Excavating and Drilling in Wet Weather

The Northern California rainy season has begun, and with it come special challenges for construction project crews.

The most common wet weather dangers are “slips, trips and falls.” These dangers are particularly prevalent when working in elevated positions such as when using scaffolding, hand holds, stairs and ladders. Even after the rain stops, conditions remain muddy underfoot for days.

Strong winds create their own hazardous conditions, scattering unsecured materials and putting pressure on scaffolding. Wet and windy weather can also make driving and operating excavation machinery more dangerous due to slick conditions and reduced visibility. Continue reading “Excavating and Drilling in Wet Weather”

How to Winterize Your Home Foundation

With our winter season arriving, as a homeowner you should take some steps to winterize your foundation against the colder, wetter weather. This is not something you should overlook, as the foundation of your home is literally the base for the entire structure which rests upon it, supporting everything inside your home. Here are some tips that will help prepare your home’s foundation for winter. Continue reading “How to Winterize Your Home Foundation”

Seven Reasons Why Homeowners Remove Pools from their Property

While the idea of having a pool on your property is attractive, people who already have them often decide to have them removed, especially once children grow up and leave home.

Seven reasons swimming pool owners “pull it out”

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Construction Site Excavation Safety Steps

Excavation and trenching are naturally hazardous construction operations, and contractors need to take all the appropriate steps to ensure worker safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an excavation as “any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal.” A trench, in particular, is defined as “a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet (4.5 meters).”

When we approach any excavation, drilling or demolition job we keep safety first, starting with the planning for the job. It is not just the possibility of the sides of an excavated plot or trench collapsing. Safety planning also must accommodate the interaction of our people and the machines they need to employ to carry out the job, and the terrain on which those machines must operate. Continue reading “Construction Site Excavation Safety Steps”

Piles and Footers: Types of Foundations

Foundations vary in structure relative to the depth to which the foundation must be established in the ground. Small structures might only require a shallow foundation, which involves excavating between three and eight feet into the ground, before pouring a concrete footing.

Commercial Building Foundations

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Helical Anchor Installation Relies Upon Accurate Torque Measurements

Helical anchors enjoy widespread use today to help stabilize and secure above-ground structures, especially when that structure is built on ground that may be or has become unstable. The anchors themselves are steel shafts with helical coils or plates welded on at an angle. The shafts are screwed into the soil beneath the foundation to a depth that enables the coil to support the load. When foundation drilling calls for helical anchors, the depth of the anchor is drilled into the ground is determined by precisely measuring the torque it takes to turn the anchor. Generally, the higher the torque value the more stable the soil. This gives soil and structural engineers an accurate indication of the load-bearing capacity of the helical anchors. Continue reading “Helical Anchor Installation Relies Upon Accurate Torque Measurements”

Common Residential Home Foundations

Homeowners don’t often think about the foundations of their home, but those foundations are critical components of any home, as they bear the entire load of the structure above. Foundations also have another critical function, in that they must prevent groundwater and soil vapors from penetrating into the home’s interior. When you’re trying to decide what kind of foundation your new home should have, there are four choices available to you, and each has advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing a Home Foundation

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Helical Anchors a Great Choice for Solar Array Foundations

One of the typical methods for anchoring ground-mounted solar arrays has been to use a slab of concrete for the foundation. Helical piles are gaining popularity among designers and contractors, though, to provide solar array owners with a more stable installation. Helical piles provide some distinct advantages, so it is worth considering the use of helical piles as anchors for these solar arrays.

Benefits of Helical Piles

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Excavation Contractor – What Does the Business Involve?

What seems like a straightforward business, drilling and excavating, actually has a lot of parts to it that all have to work together. Here are some of the key aspects of running a business like ours.

The Work of an Excavating and Drilling Contractor

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Pier Drilling Can Shore up a Sagging Foundation

All building foundations will settle with time, but problems arise when this settlement is uneven or extreme. Sometimes requiring pier drilling or helicals.

Are you wondering if you have foundation issues with any property that you own? All building foundations will settle with time, but problems arise when this settlement is uneven or extreme. Continue reading “Pier Drilling Can Shore up a Sagging Foundation”