One thing links together all the varying different functions we fulfil as the Petworth area’s favoured civil engineering company, commercial groundworks contractors, drainage contractors and substructure contractors – the need for excavation. To handle excavations for anything from foundation installation to underpinning, we typically employ powerful plant which we continually invest in and maintain to ensure it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.
But the ways in which we employ said plant, and the ways our team go about excavations, differ from project to project. So what is it that informs our approach, and ensures we can use excavation techniques tailored to the job at hand?
The Reason for Excavation – Let’s say we need to dig up part of a residential garden during extension groundworks, so our substructure contractors can carry out a foundation installation prior to you adding space to your Petworth home. We’ll need to employ a technique that allows us to preserve trees, hedges, and the quality of soil itself, using specific tools to level the ground. This obviously takes a more subtle, careful approach than when our groundwork contractors and drainage contractors are excavating soil for filling, where nothing is currently growing and there are no landscaping considerations to take into account.
Soil Type – Another key factor here is soil type. Before beginning any form of civil engineering, or domestic / commercial groundworks, our team undertakes a thorough, technical analysis of the soil / land present. This survey informs us of the presence of particular subsoils and their characteristics. When excavating under very soft, fine soils on a Petworth property, our groundworks contractors, drainage contractors and substructure contractors will often need to build supports to keep us safe. Soil type also informs the type of plant we use: very hard soils will call for more powerful equipment.
Project Size – We’re always keen to highlight that we take on jobs of all sizes in and around the Petworth area, from minor extension groundworks, to foundation installation or underpinning for mammoth commercial groundworks and civil engineering schemes. Bringing heavy machinery to bear on the former type of project may not just be overkill and cost inefficient, it may be actively inconvenient due to the size of the site; whereas the big guns are almost always pre-requisite for bigger jobs, due to timescale and how long “by hand” techniques would take to get it done.
Site Conditions – The surrounding environment and specific conditions on the site play a big role in determining the excavation techniques our groundwork contractors and drainage contractors employ. Are there overhanging power cables? Nearby housing? Underground drains or wiring? Our initial survey takes this all into account, so our Petworth clients can enjoy problem-free, promptly completed work, whether it’s foundation installation, underpinning or another aspect of civil engineering and commercial groundworks they require.
Demolition