Category: Tips & Tricks

What Do I Do with Unwanted Sand, Soil, Rocks, Concrete, and Asphalt? | South Puget Sound

April 15, 2026
Washington Rock
by Washington Rock

You have a heap of rocks in your yard. Or maybe those 20-year-old retaining wall blocks are past their prime. Either way, you’re stumped.

Maybe someone on Facebook Marketplace came and got the blocks, but nobody wanted the rocks or the pile of soil in the corner of the yard. So where do you take it?

Short of finding a contractor to remove it for you, landfills and recycling businesses are your best options. We did the research and found information about how to dispose of these materials in the City of Seattle and the five closest counties in the South Puget Sound region: King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston. Find your county (or city) in the next sections to learn more.

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Choosing a Topsoil Mix for Your Yard & Garden

March 27, 2025
Eve Hart
by Eve Hart

Which topsoil mix is best for your lawn and garden? In this article, we discuss our basic topsoil—screened sandy loam—and the formula for each topsoil blend that it’s used in. We’ll also talk about the applications for each product.

This article is the first in a three-part series about topsoil:

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How to Buy Gravel: 15 Things You Need to Know

September 30, 2024
Eve Hart
by Eve Hart

Never bought gravel before? If you’re overwhelmed, you’re not alone. We covered some of the basics about buying gravel so that you can be more confident in selecting and ordering gravel for your project.

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Ask Washington Rock: What are Gravel Grids? | An Introduction to Gravel Grid Pavers and Rolls

July 31, 2023
Washington Rock
by Washington Rock

Over the years, a few customers have asked us about the wisdom of using gravel grids. We did a deep dive into this topic, examining options on the Internet, calling dealers and supply yards, and comparing product data. We ended up with so much information that we decided to split our findings into three blog posts:

Let’s start with the basics.

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How Do I Make a Gravel Surface Wheelchair-Accessible?

July 25, 2022
Eve Hart
by Eve Hart

Daniel Burnstein of Brooklyn, New York had a unique dilemma: his client wanted to be able to use the backyard with a wheelchair. Concrete work and pavers can be expensive, and Daniel liked the rustic charm of gravel.

His question: Can gravel surfaces be wheelchair accessible? The answer is yes—if they meet certain standards.

Washington Rock, with the help of landscape architect Clayton Beaudoin, researched the topic and came up with guidelines for making gravel surfaces wheelchair accessible.

Our goal is to make these guidelines as easy as possible to follow, so we created a simple guide below. Then we included additional resources, such as a Glossary of Terms and Research Notes.

Check out the companion piece to this article, “Designing for Diana: How We Made Gravel Wheelchair-Accessible in Brooklyn,” to read about how we used our guidelines to help Daniel create a gravel-accessible backyard. The project is summarized in the video below.

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How Many Cubic Yards Do I Need? | How to Calculate How Much Gravel, Sand, or Soil You Need

May 11, 2022
Eve Hart
by Eve Hart

Figuring out how much topsoil or gravel you need is a tricky business. Below I’ll take you through how our material calculator works and how much various trucks can carry. Be sure to check out our new video for step-by-step instructions on calculating how many cubic yards of material you need.

To visualize how many cubic yards or tons a pickup truck or dump truck can carry, check out our post, “What Does a Cubic Yard Look Like?”

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What Does a Cubic Yard Look Like? | Visualizing How Much Gravel, Sand, or Topsoil You Need

May 10, 2022
Washington Rock
by Washington Rock

Figuring out how much landscaping or construction material you need is a tricky business. Below are some diagrams to help you visualize how much product a pickup truck can carry. We also help you visualize how much various kinds of dump trucks can carry.

You can also learn how to calculate how many cubic yards of material you need in our article-video combo, “How Many Cubic Yards Do I Need?”

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A Horse Farm Turned Wedding Destination: The Hidden Farm

April 27, 2021
Eve Hart
by Eve Hart

This article explores how The Hidden Farm uses ¼” Minus trail gravel to create cement-like paths and flooring for weddings and then easily transitions it into a horse arena footing in the winter.

The sections “The Secret Ingredient: Trail Gravel” and “Megan’s Gravel Recipe for Paddocks” contain specific information about how gravel products are used. Don’t forget to watch our video about The Hidden Farm located at the end of the article. We hope you enjoy the beautiful story of The Hidden Farm.

Just beyond the shorelines of Lake Tapps, The Hidden Farm sits on a hill surrounded by acres of pastureland. The valley below is dotted with grazing horses and cattle, and in the distance are the snow-frosted foothills of Mt. Rainier.

The viewpoint at the rim of the hill is bordered by a granite rockery. Behind the rockery stretches a smooth, green lawn, flanked on one side by horse stables and on the other side, a horse arena and a classic red barn.

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How to Find, Vet, and Hire a Contractor Who Can Work with Rock

September 29, 2020
Washington Rock
by Washington Rock

You found a rock supplier like Washington Rock Quarries who can deliver rock, sand, and soil materials directly to your home. But many rock suppliers like us don’t provide placement, landscaping, or design services. So how do you find a contractor who can work with our materials? We provided some useful information to get you started in your search.

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