It goes without saying that when you first see the heavy earth movers begin the work of excavating for your foundation, there’s a lot of excitement in the air. Though, you can quickly begin to wonder if the landscape will ever look normal again. Rest assured, that it is not only the goal of your builder, but ours as well, to get the foundation work done as safely and effectively as possible, leaving behind a place that will support your structure without fail.
With anything – and excavation is no exception – there are issues that can come up. For instance:
High water tables
This time of year allows you to maximize the building season, however in Toledo, we typically get inundated with spring rains. This causes the water table to be high and can create problems when it comes to excavating for your foundation.
Normally, high water tables aren’t a big issue. It becomes a factor when the hole for your foundation is being excavated, or trenching begins for utility lines. As the digging gets near the level of the table, water will fill the bottom of your newly excavated property. This creates two big problems in relationship to safety and quality.
In some cases, it is necessary to dig supportive trenches or deep wells to force the water elsewhere, allowing us to continue the job. When it comes to unpredictable water discoveries, we have methods to deal with them, which can avoid difficulties down the road.
Soil that doesn’t quite measure up
Some soil just doesn’t play well with the excavation process. One of the biggest headaches is that, depending upon the moisture and make-up of the soil, sometimes it can cave back into the hole. Every type of soil requires a different method of handling the excavation process.
Even in Toledo, and the surrounding areas, you can find different soil compositions. Some areas are a bit more sandy, others have harder type of clay, and in other areas are more like silt. With a bit of soil analysis beforehand, most issues can be pre-empted.
On rare, and more unpleasant occasions, you can run into soil that contains completely unknown items. This could be anything from rotting vegetation to man-made caves. Though unique, these cases require immediate attention. Yes, they will add to the bottom line of your overall construction project, but they absolutely must be addressed so you know you are building on a solid, safe piece of ground.
It may seem like the work will never be completed, but we can assure you that our team of professionals will make sure that your excavation project will be done with quality and reliability. Remember, soon our heavy equipment will be gone, and in its place, will be your completed home or building.