I get asked a lot about BTAC’s excavation services these days. Especially during the winter, the groundworks part of the business is often very busy. Typically, we’ll be asked to clear sites prior to a change of use. Often, this will mean digging the trenches needed for new foundations and footings so that a construction project can begin in earnest. Throughout the East Midlands, we take on excavation jobs to help improve drainage and to form the substructure necessary for sewer & septic tanksinstallations, too. What this all means is that we are well-versed in all five of the most common excavation works that are in use in the UK. Depending on the soil type on your land, you could find it necessary to rely on our expertise with any of them. What are they?

 

As is heavily implied by the name, this type of job relies on us being able to remove the exposed part of the soil only. Topsoil is basically the topmost part of the earth’s crust. As such, it requires an excavation technique that can remove vegetation and not just soil. More often than not, this sort of work will involve us digging into the ground just a few inches. Typically, we will remove the upper layer of turf when conducting topsoil excavation works. However, it is important to also excavate any other decaying material that might be present in the topsoil. If it is left to remain, then it could make the land unstable when structural loads are later placed on it.

Sand and gravel have been excavated since Roman times in the British Isles. Modern machinery may speed up the process compared to hand digging but it still requires skill to remove it from a site. This sort of excavation work is needed in numerous locations in the Midlands. Due to the nature of sandy soil, excavators with caterpillar tracks may be needed for this sort of work. Removing silt from waterways will also often involve sand and gravel excavation, too.

 

In some ways, rock excavation is similar to removing topsoil. The two jobs are both used to clear surfaces so they can be used for other purposes. Rocky surfaces will often impede the construction process of an agricultural building, for example. However, with rock excavation, certain technical challenges present themselves. Compared to the other types of excavation work, not all of it can be conducted with the bucket of a backhoe loader or an excavator. Additional equipment and methods may be needed unless the rocks break up easily.

 

Muck is most often a combination of soil and water. Due to the presence of water, it can time consuming to complete a muck excavation job, especially if the weather is not kind during the works. However, for many construction projects, muck simply has to be removed to make a site safe. The ongoing presence of muck will impair the quality of foundations and track surfaces, for example. Sometimes, we’ll remove muck completely but it can be left to dry out by spreading it around, too.

 

Earth excavation really means going deeper into the ground. Unlike excavating a layer of topsoil, excavating earth will mean digging down several feet. These sorts of jobs are needed for larger, heavier buildings that require deeper foundations as well as the purposes of drainage. Most ditch digging jobs are really earth excavation works, for example. At BTAC, we have the machinery available to carry out such works professionally.

 

Thanks for now,

 

Brian