Effective Excavation Methods Used by Contractors

New construction projects, soil removal, and even archeology projects often require excavation, and depending on your specific needs, there are a few methods to choose from for your project, including building or home construction, roads, bridge repair, and digging basement. Hiring an experienced excavation contractor is suggested for completing these projects to ensure they are completed safely and correctly for reliable future use.

 

Horizontal Excavation

The opening of a large horizontal area, often used when the stratigraphic record needs to be preserved. This method is used on shallow sites, such as for buildings without basements, and sometimes is combined with vertical excavation if needed to prevent soil collapse.

 

Vertical Excavation

The most common method used in construction, vertical excavation is useful in large urban areas where many layers need to be exposed in a small area. Large buildings also require this method especially dams and skyscrapers to ensure enough support stability. This is also useful for archaeology purposes.

 

Topsoil Excavation

This type of excavation is often completed over a large area and removes the top layer of soil and vegetation. This is done because the top layer is compressible and cannot support buildings properly. It is often confused with stripping excavation. Depths often range from 150-300 mm.

 

Cofferdams

Cofferdams are an enclosed space built for deep digging projects and are used for waterlogged sites. This is common for working below the water table, especially when building bridges and repairing ships.

 

Trench Excavation

Trenches are dug to where the length is much longer than the depth. Full depth-full length trenches are used for pipes and sewers. Stage depth with successive stages are used for confined areas and deep foundations. A full depth-successive stage trench is useful in areas that require extra deep digging and where sediment can easily collapse.

 

There are other types of excavation to consider, but these are some of the main strategies used by contractors. Have your project done right the first time and look for an experienced local contractor to get your job completed on-budget and on-time.