line proximity, stump conditions, neighbor fences. I don't charge to walk the site and give you the real number.
All-in for a driveway done right — base stone, grading, crown, and typical culverts. These are the numbers I'd quote before walking the site.
Length120 ft
40 ft400 ft
Width
Grade / slope
Ledge (granite bedrock) likely?
What's included
Topsoil strip, compacted base, three layers of stone, crown grading, and typical culverts for the length. Ledge breaking and extensive drainage add cost when they turn up.
Estimate only. Ledge depth, soil bearing, culvert size, and long gravel haul distances all move the number. I always probe for ledge before quoting a long run. This tool gets you within 15–20% of what I'd write down.
Based on how you'll burn, how much house you're heating, and how long your winter runs. A cord is 4 × 4 × 8 feet — 128 cubic feet stacked.
How will you use it?
Home size
NH winter length
Reserve early
Seasoned oak takes two full years to dry. Sugar maple, ash, and yellow birch are ready in a year if split and stacked right. The best cords go in August — not the week before your first fire.
Estimate only. Real burn depends on your stove's efficiency, how cold the winter runs, and how much radiant loss your house has. Better to order a bit more than run out in February.