Natural random stone walling

[loply]

Hi folks,

Trying to gauge the approximate cost of having natural stone walling built - the kind made up of random lumps of essentially rubble with one flat(ish) face - typical around churches etc.

I've got around 200 square meters to lay as part of a project - essentially a border wall 1.5m tall - the project is early doors but I'm struggling to get even remotely consistent estimates.

I've spoken to one local firm who estimated around £100/sqm, but I've spoken to another who quoted about £500/sqm... Would appreciate any advice on what's vaguely normal...

What I'm trying to decide is whether to specify this in the planning app or not.

Thanks for any help,
Rich

 

[loply]

This is roughy the sort of thing I'm referring to - http://www.blackmountainquarries.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Brown-sanstone-random_1.jpg

 

[Corazones]

Maybe the companies you have approached found that the specification wasn't sufficiently precise for them to quote accurately? Also the type of stone (and its ease of chopping to size when necessary) will affect the amount of work needed - limestone or sandstone are easier to work than granite, for example. I suggest that you first visit a stone merchant and choose your material. If you pick what you like and specify a size, they will be able to give you an idea of the weight per square metre of a single skin - or you could then assess this by measurement and weight of a sample stone and calculating how many laid end-to-end occupy a square metre. Once you know what quantity you need, and the size and type of stone, you should be able to get some more precise quotations.
Also, have you thought of building a blockwork wall and then cladding this? You may find that, in skilled hands, the result can be similar and cost a lot less.