Site Preparation Considerations

Site Preparation Work Process

• The site prep job involves a number of steps and a survey is done before anything else.
• In this the topographical features such as rocky outcroppings, streams, relative elevations, open areas and trees etc. will be accurately marked; and this becomes the basis for everything else that follows.
• The property lines have to be located accurately to confirm any setbacks in compliance with the existing local codes.
• The sidewalks, streets and sidewalks are flagged and mapped.
• The surveyors will then stake out the location of the different underground utility conduits that run through the neighborhood and to every house.
• In a single house construction project, all existing utility services in that neighborhood have to be pinpointed and these connections to the proposed house will have to be carefully plotted.
• A soil test will be done to help determine the design and type of the foundation construction.

Site Preparation Approvals

• Most of this information has to be approved by the local building authority. The copies of the tests and surveys (generally signed & stamped by a licensed professional engineer), have to be attached to all the proposed construction drawings & submitted for approvals/permits from that authority.
• Once the approvals come in, the location of the foundation of the structure is staked; these become the guide for excavation.
• The batter boards and stakes are connected using nylon strings as an outline for the exact perimeter of the foundation that is to be built.
• The excavators and backhoes get to work, digging the ditches to extend the existing/new utility installations for natural gas, plumbing, electricity etc.
• The foundations will then be excavated using the different staked-out lines as guides. The plans also call for footings and dependent on the individual designs a full basement, crawl space, concrete slab, perimeter foundation walls as the base to support the main floor.