Swimming Pool Excavation

Lassiter Excavating has been digging swimming pools for pool companies in the Bay area for the past 35 years. However, our pool digger roots go back much further. Our family has been digging pools for over 60 years and has dug over 30,000 swimming pool foundations in the Bay Area, from the Anthony numbered pools to the Infinity edge pool. We have seen swimming pool designs and types come and go. What hasn’t changed is the importance that swimming pool excavation plays in the overall pool project. Any excavator can dig a hole, but digging a swimming pool correctly requires knowledge of and experience with how a swimming pool is built and how the excavation affects other contractors. Good pool excavation sets a positive tone for the entire pool project. That is why Lassiter Excavation is the choice of many of the Bay Area’s most prestigious residential and commercial swimming pool builders.

The Untold Story of Residential Excavation
Part 1
The Driveway

There is Excavation and then there is Residential Excavation. The two differ greatly. One is about moving soil the other is about preserving property first, then moving soil.

Excavation is Excavation, the difference is the environment you must work in. It’s easy to go out in a field and start digging a hole. What makes residential excavation different and difficult is there are many obstacles that can’t be moved and must be worked around.

The task of the residential Excavator is two-fold. Getting the work done, and doing it without damaging anything. From the owner’s perspective, they are hiring a contractor to solve a problem, not create one. Thus, the excavating contractor must have systems that will allow them to do the work while preserving the owner’s investment.

One of the primary hurtles in residential excavation is driveways. The Excavator must get their equipment to and from the work site. If the work is in a backyard, it may require going over a driveway. There are few different types of driveways, asphalt, concrete, and pavers. These driveway materials are suited for automobile traffic and not excavation equipment. Even the smallest skid steers can be three times heavier than a car and can significantly impact a driveway.

Driveways can be protected in several ways. The best way is with steel plates. These plates can be anywhere from 1500 to 2500 lbs. apiece, and once put down, they generally don’t move. They distribute heavy loads over a large area making the weight per ft. on your driveway less than your automobile. Plywood is also used for this purpose, but, not with the same assurance of outcome as steel plates. Even Thick plywood, 1 1/8 thick has less weight distribution characteristics than steel plates. However, it’s cheaper to use and better than nothing.

Covering the driveway has a two-fold mission. The first to prevent breakage the second is to prevent scratching. No matter how well the concrete may hold up under load bearing (Its strength) it’s all vulnerable to scratching. Most residential work today is done with Skid Steer Equipment The name alone tells you don’t want it working directly on your driveway.

The bottom line is, if you are having excavation work done at your residence and your driveway must be used, ask how it will be protected.