Construction Sitework

...

Now it is time to complete the excavation for the slab of the camp. The site of the camp has been cleared of trees and debris and rough leveled with the dozer. The next step is to lay a base layer of gravel to be leveled and compacted. The top lay of soil has been removed and set aside to be screened later for back filling around the slab and any other areas that may need repair at the completion of the project. The gravel is spread over the slab area and compacted. Starting with a level stable surface for a slab is important to prevent the slab from future settling which would cause cracking and unevenness of the camp itself.

Finally we cut trenches to the camp site for sewer, water, and power lines. Since this is a small project and the trenching will be only a few feet deep at its deepest points we were not required to use any trench shoring. The trenches were cut using a backhoe. The removed earth was placed next to the trench to be used for backfilling over the utility lines after installation. The trenching of the lines is the first step in the process. Since this is raw land at a future date larger excavation will be required to install a septic system and leach field in addition to a well.

This example is a very small scale construction project but it is also an average project for the area in which I live. During our process we do not generally use cut and fill sheets, however, we do refer to a basic site plan developed from the property map. In other projects customers have wanted things such as paved driveways and full foundations for basements which require increased equipment, planning and a more controlled job site.

Resources

Dagostino, F., Feigenbaum, L., (2003), Estimating in Building Construction, Upper Saddle River, NJ