What is Earthwork Excavations?

If you’re building or extending a residential or commercial structure, chances are you’ll need some form of excavations and earthworks to prepare your site. Site excavations are also needed on other construction projects including landscaping, swimming pools, driveways, roads, railways and the laying of pipes.

Earthwork excavations come in all shapes and sizes – from smaller jobs such as trenches in a backyard, to large-scale civil and commercial projects like roads and mines. If you’re curious to understand who performs these excavations and how they do it, read on to find out.

Earthwork Excavations Explained

No matter what you are building, before construction can commence, your site must be levelled and cleared. To excavate your site to the right level, suitable machinery is used to make site cuts into the ground where construction is happening so it’s ready for the foundation of your structure to be poured or installed.

What Type of Machinery is Used?

There are many different sizes and types of excavators available, and the type of plant used to perform the excavations will depend on the material to be dug (soil, sand, gravel, clay, rocks, etc.) and the site conditions (slope, vegetation, ease of access). For example, bobcats are great for backyards with limited access, zero swing excavators are generally used in tight spaces, and 8 tonne excavators can be the best choice for big jobs where large volumes of materials must be moved.

How is It Done?

Excavators should only be operated by qualified and licensed professionals who have the knowledge and experience to perform the job with precision. Getting the foundations right is the most crucial part of a successful project, so there is no room for error!

The soil, rock, concrete or other materials that have been dug out during the excavation will then be either reused in other areas on site or transported off site for disposal.