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Help with a Giant Rock
Sep 25, 2012, 08:09 AM
DeenRampHelp with a Giant Rock
I need to incorporate a HUGE boulder into my new driveway landscape. The excavator and I have decided we should "save the rock" and try to design around it. We are widening the driveway for our growing family to add 2 parking spaces in front of the house, but have to address this challenge. We want to keep the rustic nature of our surroundings. Any ideas?
Sep 25, 2012, 08:27 AM
sissy77If it is big enough and flat enough do like I did ,I made mine an address number and name rock .I cleaned it up and lucky mine had a good flat face on it and clean that i could get stencils and paint with exterior paint our name and house number on it
Sep 25, 2012, 11:31 AM
LoonieThe look of that stone reminds me of the old movie
"Mr Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse" and the contractor explains to Cary Grant that he doesn't have a boulder, he has a ledge. That's, I think, what you have.
In the movie they had to blast to rid of it.
I don't think you want to blast so before you do anything get a number of suggestions from neighbors--they also have to look at it.
Is this 'thing' indicative of the surrou9ndings....lots of boulders which might many incorporate into their landscaping.
Sep 25, 2012, 06:04 PM
mgtThe OP SAID they are going to "save the rock".

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"I've decided to quit my job, drop out of society, and wear live animals as hats."
Sep 26, 2012, 01:08 PM
conradI am rather confused by the photo.
Is the "giant rock" under or near the soil level? Or is it the white one on the right, middle area of the photo?
I might thinking adding a few more large rocks/boulders to the area as a grouping could have a more naturalizing affect.
Sep 26, 2012, 05:21 PM
DeenRampThe rock is actually in between the orange paint lines. It is a little bit above the soil level, not much. We can't blast, it's too close to the house. Yes, we have lots of rocks around, and it's very woodsy. I think we are going to carve right up to it, which means there will be a 4-5 foot "wall" on either side. I guess we can round up some boulders?
Sep 27, 2012, 02:43 PM
zone9aladyI would love to find a boulder that large on my property.
You could dig/lift if out halfway and put some sand or rock underneath to keep it exposed. It's going to take a large backhoe if it's as big as it looks, kinda like this outcropping I found on google
Sep 27, 2012, 03:59 PM
ga.karenI would also like to find one on my property! I don't have rocks at all....nearest ones are around 40-50 mi. from us.
I like zone9's idea...lift it & use it as a focal point, plant around it!
"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
Sep 27, 2012, 06:00 PM
conradHaving a home in CO, from my own experience, I can assume this rock cannot easily be "lifted" LOL!
Since rocks are native to your area, getting some additional landscape boulders may not be a problem, if you want them.
Sep 28, 2012, 11:14 AM
zone9aladyThat why I said LARGE backhoe! LOL! When we first moved here there was a "shelf-serve" mine about 4 miles from the house that sold boulders for $25 a ton...geez I wish I would have taken advantage of that...the only thing was getting it home.
Oct 01, 2012, 10:15 AM
LoonieQuestion: The picture does seem to show what appears to be a root sticking out of the side of the 'boulder'.
If this is the case, then it would seem the rock is rather shallow in depth and may even be made of shale.
Have you measured the size of it...if it has no depth of volume then possibly it can be undermined and broken up.
What happens if you swung a sledge; does it break up or is it more solid.
If it is shale then it might be reasonable to think a back hoe might do something.
If its solid, then it might require a larger implement...a caterpillar bulldozer...a big one, might be required to move it.
As far as blasting....there are many instances where dynamite is used to move rocks imbedded in earth and no damage results to nearby windows. I, personally, have lit a fuze or two doing exactly that. I wouldn't expect such blast to do much more than possibly undermine the rock--not affect its great volume.
Your contractor might be over his head in understanding what might be required to rid you of the problem.
Oct 14, 2012, 08:07 PM
M-maI like the add large rocks for effect idea.
I finally figured that there were orange lines and that's one big rock you have.
Make it a landscape feature.
Here people tilt over medium to larger size pots and plant small items in soil on the down side of the pot. Cluster a few of those between some rocks--two lying one way; another askew another way.