Keys to a Successful Excavation

An excavation is no simple task. In fact, it is arguably one of the most crucial parts of the construction process because it lays the foundation for every other phase of a building project. It only takes one miscalculation to send an entire project off its course and turn a budget upside down, so these keys to a successful excavation should always be observed.

Stormwater Management

Without stormwater management, there’s no point in even beginning excavation. If you start digging with no plan for the water, all soil will simply wash away. Specific erosion control techniques are required so that an inspector doesn’t shut down a project over soil erosion issues.

Scope and Sequence

Every step of an excavation should be planned before it begins so that all teams and workers have a road map toward the final product. From designing construction entrances and creating fill piles before excavation to outlining the plan for stormwater management, every step must be completed and checked in full so that the excavation is guaranteed to be safe and successful.

Strict Scheduling

They say to “make hay while the sun shines,” and that simple adage applies in the realm of excavation as well. Unpredictable weather can cause unwanted delays in scheduling, so it’s critical to make use of every minute of work time available. For example, if there’s only one day of sun within a week of storms and rain for a team to place footings in the ground, and the team fools around and fails to place the footings before the rain picks back up, the whole project will be sorely delayed.

Communication and Trust

It sounds cliche, but a large scale project simply can’t function without trust and communication. There are usually a number of teams working on one construction site, and those teams need to have access to consistent, real-time information in order to keep everything running smoothly. Furthermore, all teams need to be cleared and trusted for their work quality and reliability. Every person involved, from the general contractor to the business owner, is counting on them.