What Does an Excavation Contractor Do?
Excavation contractors handle site preparation for construction. Site preparation involves changing the landscape by moving dirt, rocks, trees and other features using a range of heavy machinery. The excavation contractor shapes the job site surface to the exact specifications of the preconstruction design to create the basis from which construction can begin.
Excavation: Where Construction Starts
Excavation is the process of digging and removing earth, rock, and other materials to create a space for construction. Whether for a new building, road, or utility-scale solar project, the construction excavation process starts after approving the design and before building structures.
An excavation contractor’s duties typically include:
- Digging the foundation to exact dimensions/placement.
- Grading the ground to provide a level surface.
- Installing major site utilities to serve the new facility or property (potable water, wastewater and stormwater systems, electrical conduit and telecommunications fiber).
- Trenching into the foundation to accommodate underground utilities (sewer lines, telecommunications cables, electrical wiring).
- Levelling of the property to meet site-specific elevation requirements.
- Soil compaction to ensure a stable building surface.
- Installation of any needed specialty soils.
What Do Excavating Companies Do? Integrating Vital Infrastructure
The excavation contractor will make certain that the site is ready for construction. This includes site analysis and preparation and installing below-grade infrastructure. Using advanced trenching tools, the excavation contractor installs the pipes, wires, and cables needed to connect the building to the internet, municipal water and sewage system, and the electrical grid. The contractor may also play a role in shaping the ground around the foundation to accommodate the landscape design.
Some Excavating Contractor Duties
The excavating contractor should manage and schedule their crew and equipment to meet the demands and timeline of the project. Excavating contracting companies often work with several other contractors to accomplish specific tasks in strict order and put all crews in a position to keep the site preparation process moving smoothly.
Frequently, the excavation company is also responsible for building temporary or permanent roadbeds that allow heavy equipment operators and project team members to efficiently and safely access the job site.
Prepare for Large-Scale Construction Projects
In large-scale projects, mass excavation is required. Structural excavation is an advanced technique that’s required to prepare the building’s footprint for foundations and basements of a vertical structure, such as a skyscraper. These techniques require a fleet of heavy machinery and a large crew that can draw on experience and engineering insight to make precise measurements. While high levels of precision are required for both large and small-scale projects, larger projects also tend to involve more coordination between teams, making communication paramount.
What Is the Process of Excavation in Construction?
Excavation tasks will vary depending on the job but include site clearing, grading, filling for elevation requirements, foundation support, installing utilities/drainage/access and more. The process generally involves these steps:
- Site assessment – This includes site analysis, initial permits and planning. Tasks like subsurface utility mapping help prevent costly errors and delays for demolition or excavation.
- Excavation – This step can include the removal of vegetation, old structures, grading, erosion control and soil compaction, along with demolition, dirt-haul off or import and other excavation methods to prepare the land.
- Build preparation – Once the site is cleared, engineering specifications may call for re-routing of utilities, trenching for new infrastructure, basements, footings, drainage and other site development tasks to prepare for the build.
- Site cleanup – Backfilling, compaction and landscaping are completed to remove signs of excavation and demolition.
Castle Contracting’s Excavation and Earthmoving Services
Castle Contracting offers earthmoving and contracting services to help you begin your next construction project on a firm footing. Our experienced leadership team works with clients to meet or exceed timeline demands with a dedicated craft workforce and an expansive fleet of heavy equipment.
Ready to get started? Contact Castle today.
