Excavation and Stone Footings for Basement and Crane Pad Construction

Basement Excavation and Preparation

• excavating the final corner of the basement, removing approximately four to five loads of dirt.
• 🎯 Digging a perimeter trench about 6 feet out from the house, 3 to 4 inches deep, to accommodate 8 inches of stone for prefab concrete walls.
• 💡 The center area will have 4 inches of stone for the concrete garage foundation.
• ⛏️ The basement excavation is complete, with the focus shifting to preparing the site for concrete walls and footings.

Crane Pad Construction

• 🏗️ Building a 40x40 foot crane pad using ABC stone to provide a stable working area for heavy equipment.
• 🚧 The initial road surface for the pad was soft due to clay and inadequate packing, requiring improvement.
• 🚚 The last load of stone for the crane pad has been delivered, marking the completion of this phase.

Stone and Gravel Placement

• 🪨 Robert is bringing in loads of rock to spread and compact for the foundation.
• 💧 A foundation drain pipe is installed before the gravel placement begins.
• 💯 100 tons of pea gravel are being laid in the bottom of the foundation area to reach the required 8-inch depth.
• 🚚 Multiple loads of gravel are being delivered and spread to cover the foundation drain pipe and achieve the correct grade.

Site Cleanup and Future Plans

• 🧹 The excavator is being cleaned up and prepared for removal, with the basement excavation and crane pad completed.
• 🌧️ Anticipating rain, efforts are made to stockpile dirt and protect it from moisture.
• ⏳ The excavator operator plans to return in three to four weeks to backfill the dirt around the walls once they are in place.
• 📏 The final depth of the excavation reached 6 feet in the ground, slightly deeper than initially anticipated.