The process of building a home in a gorgeous natural environment often causes significant damage to the landscape. Damage, however, can be minimized with careful planning and home design. It’s the task of an excavator to prepare the land for a home and outdoor living spaces and preserve or enhance its visual appeal and safety. Here are three frequently asked questions about excavation: the Why, When, and How for homeowners in Hollis and Milford, NH areas.
Related: WHEN IS EXCAVATION NECESSARY IN PETERBOROUGH, NH?
Why Excavation?
The more varied and rugged a landscape, the more design and engineering decisions need to be made to ensure that a home, patio, and driveway rest securely on the land, that water goes where it’s supposed to, and that erosion is minimized or eliminated.
Excavation ensures that your home’s foundation is stable.
Excavation is essential for building a driveway that can handle the load of vehicular traffic and grading it so that water doesn’t run down the driveway into the garage.
Excavation ensures that retaining wall footings are secure enough to enable the wall to withstand the tremendous pressure exerted on it by heavy, wet soil.
Excavation can remove obstacles in the landscape, including large rocks and trees.
Excavators are often called in to remove tree stumps that can cause hazards and impede landscape development.
Excavators ensure that your property doesn’t become a catch basin for heavy rains or snowmelt and that running water is diverted away from the home, other structures, and outdoor living areas.
Excavators dig utility trenches, which is a superior way of ensuring that utility lines are protected and that the landscape remains attractive.
Excavators may be needed to dig foundations underneath outdoor living spaces such as patios, and footings for stand-alone pavilions or other large structures, especially if the project is being built in rocky soil.
Excavators dig the hold for an inground pool and ensure that the area between undisturbed soil and the pool will drain properly to prevent damage to the pool.
When?
Proper excavation with a landscaping professional needs to be a planned and scheduled process. Before earth-moving can even begin, there are many steps to take. Safety is always the top priority, and, as such, lots of logistics and planning need to occur, especially if the work is to be done near structures, trees, or landscape features you want to preserve. Next, the seasons must be taken into account as frozen ground or inclement weather might delay work. Consult your landscaping professional to plan the perfect time for excavation.
How?
The first step is for your landscaping professional to conduct a site visit to assess the situation, obtain a site plan of the landscape, and obtain relevant permits. Utility companies need to be contacted so that they can identify the locations of any underground gas lines, electrical wires, or water pipes. Once approval has been granted and a permit has been issued, it’s time to put together a schedule for excavation. After the dig has been completed, the excavator will grade and level the land before any landscaping work begins.
Excavation contractors have a variety of equipment that can handle both large and small projects. In many cases, space is tight and specialized equipment has to be brought in to get the job done without damaging the home, garage, patio, above-ground utilities, or landscaping.
Related: WHY EXCAVATION AND STUMP REMOVAL ARE IN HIGH DEMAND AT THIS TIME OF YEAR IN BEDFORD NH
