I have worked on concrete, dirt, sand, wood and crushed stone. Concrete kills the body, sand kills the machines, wood (not end grain) burns, dirt can be messy.I have found crushed stone to be a great compromise. That's what I have now, and love it. Only drawback is you cannot move heavy objects around as easily, but that can be overcome with overhead lifting options or in my case, a tractor with a lifting boom. I have poured concrete under my hammer, and as a vise base etc. Very economical and low maintenance. Just my solution over the years, I hope you find yours, good luck.