Pre-Excavation, Precaution & Considerations

 Before excavation you should have in progress, in place, or on site; Utilities, electricity, water, disposal site, telephone, gas, port-a-potty, Howard Johnson Catering; and underground cables and conduit lines, located marked and staked. You can get help from the utility department and the building department. Your plot plan will indicate the location of other important items and where they enter the site. As mentioned earlier, this should be accomplished at the first stages of the process and are essential to work accomplishment.

  Alternatively, if your requirements include installing a septic system, drain field, water well, or dry-wells; your plot plan will show the location of these areas also. Such inclusions, are to be marked and staked also, this will prevent heavy equipment operators from moving through these areas. To accommodate heavy equipment drivers arriving to and through the site you should clearly lay out roads to traverse in and out of the area.

  Plan in advance what your trenchers and graders will do, you'll want to keep them gainfully employed. The expense of just hauling equipment to the site warrants the extra planning and added forsight will streamline and expidite operations, saving in time and money calling the operators back for other digging and trenching. Also, specify in your contract where and what you want done with the excavated soil, or your load will be hauled in dump trucks, possibly to some other site (Not Yours).

  The landscaping features of your site, you'll want to maintain, and should be roped off and marked that the natural surroundings will be preserved and undisturbed. You chose the site with distinguishing amities in mind that characterize the site. It's your dream location with a stunning view. Keeping it personal and impressionable in accordance with these attributes in design and selection of your location and building site.

  Land developement processes are heavily determined by location and land form. The choice of  location dictate the methods that will be followed and determine how the development will proceed. For instance, say you build on flatland. Some things to consider would include the natural drainage or water shed. Is there adequate drainage of the area? Is there standing water puddling on the site? Are you building on a landfill? Will you have to adjust the location of the site?

  This being the case, you'll need to raise the grade, to improve drainage and fresh soil has to be compacted. The improved run off will take care of your foundation from being inundated with water. Be careful, to ensure your grading operations won't disturb or ruin the surrounding areas by water shedding to other properties. However if the natural shed is inadequate you'll have to install drainage trenches, to route the water to a storm drain, sewer, or stream.

  Consideration for sites situated above the street level or on a hill would pose a different set of circumstances, especially during the rainy or winter months. The elevation of driveway and walkways could be trouble-sum and depending on the elevation, this could prove to be hazards. Such circumstances must be taken seriously and well planned out. Other thoughts; during excavation; stock pile your soil on site a safe distance from the excavation and out of the way of the construction work. You'll need the soil for filling and grading latter. Planning and saving your soil will help to keep the grading and land filling from exceeding expenses.

  Where there are overhead power-lines in the area, arrangements for electricity can be made by havng a temporary post a drop and a meter installed. If overhead powerlines is undesirable, check to see if an underground power cable is available. If that's not the case, whether you want power lines hung on your house or if it's better to bury the cables underground. Underground cables will be more costly and if there is no power close by; in either situation, clearing operations may have to be performed to get power to the site. Where-as above ground power, is not as expensive and access to power provided by a temporary drop is more feasible.