3 Steps to a Successful Excavation Project on Your Developed Property

Are you planning an excavation project on your property? Perhaps you're planning a project to build a structural addition or to grade land for landscaping? It's crucial to understand that excavating on already developed land is different from working on an empty piece of land. The excavation company needs to exercise a lot of care throughout the process to avoid property damage.

With this in mind, here are three steps you should take to ensure a successful and disaster-free excavation project.

Conduct a Site Inspection

During excavation, obstructions such as large rocks and boulders can cause significant downtime. If you don't plan around such eventualities, you may end up paying more for the project due to extended labour hours. Thus, before commencing your project, be sure to conduct a professional site inspection.

Technology has led to the introduction of tools such as 3D scanners which can inspect the ground for obstructions such as large rocks and boulders. If these are present, your excavation company will come prepared with ways to extract them without causing project delays.

Account for Underground Utilities

Developed property has existing underground utilities such as plumbing pipes, sewer lines and electrical wiring. Your contractor needs to account for these utilities to protect them from getting damaged during excavation work. Before you start, contact a utility-locator company to come and identify all the underground service lines on your property.

These experts have advanced tools and equipment that will help complete the process in a few hours. Once the utilities are identified, mark off the areas where the utilities are. This way, the excavating contractor will approach the areas with care and avoid breaking or damaging the lines when during earthmoving works.

Pay Attention to Soil Compaction

Another contingency you need to consider during excavation is soil compaction. As earthmoving equipment and machinery work on your property, they may compact the soil due to their weight. If you have plants or trees on the property, soil compaction can affect their health, as it reduces oxygen flow to the roots. 

Again, talk to your contractor about soil compaction and how it will impact your vegetation. If the excavation equipment is used near your trees, you need to fix the compaction issue afterwards to preserve tree health and growth. Tools such as aerators are great for loosening compacted soil over a large area.

Conducting excavation work on a developed property requires more than just hiring the right company. You have to watch out for these issues to avoid downtime and unforeseen costs. Talk to your excavation contractor about your concerns so they can come up with strategies to manage the potential problems during the project. To learn more, contact a company that offers excavation services.