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Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Handling Their Own Excavation

11 January 2016

Veronica Leon

Handling your own excavation when you want to erect a new outbuilding on your property or install new plumbing pipes can save you money over the cost of hiring a professional earthmoving company, but this isn't always the best choice. This is because homeowners often don't realize what's involved with excavation and may make some very common mistakes that wind up being costly to repair and even dangerous to them while they're working. Note a few of the most common mistakes homeowners make when handling their own excavation so you can avoid them yourself or decide if calling a professional may be the better choice.

1. Digging straight down

When you want to dig a pit for a new pool or other such installation, you may assume that you should just dig straight down. However, doing so doesn't give the ground around the edge of the pit any support and it can very easily collapse. Professional earthmovers know to dig in a slope or gradual angle when digging a pit. Once they've reached their target point and have created the hole they want, they can then fill in the surrounding areas of the slope. This is safer even if it means more work.

2. Forgetting how soil changes as you dig

The topsoil of your property may be of a certain consistency, but this doesn't mean all the soil underneath it will be of the same composition. You might hit rock and need to switch to different machinery in order to break it up, or may find that the soil is very moist and more likely to sink or collapse underneath you. Moist soil may also simply fill in your intended pit or trench with water or mud so that it needs to be actually vacuumed out, not just dug up. A professional earthmover will usually take soil samples as deep as the area to be dug so they know what to expect and can have the proper tools on hand.

3. Forgetting what to do with the dirt

If you're digging for a pool or foundation for a new garage and won't be filling a hole or trench back in, what will you do with the dirt? You can't just put it in garbage bags and toss it out with your standard garbage. A professional earthmoving company will usually resell topsoil or fill dirt or have other means to dispose of it, so if you handle your own excavation, be sure you've made arrangements for the dirt you'll dig up as well.

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