Commercial excavation is the earthwork for the non-residential projects like condominiums, malls and industrial constructions. Commercial excavation has the same objective as that of residential and that is to prepare a site for an upcoming construction. It includes getting rid of debris like rocks and trees, digging for the underground utilities and spaces and compacting and redistributing soil for stability and grading.
What Makes Commercial Excavation Different?
Unlike residential projects, commercial and industrial buildings are often bigger, made of concrete and steel that makes them much heavier compared to average homes with lumber frames. Aside from that, instead of basements of 8 feet, non-residential buildings often have multiple underground levels or underground parking lots.
It means that commercial excavators need to drill and dig deeper piles to ensure stability. When the excavation is deeper, the more expensive and dangerous it becomes. As far as hazards are concerned, there are also times when repurposing commercial properties like old gas stations requires safe disposal and removal of contaminated soil as well as underground fuel tanks in this specific example.
In addition, the pressure and weight of commercial structures that are in close proximity should be considered to guarantee the safety of the site. Commercial excavation is generally more complex due to the various components of the project and the machineries, contractors and personnel involved.
Site Grading and Preparation
Site grading refers to the technique that excavation professionals like Utah Excavation use to even out the construction site. If there is a slope in the site, it can lead to an unstable foundation of your structure.
Our team offers this service to guarantee accuracy. We use heavy machinery like excavator and bulldozer to have the surface prepared for leveling. The land should be completely solid and dry for proper grading. This means that in general, a minimum of three days should pass with no rain.
Site preparation will then follow. This involves clearing the land of weeds, plants, brushes, rocks and others. Tree removal is not something that you can take lightly because they must be totally removed with the root systems included. Having roots left behind can result to serious shifting concerns in the future.
Mass Earthmoving and Excavation
Earthmoving and excavation will follow after site grading preparation. This is the process where rock or soil is removed to form a trench. The right amount of soil is going to be removed to a certain depth to ensure a solid and secure foundation. This is also the step where the stability of the soil will be tested. If your commercial project is located in a place that gets lots of rain, our team will also create trench drains underground that will divert away the water from areas with high risks of erosion.
Topsoil Stripping and Stockpiling
Topsoil is a valuable and finite resource because of its fertility. Before we start working on the construction site of your commercial project, the topsoil is stripped from all the areas that are going to be driven over by equipment and vehicles or disturbed by the different construction activities. Subsoil is not as fertile as the topsoil but due to the crucial role it plays in transmission and storage of water, we make it a point that we minimize damages during topsoil stripping.
To allow the soil to be used on the site again at a much later stage, it will then be stored in the temporary stockpiles to reduce loss of function or damage. We will consider important factors during topsoil stockpiling such as risk of flooding and soil erosion.
Our team at Utah Excavation is composed of machine operators, truck drivers and topsoil specialists who are ready remove, strip and stockpile topsoil from all sizes of commercial projects in an organized and efficient manner.
Topsoil Placement
After the site work has been completed or an area is no longer being disturbed, the topsoil will be applied and placed again. Our team will make sure that compacting will be avoided when laying down the soil to ensure proper placement.
Finish and Fine Grading
Finish and fine grading are intricate processes that involve more than just moving the dirt around. Utah Excavation will handle them professionally to ensure quality results. This is the step where the granular base or aggregate stone is leveled or provided a particular slope that will stop water from standing and promote natural drainage.
This is essentially meant to follow the last contours of finished grade. We perform this work with the use of heavy machinery such as excavator or bulldozer to rough grade the area to within an inch of finished grade. A grader will then be used for completion of the finished grading. A vibratory roller is used to compact the base to achieve the right density.
STREET AND SUB-EXCAVATION SERVICES
Utah Excavation also offers street and sub-excavation services with the use of an efficient approach that guarantees stellar results.
Fill Material Import and Export
The specific type of fill material that will be used for the project will help ensure that it will remain standing for the many years to come. Utah Excavation offers different types of fill materials for important and export to help you choose and find the most appropriate one for your construction projects. Some of the most common types of fill materials you can find today include rock, coarse-grained soil, fine-grained soil and commercial byproducts.
Soil Stabilization
Soil stabilization refers to the alteration of the soil to improve its physical properties. Soil stabilization increases the soil’s shear strength tor controls the soil’s shrink-swell properties that improves the load bearing capacity of the sub-grade to support foundations and pavements.
Soil stabilization comes in handy not only for street and sub-excavation as it can also be used for site development projects, parking areas, airports as well as other situations in which sub-soils are unsuitable for construction. Stabilization is also used for the treatment of a variety of sub-grade materials that range from granular materials to expansive clays. Dust control, strength improvement and waterproofing are the top advantages of soil stabilization.
Street and Roadway Preparation
Prior to the placement of pavement on streets and roadways, the surface that will be paved should be prepared first. Sufficient street and roadway surface preparation is important to ensure the long term performance of the pavement.
Streets and roadways constructed with insufficient surface preparation might not meet the specifications for smoothness, might fail to bond to existing pavement as is the case of overlays or might fail due to insufficient sub-grade support.
There are two forms of surface preparation. First is preparation of the granular base course and sub-grade for the new pavement and second is preparation of the existing pavement surface for the overlay.
Specific actions for both methods are dependent on the pavement purpose and type, sub-grade conditions, specifications, local experience and environmental conditions.
Aggregate Base Course Import and Placement
Aggregate base course or often called ABC has some notable desirable properties. The pavements’ base course pertains to sub-layer material of asphalt roadway and is put directly over the sub-grade or undisturbed soil to create a foundation that will support the pavement’s top layers. This is often made of a recipe of various aggregate rock sizes inclusive of fine dust to 1 inch. Aggregate is made from concrete, recycled asphalt or quarried rock.
Aggregate base is being used as base course under structural foundations and concrete slabs, under asphalt pavement roadways as well as backfill material for the underground pipelines as well as other underground utilities in a roadway.
Our aggregate base course import and placement services are guaranteed to provide you your exact needs.
On and Off-Site Trucking
Utah Excavation maintains a full-time and first-rate fleet for on and off-site trucking large enough to cater to peak-need periods. This only means that no matter what your needs are during street and sub-excavation projects to serve all of your trucking needs. We make sure that our drivers and equipment follow all the regulations and adhere to the highest standards of the industry. Our on and off-site trucking is insured and licensed to give you the peace of mind you need.
UNDERGROUND UTILITY EXCAVATION FOR INSTALLATION
Water Lines
A break in a water line can mean damage to the structure, damage to belongings, flooding and so much more. Here at Utah Excavation, we know all too well the importance of your commercial projects so you can count on us to help with the installation of new water lines to replace burst or damaged pipes.
Out of all the different problems that you might encounter as a commercial property owner, a water line break is probably among the most devastating ones. Aside from the possible flooding that can happen, severe damages to the foundation are also the last thing you would want to deal with.
Utah Excavation specializes in excavation for easy and simplified installations of water lines in commercial properties.
Sanitary Lines
You might not see them but your sanitary lines play a crucial role in the overall plumbing system of your commercial property. Everything that flushes down the toilets or flows down the sink drains travel through the huge pipes of sanitary lines to a treatment plant or disposal area. If anything ever goes wrong with these sanitary lines, you know that it means serious trouble.
At Utah Excavation, we provide expert excavation services for the installation of sanitary lines to replace damaged ones and save you from the headache of having to deal with a messy and dirty problem.
Storm Lines
Storm lines are the special systems that are made for the main purpose of carrying melting snow or rainwater. These are usually found and built into basement floors, alleys or roadside curbs. Storm lines usually carry melted snow and rainwater through the underground systems that will lead to the nearby creeks, rivers, or ocean.
Due to the important role they play, it is important that storm lines are installed in the most professional manner. Utah Excavation has the expertise when it comes to providing excavation services that are suitable for storm lines.
Underdrains
Underdrains are the specialized drainage systems that remove standing water such as irrigation water and storm water runoff to prevent waterlogging of the soil. These are essential for safety as they prevent sinkholes and erosion.
Underdrains are also beneficial to maintain healthy conditions of the soil and eliminate hazards such as breeding spots for mosquitoes as well as other insects. The underdrain systems are often connected either to a treatment plant, runoff management system or wastepipe that releases the water to the waterway.
To ensure the efficiency of underdrains, it is important that only the experts who know what they are doing will handle the excavation process. This is exactly what you can expect from Utah Excavation.
Pump Stations
Pumping stations are the facilities that include equipment and pumps to pump fluids from one area to another. These are used for various infrastructure systems as well as the removal of the sewage from the processing sites.
At Utah Excavation, our extensive experience and expertise includes excavation services for installation of different pumping stations. We have tackled different projects such as pumping stations that handle stormwater, surface water and sewage, drainage of low-lying land and water supply to rivers and canals. Our commercial clients have been more than satisfied with our services and we continue to deliver only the best results possible.
Infrastructure
Excavation is not as simple or easy as just digging holes here and there in the ground, particularly when infrastructure is concerned. It takes careful thought and planning to carry out this kind of job to ensure that disasters and risks will be avoided at all costs. Understanding the issues of the work site before the foundation of a particular project is laid down is critical for the longevity of the structure and success of the job.
At Utah Excavation, no commercial excavation project is too small or too big for us. Let us walk you through the process so you can understand more about our services.