landscaping query - digger related

[shirt]

I'm trying to turn my 'garden' from 80x16ft of bare earth into something more worthy of the term. there are a few tree stumps, quite a bit of rubble in the soil and the ground is uneven in places.

I'm thinking the best solution would be to hire a digger (bobcat) and driver to level the ground and take 3-4" away so I can add some topsoil.

does anyone know the going hire rate for such an item? access is an issue so it would need to be lifted over an 8' fence at the bottom of the garden. its a sturdy fence, i can't see an easy way of dismantling it and in any case there's a 3ft drop into the garden.

also, what depth of topsoil do I need to seed a new lawn? does this all need to be prime (i.e. expensive) soil? I've worked out I need approx. 6tons for 4" of soil in the area I want to seed - what's the rough cost per bagged ton?

I'm aiming for £1kmax. all in (but less spent = more to spend on other pressing needs) to do the levelling,self build some decking, lay a patio (already have the flags), and put down 2tons of shail as infil. doable?in
terms of time/effort, can a landscape company do it all for me within budget?

if anyone here is in this line of work and near hull, drop me a pm.

cheers,
shirt.

[Astacus]

Well, These chaps sell soil by the ton. looks like about 450 quid for the amount you need but depends on delivery

http://www.rolawndirect.co.uk

[Distant]

I can't believe you're going to pay someone to drive the digger! I'm itching to find an excuse to have a go on one in my garden. Do it yourself man, it'll be a laugh if nothing else.

[tpp_uk]

Was trying to budget a similar job the other day for myself. As you state the dimensions in feet, I assume you are referring to 4 inches of topsoil? If so, then that is plenty for seeding a nice lawn.
This is the best place I found (price wise) for topsoil - haven't ordered from them yet though:
http://compostdirect.com/index.php/category/topsoi...