FAQ

Questions and Answers

Questions and answers about concrete and Cardinal Concrete Ltd. Click each question below to reveal the answer.

What is the difference between a drainage material vs. a road base material?

The difference between drain rock and road base is the amount of fine material in the finished product.  Drain rock has no fines therefore it allows water to pass through the gaps in the rocks easily, whereas road base has the fine particles of sand which allow it to compact and hold its shape.
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I’ve heard you have plastic in your organic soil – why?

Unfortunately, yes there are plastics in our organic soils.  The reason for the plastics is largely due to what we (as households) are throwing into our compost bins.  The main supply of the plastics are fruit tags and compostable bags.  In order to be 100% plastic-free we need to be aware of what we are putting into the compost bin. Next time you toss your banana in the green bin, remember to remove the sticker first!

Do you sell road salt?

No, we do not have road salt.

What type of bark mulch do you have? Can the cedar (in Bark Mulch) kill my plants?

We have three different bark mulches to choose from.  The first option is our “bright bark mulch” which is a blend of cedar, hemlock and fir.  This material tends to be a reddish-brown colour and will help protect against weeds.  The second option is “aged bark mulch” which is a mix of hemlock and fir, this material will also help with weed suppression and water retention.  The third option is our “bark nuggets” which are a 2”-5” bark chip mostly composed of fir bark.
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Can the cedar (in Bark Mulch) kill my plants?

The Bark mulches are a mixture of cedar, hemlock and fir.  The cedar will not kill your garden.  Cedar is a natural bug repellent as well as a weed suppression.

What does secondarily screened turf blend mean?

Secondarily screened turf blend means that the material has gone through the screener twice.  Once in the final composting stage to remove the overs that need to compost further, then a second time to take the compost down to ¼” minus product and blend in the sand.  The process takes all the clumping material out of the compost to allow for better drainage and proper mixing of the sand.

What type of soil do you have? Where do you get it from?

We have two types of compost here at Coast Aggregates.  Our Organic Soil, which comes from Net Zero Waste in Abbotsford, and our Commercial-grade Compost that comes from Augustine Soil and Mulch.

How can I pay for my material? Why is there a second amount showing on my credit card? 

How can I pay for my material?

We now only accept Visa, Mastercard, and Debit, for when you come into our landscape depot and wish to take away material yourself. However, if you are going to place a delivery for material, we require a credit card in order to do a pre-authorization. The reason we do a pre-authorization is because often material amounts or delivery time can change, and we only want to charge you for the amount you take.

Why is there a second amount showing on my credit card? 

As per our answer above, our deliveries require a credit card for a pre-authorization; this system works just like the gas pumps.  Your card is initially charged a larger set amount at the start (which would cover any costs associated with your order), but once the billing is completed (allow 2-3 business days after your delivery for the processing) the card is actually charged the exact amount– any remaining balance goes back on to your card. Don’t worry you haven’t been charged twice!

Can you load my pickup truck?  What if I have a canopy?

Absolutely we can load your pick-up truck, we have a small compact wheel loader that is ideal for loading small trucks.  We do not have the ability to load trucks with canopy’s.  If at all possible it is best to remove canopy’s or be prepared to shovel!

Just remember – we are only able to load your own personal pick-ups from our Squamish location. Our Whistler and Pemberton/Mount Currie locations are only able to load dump trucks.

Do you deliver material to my house?

We certainly do not have delivery; later in the season 2020 we will tentatively do deliveries throughout the Sea to Sky region.  We can then bring you bulk loads in our large dump trucks or for smaller deliveries (between .5 – 5 yards) we can use our smaller landscape truck. Price of delivery varies depending on the truck size used.

We can also put any material for delivery in our one-yard bags and crane them off onto your drive way or in some cases, even over your fence.

Do you sell your products in bags?

Yes! If you would rather have a bag for your material, we have those available for you. We currently have one-yard bags, which can easily hold material and be delivered to your house, that way it doesn’t leave a mess on your driveway or lawn. These bags come at a small price, but are yours to keep. They can even be refilled for a small fee next time you need more material!

Retail Items: We sell potting mix and garden blend bags in a variety of sizes, grass seeds, beat peats and numerous landscape tools and decor items!

Do I have to purchase a full yard of material?

Not at all! While you can purchase either a full or half yard, we also have a ‘pail’ price for all of our landscape products. This makes it easier for people in cars to pick up soil/gravel if they only need a small amount.

If you’re doing this: Don’t forget to BYOP, Bring Your Own Pail. We classify a pail as a 20L or 5 Gallon pail. We even have shovels here for you to help load up your material, or if you ask nice enough– our landscape attendants will do it for you!

How much is one yard (quantity) of material?

We sell all our landscape products in yards from our drive-in depot. One yard is 27 cubic feet.  It is also easier to picture it when you think of a 3’x3’x3’ box.  One cubic yard will cover approximately 100 square feet at 3” deep, and is one full scoop in our loader bucket in the depot.

How much soil should I put in my garden?

For a new garden installation, a good soil depth for most plants and vegetables is 18”.

If you have a spot or planter that is deeper than 18” then it is a good idea to bring up the base with a well draining material such as bedding sand or even drain rock. If you use drain rock, be sure to put filter cloth on top of the rocks to prevent weeds.

What is the difference between organic and commercial grade top soil?

We offer two main types of garden soil in our Squamish Landscape Depot: organic blend and commercial grade.

The organic soil offers a higher nutrient level and is made from composted materials including food scraps and yard waste.  The organic material is a good product for residential gardens and growing vegetables. The organic soil is guaranteed weed free and has zero e-coli or fecal matter.

You may find small remnants of plastic, like fruit labels, in your organic soil, which cannot be broken down in the composting process. This is unfortunate, but until these plastics are removed from the compost stream they may continue to show up in your soil.

The commercial garden blend is made from composted green waste including tree stumps and lumber, and can be used in gardens, flower beds, and for growing grass. It is naturally heated to 55 degrees Celsius to destroy weeds, seeds, and pathogens.

How much material do I need?

All of our soil, aggregate, and sand materials in our Landscape Depot are sold in yards, so the best way to figure out how much of any material you will need is to first calculate the cubic footage of the area.  This is done using the formula: Length x Width x Height.

Once you have the cubic feet, divide by 27 (there are 27 cubic feet in one yard) and this will give you the approximate number of yards required.

If you are purchasing a material which will be compacted – such as road base for a driveway, and even soils – you should add on an additional 10% to allow for the compaction of the material.

 

Example:

You need soil for your raised garden beds, and they are 5 feet long, by 4 feet wide, and 2 feet deep.

5 x 4 x 2 = 40 cubic feet

40 ft3/27 = 1.48 yards

 

Delivery Service

We'll deliver your products right to your door.

Sand & Aggregates

Offering a variety of screened, crushed and washed products.

Top Soil

Our soil's are composted green and food-waste, and are free from bio-solids.
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