Groundwork refers to necessary work done to the sub-surfaces, generally prior to construction work. Your project may involve building a new property, adding an extension, or something as simple as making a new fish pond or swimming pool. So what is to stop you from renting out a digger or excavator and just starting the job? Well, as a matter of good practice and a legal requirement of most local authorities, a ground investigation of the site is generally carried out first to help identify any potential issues. Ground defects, contamination and stability are very important to consider and methods such as geology, hydrology, hydrogeology, and checking soil conditions should be employed.
Soil stabilisation and Geosynthetics
It may be that you will require the use of geosynthetic materials to provide support for your foundations, retaining walls or embankments. Geotextiles are woven materials that allow water to pass through, or Geomembranes, which are impervious so do not and are normally used as liners. These are important measures before actually beginning on the structural foundations, which can be loosely broken down into either the shallow or deep variety. The depth of the foundation is determined by the load bearing ability of the soil. The higher the load, the deeper the foundations needs to be.
Other Groundwork services.
Before you ring your local digger hire company in Bishops Stortford or Bognor Regis, there are some other issues to consider. Utilities, such as water, electric, gas and phone/internet lines may need to be rerouted. Temporary or permanent drainage is another thing needing to be considered before you even begin to remove the top soil. After all, it is much easier to plan for everything in advance and do it smoothly, and another to have to dig it all back up again, because you missed something out.
Getting the works started.
Even if you know how to operate a digger or excavator, it is best to rent the machinery and an operator, from an experienced company, who will be familiar with all of the issues concerning your project. Things will move forward more swiftly, when you have professionals taking care of all the jobs intricacies. This is not to say though that you should look for the cheapest price from a guy who owns a digger. The digger rental business is very competitive, so the difference in price between professional companies is minimal. What is important is choosing a firm who are reliable, experienced, operate well serviced and maintained machinery, and employ the most skilled and experienced staff. Issues you may not think of will be obvious to the right people, from assessing site access to selection of the correct piece of equipment, and an accurate forecast of how long the job will take, thus allowing you to coordinate the next stages.
A simple Internet search will easily identify digger hire operators in your region. Get several quotes, be wary of anything that looks too cheap, as you do not want to cut corners on your foundations, or any other structure you want to last. Ask if they will guarantee to provide you with an on time reliable service and let them do the hard work for you.
