What Should You Check Before Hiring Excavation Contractors In Vancouver?
The experience of excavation contractors you hire plays an important role in the successful completion of your project in Vancouver. Make sure your excavation contractors have relevant experience, insurance, processes for safety, and the right permits, equipment, and plans to remove the excavated soil, and provide you with written estimates.
Excavation is normally the first major activity on a construction site. The quality of excavation work impacts everything that follows on the site.
Hiring the right excavation contractor means understanding how the contractor is going to manage excavation safety, removal of soil and other material, underground utilities, and equipment access and safety.
In addition to those challenges on a construction site, a typical construction site in Vancouver presents unique challenges with limited site access, proximity to other structures, and underground utilities. These, along with excavated soil, add to the storage problem on the site.
Choosing the right excavation contractor means understanding how the contractor is going to manage soil and other materials, underground utilities and equipment safety. As part of the comparison of different excavation contractors in Vancouver, asking the right questions before signing contracts can help avoid surprises and additional costs.
S.P. Earth Movers has the expertise for the removal of soil and other materials from the work site. We provide material disposal and hauling services for our clients in the Vancouver area and throughout the Lower Mainland. Soil removal is part of excavation work. Understanding this can help contractors maintain an organized work site.
Difficulty and type of planning required is project specific.
The larger projects would include; preparing a site for residential or commercial construction; creation of drainage systems; underground utility or system installations (phone and/or cable systems); retaining wall construction; landscape grading; driveway construction; removal of unsuitable soil, etc.
Ask contractors to provide information on similar projects they have done.
Preparing a site for construction near an existing structure would have different precautions from preparing a site for construction in an open area.
What challenges, if any, would the contractor encounter with equipment and working conditions for your project?
Excavations pose risks to the public and adjacent structures.
Soils may collapse creating a dangerous situation. There may be other utilities in the ground that are at risk. What safety precautions, if any, will the contractor take to protect members of the public? What safety precautions will the contractor take for workers? Have they looked at their safety precautions that the law requires? The contractor should prepare for the safety of excavation and the safe access of equipment for the job. Would the contractor inform the property owner of safety precautions to be taken if equipment needs to be worked near public services?
What safety precautions will the contractor take to ensure that equipment is not inadvertently taken into contact with an existing service?
There are specific excavation permits required for certain kinds of excavation work such as removing topsoil. These permits may vary by jurisdiction. Construction work located near excavation may require different permits.
Certain work that effects public property, may require permits and approvals.
Find out which Excavation Contractors will get the required permits.
Property owners can find municipal information at the City of Vancouver website.
There are many reasons that may affect the time it takes to excavate and the quantity of soil or other material that may need to be removed.
Contractors will need to address how they would account for additional work caused by unforeseen conditions and how they would price that work.
What happens if Contaminated Soil is Discovered?
We cannot assume all excavated material is clean.
Based on the history of the property and what is discovered during excavation, additional assessment and/or testing may be required.
There is potential that soil may be contaminated and special consideration may be required for its transportation and disposal.
It is recommended that potential responsibility for contaminated materials be established prior to excavation.
Is the Equipment Suitable for the Property?
Using the right size equipment may be the most important consideration.
Equipment selection may also be based on the distance the material needs to be moved, the type of material being removed, the available work space, property access, and the need to work over sensitive areas.
A large construction site can typically support more and larger equipment. The site may also be configured to efficiently use hauling trucks.
A smaller site may have challenges including:
- Narrow driveways
- Retaining walls
- Other site limitations
- Overhead power lines
- Trees and Landscaping
- Poor access to turn the equipment around
- Neighboring properties
Ask the contractor how the equipment will be brought to the site and how he/she/they will work within the constraints of the site to use the equipment safely.
Who Is Responsible For Removing Excavated Soil?
One question that property owners may not think to ask is what happens to the soil that is excavated?
Excavation and dirt hauling are typically separate services.
Some contractors will subcontract the excavation work and focus on hauling the dirt to the landfill.
Make sure the quote includes the following when evaluating an excavation quote:
- Excavation and loading of material
- Transportation with a dump truck
- Disposal of the soil
- Additional truck loads
- Unsuitable material
- Wait time
- Clean up of site
Of course, if the costs of hauling and disposing dirt and soil are not included in the estimate, the final cost of the project may be surprising.
SP Earth Movers is located in Vancouver and provides hauling and soil disposal services.
Hiring SP Earth Movers prior to excavation allows for timely removal of soils from the project site and avoids soil accumulation on the site.
Excavation produces a large volume of soil in a short period of time.
If soil hauling is not available, the soil will begin to accumulate and create a barrier for equipment movement.
Depending on the size of the construction site, there may not be space for soil storage.
Trucks will have to wait to load if the material is not ready.
Hauling can be scheduled to reduce the barrier and other delays.
Distance, the capacity of the vehicle, and the time it takes to load the vehicle are some of the factors that determine transportation planning.
If many truckloads are required for a project, the hauling service and the contractor must decide how often trucks need to be dispatched.
Depending on the project site conditions and the quantity of soil to be removed, SP Earth Movers can create a site hauling plan to meet the needs of the project.
When evaluating an excavation estimate, what should the property owners consider?
It's easier to compare contractors with this information. Understand what is and what is not included. A complete excavation estimate should describe the scope of work. Ask if it includes:
- Equipment and Operator costs?
- Site Preparation?
- Excavation and Grading?
- Loading and Hauling?
- Removal of the Excavated Material?
- Site Clean-up and Restoration?
- Other Equipment?
If services are not included, ask how those services will be provided. The lowest bid may not be the best value if a key service is left out.
It's important to discuss how unforeseen conditions will be managed. An excavation contractor may recommend requirements to mitigate risk and reduce the need for change orders.
Be prepared for delays due to bad weather, soil conditions, equipment availability, hauling constraints, and other issues that may slow the excavation process. Soil may need to be removed from a large excavation to allow work to continue.
You should check if the contractor has completed the work as specified in the contract, and communicate changes. Also, check if the contractor worked well with others.
Ask Questions before Signing the Contract
- Do you have any experience doing excavation work in Vancouver?
- What type of equipment will you use?
- Who will get the permits and utility locates?
- What plans are there to protect existing structures?
- What plans are there to protect underground services?
- What happen if unexpected soil conditions are encountered?
- Is hauling dirt a part of your estimate?
- Where will excavated soil be disposed?
- How will additional work be authorized?
- What is the expected time to complete the work?
- What are the end of the job clean up activities?
Answers to these questions will help the Property Owner to understand the Contractor's responsibilities for the work to be done prior to excavation.
Why is it important to plan for dirt removal and hauling as part of excavation work?
Excavation is the removal of dirt from the ground and hauling away the dirt is not part of excavation work. Soil that has been excavated has to be properly handled. For example, if the soil is not appropriate to be reused, then it has to be taken to a receiving facility. Poor integration of excavation and hauling services can result in added costs and time delays to the project.
A Contractor is sometimes ready to excavate, but unwanted soil may be in the work area, and in that case hauling may need to be part of the work to be done prior to excavation in order to continue work.
SP Earth Movers is located in Vancouver and is able to provide hauling and dirt removal services for excavation projects. Early planning for hauling may be helpful for keeping the project site organized for projects requiring numerous hauling trips.
Consider site access before scheduling trucks.
Dump trucks require space for loading and departure.
Consider the location of the loading area and any restrictions that affect access, prior to arranging hauling.
This is commonly an issue because of the tight access and restrictions with Vancouver residential driveways.
When evaluating the access conditions, the best hauling method can be determined.
When hiring an excavation contractor there are a number of things to consider.
These include the contractor's experience, the cost and permitting process, locating under-ground utilities, soil and site conditions, equipment selection, and finally the contractor's commitment to safety. A written estimate outlining the work to be performed, and costs is very important.
When evaluating excavation contractors in Vancouver, it is important to understand how the excavated material is going to be removed from the site. If the material is being removed at the time of the excavation, there will be less chance for a build up and delays.
SP Earth Movers is a reputable earth moving company based in Vancouver that specializes in hauling dirt and filling. They service the greater Vancouver area including the North Shore for residential, commercial and construction projects. If you need material moved from your site, S. P. Earth Movers can assess the site and arrange for the dirt hauling.