Working with a fully licensed excavation company can expedite the process of your residential or commercial property project. Excavation companies provide services ranging from removing soil to engineering draining systems to delivering or removing materials. There are a large variety of projects that require the assistance of excavation companies. Listed below are six kinds of projects that can an excavation company can complete and manage.
Residential Excavation Projects
New Home Excavation
If you plan to build a new home, then there are a few steps that must be completed by an excavation company before you can begin building. First, it is necessary to go through the process of a site excavation. Site excavation is the process during which the desired construction space is made level and safe to work. This is done by excavating the space to a desired depth, width, and length. The site excavation sometimes occurs weeks before intended construction. This is because soil shifts naturally over time. Site excavation includes preparing a site for soil movement. Once a site is level and settled, the next steps of construction can begin.
Regardless of architectural style, all homes require a strong foundation. A foundation serves many functions: a proper foundation will protect the walls of your home from collapsing under weight or age, they will prevent groundwater from seeping into your home, and, they will keep your home level, ensuring that your floors, doors, and windows all lie flat. An excavation company can remove soil and prepare a site for a foundation installation. In order to prepare a site for a foundation installation, the ground needs proper preparation. First, excess water in the soil of the site needs to be removed. Dry soil is ideal when working with foundation installation. Any other soil impurities will be removed in the early stages.
Installation of utilities – for example, a sewer lateral – will typically occur early on as well. The next few steps include the installation of basement-level walls and flooring, as well as waterproofing the walls and installing insulation. A drainage system – which excavation companies also specialize in – will need to be installed around the foundation. Then, they can backfill the foundation. Backfilling is the process of removing soil from a site temporarily and then returning it to its original place later on. Once the soil around the foundation is level, the next steps of your new home’s construction can commence. An excavation company can help you get started on setting the foundation.
Installing a New Pool
If your family wants to install an in-ground pool on your residential property, then an excavation company can help with the project. Excavation companies offer a service known as land clearing. Land clearing occurs when an excavation company clears desired construction of potential obstacles: they remove tree stumps, boulders, and prohibitive materials that may hinder construction. When deciding where to place your new pool, you may not think about which part of your property is easiest to dig into.
New Jersey is home to a variety of bedrock. Depending on your location, your property may be sitting on top of quartz beds, clay, or shale. The hardness of the materials under your property will determine how difficult it is to dig. Land clearing can assist you with examining what types of obstacles hide underneath your property’s soil. An excavation company can advise the best placement for your in-ground pool. Once you determine the location, many excavation companies can prepare the dig site for the pool. Knowing what hides beneath your property will make it much easier to install a pool later.
Rock Wall Installation
If your property is full of rocks, consider turning them into a rock wall. Rock walls are beautiful property fences. They require little maintenance compared to wood or metal fences. Additionally, they are very environmentally friendly, since you are recycling rock from your property as opposed to contributing to deforestation or the creation of compound metals. Rock walls are very sturdy and safe, which means that they will not topple over easily. On larger residential properties, rock walls can create a natural barrier for your property.
Excavation companies can assist not only with removing rocks from your property but also with installing them as a rock wall. If the installation of a rock wall is unappealing to you, then an excavation company can merely remove the rocks for you. An excavation company can also help you stabilize rocks on your property. For example, if you use rocks as a retaining wall, then some excavation companies can assist in improving the wall’s stability. Retaining walls typically consist of rock or stone. They hold back water or soil and are useful in both landscaping and construction. Excavation companies can do more than dig holes and move earth: they can contribute to the aesthetic improvement of your property.
Commercial Excavation Projects
Installing New Underground Utilities
Perhaps your business needs to install a new underground utility line. This could be a new Ethernet connection, which is a line that directly connects a device to the internet. Or, perhaps your business needs to improve its electrical system. Regardless of the utility you need to update, an excavation company can help you with the installation process. They can help by excavating underground trenches. These trenches are long, narrow ditches that allow employees – of both the excavation company and the utility company – to get around during the underground installation process.
Underground trenches are one of the most dangerous forms of excavation, so they require careful design and the installation of many safety features. It is imperative that you work with a licensed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Certified excavation company if your project requires underground trenching. Proper trenching includes building walls to keep soil in place. Once the trenches are examined and approved for their safety, the installation of utility lines can occur. Upon completion of the project, the excavation company can backfill the trenches and return your commercial property to its previous state. You might need underground trenching for a variety of projects, but they are more common with utility installation.
Updating Your Landscaping
Normally, you may think to work with a landscaping company when you want to improve your commercial property’s landscaping. However, excavation companies are soil experts. They understand how the quality of soil affects everything on your property from the foundation of your building to the quality of water drainage.
If you are looking to improve your commercial property’s landscaping, then there are a few improvements you will need to consider making. First, you should consider the slope of your property’s lawn. If you have a flat lawn, then you need to make sure that rainwater properly drains from your property. When rainwater is not drained properly, then it pools in deeper parts of the lawn, eroding grass and plant life. If you can re-slope your lawn, you can improve water runoff. If you cannot re-slope your property, then an excavation company can guide you through alternatives.
An excavation company can also assist with examining the current quality of your soil and they can assist in determining better soil for promoting plant growth. If you want to install other landscaping amenities, such as a fountain or a gazebo, then an excavation company can assist with creating an installation space or setting a small foundation. Excavation companies are highly knowledgeable about soil engineering.
In-Ground Pool Removal
In-ground pools are common features at hotels, apartment complexes, and senior living facilities. While some consider an in-ground pool a nice amenity to offer guests, you should not keep an in-ground pool if it rarely gets used. Unused pools can be a risk to wild animals and to your guests. By removing an in-ground pool, you are removing a major liability from your property.
An excavation company can assist in this demolition and removal process. The company can walk you through the pool removal permit process, as well as inspecting the area surrounding the pool. Typically, the pool removal process has a few steps. First, the excavation company will help you disconnect any lines connected to your pool; next, they drain the pool of any existing water; then, they demolish the pool and remove all of its debris; and finally, they fill the leftover hole with soil and other desired nature elements. By removing an unused in-ground pool, you create space for a park or a picnic area.
If you are considering working on one of the above projects, then an excavation company can schedule your project and help you manage its complexities. If you are considering working on a project not discussed here, then be sure to read more about the other services that excavation companies provide here. From landscaping efforts to foundation preparation, there are a large variety of projects that require the assistance of excavation companies. Be sure to work with a fully licensed contractor in order to achieve the safest and highest quality outcome.
