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Lesson of the Day (Step #1) - House Construction Made Easy - Site Prep & Grading

By
Home Inspector with Arena Home Inspections - #1 in USA !!!

 

Houses are generally built on a foundation that is either a crawl space, a basement , or a slab.

The site-preparation crew will utilize a backhoe and/or bulldozer.

The crew's job is to clear the site of any trees, rocks and debris, level the site if necessary and dig as necessary for the foundation being built.

Some dirt will be moved around to get to the desired grade level for the home - taking into consideration drainage around the home.

Hauling dirt is expensive.

The crew will try to balance the "cut and fill" - "cut" being the ground that's dug up and "fill" being the dirt that's added.

If they can use the dirt that has been dug up somewhere else on the property, such as for landscaping, they'll save the expense of hauling it away.

If the house is to be built over a crawl space, the site preparation crew digs a set of trenches and holes. Concrete is poured into these trenches and holes and will act as the interface between the foundation wall and the ground. Concrete is poured into these trenches and holes and will act as the interface between the foundation wall and the ground. Concrete takes approximately four weeks to cure to full strength (depending on the weather), so once the concrete is poured no additional construction will occur until after the curing phase.
 
If the house is to be be built on a basement, the site-prep crew will dig a square hole about 8 feet deep.

If the house is to be built on a slab, the site-prep crew will trench around the outside approximately 2 feet deep and then level the area for the pad.

 

 

Jeremy Joslin
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - South Windsor, CT
Professional Real Estate Marketing and Sales

I have a garage being built next week and a lot of the cost is associated to removal of the dirt.

Oct 08, 2011 12:38 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Basements are rare here in Florida because of the high water table I guess. Like anything else though, I guess the prep is key to a great product.

Oct 08, 2011 12:43 AM