Site Preparation and Excavation in Burnley

Clearing the working area

Before anything is dug, the area needs to be usable: overgrowth cut back, materials moved, old structures taken down where agreed and a route in established.

It is worth agreeing at this point what stays, what goes and where materials can be stacked.

Removing turf, soil, paving and old material

Turf and topsoil come off, along with paving, decking, gravel or broken concrete where present. Roots and soft spots are dealt with rather than buried under the new build-up.

• —Turf and topsoil
• —Gravel and hardcore
• —Paving and flags
• —Old concrete and bases
• —Decking and timber
• —Rubble and buried debris

Excavating to level

Depth is worked back from the finished level of whatever is going in — a slab, footing or hard surface — plus the build-up beneath it. Levels are taken against the house, boundaries and existing surfaces.

On sloping ground the dig is deeper at one end, which changes the spoil volume noticeably. That is why levels get checked before quoting rather than after.

Access and moving spoil

Access is the practical reality of most local jobs: narrow paths between terraces, gates, steps and shared alleys. Spoil often has to travel by barrow to a skip or grab-loading point on the street.

Machine access may be considered depending on the site and project. Where a machine cannot get in, the work is done by hand and priced accordingly.

Preparing the formation

Once at level, the formation is trimmed and checked. Any soft areas are dug out further and made good so the sub-base is not sitting on something that will move.

Sub-base and compaction

Crushed stone is laid in layers and compacted. Doing it in layers matters — a thick single layer of loose stone cannot be compacted properly all the way through.

The result is a firm, level formation ready for shuttering and concrete.

Ready for shuttering and concrete

Where the job continues into concrete work, shuttering is set to line and level straight onto the prepared formation, and reinforcement is placed where required. Because both stages are handled together, the levels and depths tie up.

Cost factors

• —Area to be cleared and excavated
• —Depth and slope
• —Spoil volume and disposal
• —Old surfaces to break out
• —Access width and barrow distance
• —Hand dig versus machine work
• —Ground obstructions
• —Sub-base thickness