What Type of Excavating Does Your Construction Project Need?
The one thing that every construction project has in common is that they all require excavation services, no matter how extensive or minor; however, projects all differ in the specific type of excavating required to accomplish the project.
Finding the right excavation company with the right equipment for the project starts with having a good understanding of these services so it is possible to hire based on project needs.
While all excavation involves moving dirt in one way or another, that is as far as the similarities in this process go!
Five Main Excavating Classes
There are five classes of excavating that may be required to complete a construction project depending on the type of project, the makeup of the ground, and other site-specific factors:
- Cut and Fill Excavating - Also known as stripping, cut and fill excavation is a basic technique that involves removing a large amount of soil, vegetation, rocks, and other material from the construction site after which land grading, leveling, and finishing can occur.
- Drainage Excavating - A method that focuses on digging out pathways for the installation of drainage channels or pipes as required to keep the construction site properly drained.
- Borrow Excavating - While most excavation involves removing material, there are times when an excavation company may be required to bring in additional material to fill in parts of the construction site for proper leveling and stabilization.
- Channel Excavating - Related to drainage excavating, this form of excavation involves correcting existing drainage paths or waterways to facilitate the flow of water by removing material that has settled within them.
- Bridge Excavating - A highly specialized type of earthwork that involves the removal of some material and backfilling with other materials to create a solid, stable land base on which to support and build a bridge.
Material-Specific Excavation Tasks
To complete the above classes of earthwork, excavation companies may use one or more of the following specific excavation techniques:
- Topsoil Removal - A basic excavation technique that requires the removal of only the top 12” of soil to permit minor leveling and grading around a construction site. The soil removed from specific areas is usually re-used for installing landscaping for the same project.
- Earth Excavation - This involves the removal of more than just topsoil, as it may be required to reshape the land by removing larger volumes of soil, as with drainage or cut and fill excavating.
- Rock Excavation - Heavy earthwork with the sole purpose of breaking up and removing rock from the soil so the land can be used for a construction project. Rock excavation is among the most difficult of the different materials-specific tasks, requires specialized equipment, and may involve digging, drilling, and blasting.
- Muck Removal - Another challenging technique, muck excavation is the process of digging out wet materials that present a stability concern; this soil is typically spread out so it can dry and be reused elsewhere as fill.
Construction Project Excavation Needs A Skilled Excavation Company
Excavating is a part of every construction project, whether in the form of simple land clearing and leveling or more extensive rock removal or drainage digging.
Each class and type of excavation involves specific planning and the use of specialized equipment.
Plan all construction site excavation tasks with an excavation company that knows to how to analyze the need, experience, and equipment to perform the required services!