Regular excavation techniques don't work on every construction job. In some cases, you might need to deploy over-excavation. How does this type of excavation work and what are its benefits?
What Is Over-Excavation?
When you excavate an area of a construction site, you usually dig down to a specific level. You go as far as you need to do the job.
So, for example, you might remove the top layer of a site before you start to build. Or, you might dig holes in the ground to install piles. In both these cases, you dig to meet specific depth measurements.
However, there are times when you need to dig deeper than your actual measurements. This process is known as over-excavation.
You usually use over-excavation when you have difficult soil conditions or special construction needs. For example, if the ground you're working on isn't stable enough to hold your foundations at the level of your excavation depth, then you might need to over-excavate it.
Here, you dig lower than the level of your foundations until you reach stable ground. You can then treat the soil or compact it as you refill the space with either excavated or new soil. At the end of the process, you've modified the ground so that you can work on it at the right depth.
Why Use Over-Excavation?
If your soil quality or composition isn't suitable for your build, then you might pass on buying and developing the site if you can't see an easy way to fix difficult ground conditions. Even if you can fix ground problems, remedial measures might hold up your project schedule and increase your costs to unacceptable levels.
For example, if the soil at the bottom of your excavation depth is contaminated, then you have to find a way to clean up the soil. You might add treatments to get rid of the contamination but you might have to wait for them to work. You won't be able to start work on this part of your project until your soil tests clear.
Over-excavation is a quick and cost-effective way of dealing with problem soils and ground conditions. For example, here, you dig down deeper to remove all the contaminated soil. You then replace it with clean soil.
Once you compact it, you'll have a safe and stable foundation to work on. You don't need to bring in specialist equipment or pay for chemical treatments. You simply dig deeper to make your site viable.
For more information, contact excavation contractors.
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