What all is involved with excavating land? Who should try to do it? Who is trained to do it properly? What considerations need to be accounted for? We will answer all of those questions in this article, we being J & A Excavation, leading the way with professional excavation services in the Greater Fort Worth area. Call us for a job quote today.
The reality of excavating land
If excavating land were as simple as removing vegetation and doing some digging, everyone could call themselves professional excavators, but there is much more to it than that.
Excavating land requires the following steps/skills:
- Land survey
- Clearing the site
- Excavation
- Grading and excavation
- Erosion control
Land survey
The first step on the land excavation process is to stake out the area where the future structure will be constructed. This is basically a rough outline of the job to be done, and it will give a clear picture of what needs to be removed in the next step.
Clearing the site
Clearing the site involved the removal of vegetation, trees, large rocks, and any other structures which are within the staked boundaries. In most cases, this will require large machinery, and it most likely will involve dump truck services to remove the “debris” which was cleared from the construction site.
Excavation
Excavation is the digging out of the “building pad,” or exact dimensions of the future structure. It is where the foundation will be poured, where all of the weight of the future building will rest. The soil must be stable enough to handle the weight of the building, so the soil is tested and, if additional soil is needed, or a particular type of soil is needed, it is at this point that it is added to the mix.
Grading
Grading is a matter of leveling the land at the site, adjusting levels according to permits, so that is passes inspection and can handle the actual construction when it begins.
Erosion Control
And, finally, erosion control is working with the slope of the land, determining where rain runoff will flow, piping if necessary, all to ensure that moisture does not compromise the integrity of the soil once construction begins.
Who should attempt excavating land?
Needless to say, there are steps to the excavation process which require technical knowledge, and there is certainly large machinery which requires proper training. In order for the excavation of land to be done properly, and to be done safely, only professionals should attempt excavation. This is not to say that property owners absolutely cannot do the job, but it is to say that chances are much, much better that the excavation job will be done correctly, without physical harm to the workers, if a trained professional is in charge of the operation. Besides, in most municipalities, it is required that trained professionals do excavation services in order for the project to be approved and permits issued.
A final word about J & A Excavation
In the Fort Worth Metro area, one such professional excavation service is J & A Excavation. No matter the size and scope of the job, from driveway excavation to pond excavation to building excavation, J & A has the experience to do the job right. Call us for a job quote if you live in the Fort Worth area.