Many types of landscape renovation automatically call for the potentially damaging process of excavation. There must always be a carefully designed plan of action so that damage to the landscape and home is minimized. Landscaping professionals consult homeowners long before work begins so that the basic need for excavation is addressed. Since excavation is such a complex process, it should be carefully planned and never a surprise for any homeowner. Here’s how excavation contractors ensure every excavation goes to plan in Amherst, NH.
Related: BACKYARD REMODELS THAT REQUIRE EXCAVATION IN BEDFORD AND MILFORD NH AREAS
Landscape Design
The natural landscape is a thing of beauty and excavation should be a calculated effort to make the landscape more livable, useful, and beautiful.
Professional contractors will plan excavation ahead of time and coordinate with landscape designers or landscape construction companies so that all safety precautions are met, permits are granted, and damage to the land is minimized.
For example, retaining walls prevent erosion and provide additional outdoor living space; and well-built retaining walls require excavation to ensure that they are structurally sound. But before that, plenty of planning and design happens not only to ensure the beauty of a wall but its structural integrity. Soil testing is a big part of pre-construction safety, especially for larger retaining walls designed to hold back tons of soil.
Safety Planning
Your excavation contractors will conduct extensive safety planning after the need for excavation is established. Among the important steps to be made is checking with utility companies if there are any buried electric, gas, or water lines.
Any trees, existing structures, or large rocks that need to be removed will automatically present as hazards during the landscape renovation. Taking care of these hazards - and preventing further damage to the landscape or structures - is no small feat and requires specialized knowledge.
Space constraints also dictate the size and type of earthmoving equipment that can be used, especially if the excavation area is adjacent to the home, other structures, or desired trees or rock features. Also, there’s the issue of what to do with soil that has been removed: either repurpose it on your property or have a landscaping company remove it.
Site Prep
Once any safety issues and buried and above-ground utilities are taken care of, excavation and grading can begin.
Excavation contractors know that inclement weather will make the process of excavation more complicated or even delay it for days or weeks. For this reason, they will move quickly in order to let the other landscaping processes progress. A big rainstorm has the potential to wash literal tons of dirt downhill to another place in your backyard or front yard. The excavation team is ready for this. They will be in and out before you know it and they’ll give way to the next steps in your landscaping renovation.
Site Wrap-Up
Any lasting effects of excavation should be addressed by your excavation professionals. This means taking care of any leftover piles of dirt or mud, damage to an existing landscape feature, safety hazards, or any incorrect steps in the design of your renovated landscape. The project manager should be in constant contact with you after the job is finished to see that everything is up to your satisfaction. Oftentimes, the subsequent landscape work will be done by the same company, but it’s always good to be sure that the excavation contractors ensure that everything goes to plan before handing the landscape off to the next crew.
