No construction work can start without laying the foundation, and the most commonly used type of foundation is basements. So, even before the construction starts, excavating contractors should plan out the digging of the basements.
Now, how long does it take to excavate a basement?
The time required to excavate your basements can differ depending upon the size and depth of your basement. The more skilled your excavation team is, the less time and labor it will take to complete the work. It can take somewhat between 3 to 20 days, or even more.
Want to learn more about efficiently excavating a basement? This article will be your guide on the topic.
What is Excavation?
Before moving forward, let us discuss which works are included in the excavation process. Although excavation can be done for various purposes, in a construction process it basically means the clearing out of the space on which your construction will stand. It can be done by pitting, digging, developing the space, etc.
Excavating a basement, of course, requires the digging of the site to the necessary amount of depth. Then, the soil, rocks, and other unnecessary materials are carried out of the site with specialized tools and machines.
The Process of Excavating a Basement
Even though excavating is not among the actual process of construction, it is still a crucial step.
It is important to note that the size of the basement is not always equal to the size of the building. The design can either be made by making the basement smaller than the construction (an 800 sqft basement for a 1600 sqft house) or by making them of equal sizes.
Excavating a basement actually costs more than excavating other types of foundations. However, basements provide benefits like a smoother construction process and extra storage space, and this is why it is so popular among constructors.
You can follow this workflow to ensure a properly excavated basement-
- Before excavating begins, the contractors will check the surroundings so that the natural habitats, including the trees and animals around the site, stay safe throughout the process.
- Then, the depth and width of the required excavation will be decided. The contractors will draw the borders of the basement.
- Now the actual excavating begins. After reaching the necessary depth, the extra soil is cleaned.
- Finally, the site is inspected for further preparations.
How Fast Does an Excavator Dig?
For typical soils, trained operators can move about 40 cubic yards within an hour with a bucket capacity of 0.0m3 in regular digging circumstances. In other words, usual landscaping and digging projects may be completed in a few hours.
How to Choose an Excavation Team?
The excavation work becomes the least of your concerns when you hire a skilled and experienced team for your construction project. They should be well habituated with the tools and should also pay attention to even the smallest details.
Some tips for hiring the right excavation contractors are-
- Find out which companies are offering to do the excavating job in your locality and learn about their reputation.
- The existing constructing companies can have valuable resources in this case. So, if you have a friend or neighbor working on construction projects, hit them up to know about some reliable contractors.
- Remember, the safety of your project and the workers involved should be your first priority. So, you can personally interview some contractors to know about their level of expertise.
The Cost of Excavating Basements:
Excavating the basements is a quite costly task since it requires either a whole lot of manpower, specialized tools like excavators, or sometimes both of them. However, if the basement is perfectly excavated, the process of construction becomes much easier, and it even saves up money in the long run! Needless to say, the safety of your building also relies upon the foundation.
The cost depends upon the overall size of your basement, and generally it can range from 50,000 USD to 90,000 USD.
By now this article has answered most of the possible questions regarding the excavation of basements. Basements are indeed the most cost-efficient way of utilizing the available space, and they can also be used to expand the building without the hassle of special permits.
So, use the information you have gathered in this article, and get to work!