The Importance of Groundworks on a Building Project

Why is groundwork important in any building project? What is involved in groundwork?

When it comes to construction, the health of your groundwork is crucial before deciding to build something on that site. The groundwork refers to the testing of the ground of the land the building or home is to be constructed. In the building industry, groundwork is vital to the overall process and it’s the onset of any project. The ground serves as a foundation, and it is where the weight of the building is going to rely.

Upon commencement of the construction, the groundwork will involve excavation jobs for the foundation and layout of the set of activities involved in cabling, piping, and drain. Today, most utilities where people consume in every day, such as gas, water, electricity, communications, and other essentials like TV cables and Internet are usually laid down the ground along with the foundation.

The importance of groundwork covers other aspects of building. Primarily, the foundation sets the structure or layout of the building and determines if it is conducive for its weight, as there are certain limitations in this undertaking.

Major Aspects of Groundwork

1. Foundation. Laying the foundation is a major consideration during the groundwork process. Why do you take heed of the integrity of your foundation? Firstly, it supports the load of your building. Secondly, it should be designed to withstand earthquakes, strong winds, and flooding. Lastly, the foundation should be strong enough to prevent moisture intrusion, if not, to limit moisture that will cause future damage on walls and the ground. Only professional builders can build a sound foundation. They make an accurate evaluation of the ground, measuring the earth’s capacity to withstand building weight and strain limitation.
2. Landscaping. Your outdoor space is one of the essential places to adorn your house with when it is already built. By the time of groundwork, owners often don’t realise the importance of landscaping just because they have not seen the result yet. In this phase, you will be actually paying from things you’re not seeing, such as preparing the ground (inspect if the soil is sustainable and healthy) and planning the irrigation or setting the perfect spot where the sun shines or not in case you want to build a garden, and surround your home with plants that provide beauty and sustainable surrounding. Making your lawn landscape ready will give you heads up on exciting add ons when your home is complete. Perhaps, you want to add exterior mood lighting or pave your driveway with a stunning look from the outside. Prepping the landscape as early as possible will prevent you from costly redos.

There are other aspects of groundworks that should be handled by your building engineer. They will tell you this information and the requirements that go along with them as a homeowner, such as ground investigation, clearance, terrain, permits, etc.

Your hired building contractor is expected to do the evaluation and planning of the groundwork. Everything should be laid out based on the expected output of the project before the construction starts.

Groundwork is also required in the following procedures:

• Excavation
• Drainage system
• Driveway
• Establishment of flooring (beam or block)
• Footing (sloped, trapezoidal, stepped, or blocked style).

Different footing style requires a different amount of concrete. Nevertheless, the excavated ground should be checked for its dimensional accuracy before laying the foundation. Concrete is best for compaction of the footing.

There are other things involved in preparing the groundwork, and these should not be taken for granted. Your chosen builder will help you look into those and will explain further how these jobs are done if you need to be well informed when planning to build a home.

Choose your builder

The builder you choose for your construction project will also have an impact on the overall result of the work. Look for experienced and licensed contractors only. Plymouth Builders have certified tradespeople who have handled projects that involve all aspects of building. In principle, groundwork should be looked into deeply as this will determine the integrity of the finished construction and protect your property from future damage and useless spending on costly revision.

Our company is one of the reputable building contractors in Plymouth, and we represent Hicks Construction, who are as passionate about our philosophies.

Our customers can vet for our proven craftsmanship and professionalism in every contract we sign on. Call us now to know more about groundworks and how our staff can help in your future endeavors.