Quality Control - Site Excavation

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Quality Control Checklist for Site Excavation



 



1. Review your job survey information, monuments, and property corner stakes.

Check to see if your property corners are set by your survey crew. Identify where your survey crew established a Benchmark with an identifying elevation.

                 

Your survey crew may need to bring in an elevation mark from an offsite benchmark. They then can set a benchmark stake in a power pole or tree. 







All your excavation elevations will then be determined from the benchmark. 

Existing Underground and Overhead Utilities

2. Verify the existing utility lines are located, staked, and protected, and observe conditions of the uncovered lines. 

3. Verify that the utility companies have been notified. 

4. Verify that all underground lines have been identified. Have you called Miss Utility or 811 in Texas? Contact them at least 48 hours before you begin any excavation. Have them stake all the underground utility lines. 


Understand the different colors of the markings and what they indicate. 
 
Site Stripping

5. Verify the stripping of the site, preservation, depth of the removal of the topsoil, and location of the stockpile are performed and established. 

The top section of your excavation may have topsoil that you can use around your buildings after your construction. 




On your site plan, determine an area for your excavator to deposit this topsoil. You are required to protect the topsoil area from eroding to adjacent properties. Cover the topsoil with a tarp or contain the area with a silt fence. 




Site Drainage

6. Verify drainage is provided continuously as excavation progresses. Ensure that drainage ditches are maintained, and ponding does not occur.  
Until your excavation and your building foundation pad is built you want to maintain drainage away from the site. 

Geotechnical Engineering

7. Has the Geotechnical Engineer identified and qualified the fill material?

8. Verify the source and type of the imported materials are approved. Verify samples are tested and approved. 

9. Is the proper backfill material being tested?

Verify that your Geotechnical laboratory has performed a Proctor test on your select structural fill for your building pad.

They will have to collect a sample of the soil you intend to use as structural backfill to run these tests. 

10. Is the backfill being placed in lifts?
11. Verify testing inspection, and compaction are performed during the excavation and filling.

Notify your geotechnical laboratory when the backfilling operation is to start. Ensure that the building pad is placed in lifts and that each lift is tested for the required density compaction. 










Example of density compaction of a custom house with the Geotechnical Laboratory's test results. 

Erosion Control & SWPPP

Ensure that your project site has a Stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) in place and is being implemented.

 The plan will address the soil erosion and containment on your site. At a minimum, you should expect.

1. Silt Fence 

    A silt fence will be constructed on the perimeter of your lot or property to collect any soil runoff. If you have a sloped lot, then the silt fence would be at the low end of the property. 

2. Construction Entrance

 Your plan should include constructing a temporary gravel entrance or a fabricated mat. This helps prevent soil from the site being deposited on the streets. 



3. Concrete wash-out areas. 

During the concrete portion of the project, your plan should show an area where the concrete trucks can wash out their trucks. You could also use this area for your masons to wash out. 



I wish you success on your project.


Shettig Construction Management provides Professional Construction Management services from the inception of your project through completion. www.shettig.com

mshettig@gmail.com




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