Foundation Excavation Services in Northern Alberta
Site excavation for foundation is a task that requires expertise, precision and knowledge. C.I.D. Trenching has all the necessary skills to help you with foundation excavation. Relying on a team of experienced professionals, we ensure that the services that we provide are of top quality. We leave no stone unturned in keeping our customers satisfied with our work. When you need an experienced contractor in Northern Alberta for foundation services, try C.I.D. Trenching. We will ensure that you get all the necessary support from our site for the successful completion of your project. We have over 12 years of experience in the industry and our customers trust us for the quality of work that we offer.
The Process
Foundation excavation is a complex process that requires the right set of people with the right machinery. The procedure involves:
-
Site clearance: This is the first step that involves clearing the site of any vegetation, trees or stumps. It is important to remove the roots of the trees to at least 30 cm below the foundation level. The crew is also instructed to fill up any pits or old foundations with soil before going ahead with the excavation process.
-
Setting out: The process of setting the layout of the foundation includes taking levels of the site at 5 to 10 m intervals depending on the terrain. Strings are stretched across wooden pegs driven at the ends to mark the centre lines of the walls. The centre lines of the perpendicular walls are marked by setting out the right angle with steel tapes or preferably with a theodolite. A permanent row of pillars is laid parallelly to set the layout of the walls. It is important to bed the pillars sufficiently deep so that they do not get disturbed during the excavation process. The centre lines of the walls shall be extended and marked on the plastered tops of the pillars. The tops of the pillars may be kept at the same level, preferably the plinth level. In rectangular or square settings, the diagonals shall be checked to ensure the accuracy of setting out.
-
Excavation: Different processes of excavation are followed depending on the terrain and the size of the building. For example, mechanical earth-cutting equipment is used if the building is large and deep excavation is required whereas pickaxes and crowbars are used for small buildings. Planking and strutting are two techniques that are widely used depending on the nature of the soil and the depth of the excavation. You can get in touch with our team to understand the process in detail.
-
Dewatering: If you are excavating a foundation below the subsoil, it is essential that you dewater the area of excavation in order to avoid any water logging issues. One way of keeping the excavation area dry is by lowering the water table. If you are excavating for a shallow foundation, the easiest way to keep the area dry is by creating drains along the edges. You can collect the water in the sumps and then drain it out by pumping. For dewatering large and deep foundations, wellpoint systems are installed along the periphery of the excavation. The system consists of wellpoints surrounded by sand gravel filter and riser pipes of 5 to 7.5 cm diameter. The riser pipes are connected to a header pipe which is attached to a high-capacity suction pump. The groundwater is drawn out by the pumping action and is discharged away from the site of excavation.
-
Concreting: After the excavation is done, it is essential to concrete the foundation. Different types of mixes are used for the masonry walls, for example, a mix of cement: sand: coarse aggregate in the ratio 1:4:8 or 1:5:10 to lime concrete. It is preferred to use a mechanical mixture for the mixing of concrete. After the concreting process is done, the curing begins. It is done after 24 hours and needs to be done continuously for 10 days.
At C.I.D. Trenching, we ensure that each step of the process is followed with utmost precision. We have trained our crew to pay attention to every detail so that the foundation of your building is strong and long-lasting. For more information, please feel free to connect with us over a call or by mail.
