When you are about to carry out any kind of construction work, you need to make sure that you are following through with the proper site preparation first – and that is something that can be particularly tricky to get right.
However, it is vital, because this process allows you to identify potential complications upfront, so you can address them before the actual construction begins. Here are seven things you might want to bear in mind to help you get started with your own site preparation.
Determine Building Location
A very simple but very important first step is to figure out where the building will be located, along with what its elevation will likely be. When you are deciding on this, it’s important that you consider the flow of people and equipment, and especially if you are going to have multiple buildings.
Figure Out Site Access
For the duration of the construction process, your people will need to have unimpeded access to the site, and this will need to be managed and provided in as safe a manner as possible. So it is something that you need to think about during the site preparation stage, to help ensure that. Think about where the road will be, the location of powerlines and trees and other things.
And Perimeter Access
You’ll also need to work out the perimeter access, so you know what you are working with and how it is going to work out. This focuses on people and equipment once they are on site, and it’s all about ensuring that the construction crew can move around easily, taking into consideration all four sides of the building pad.
Protecting The Property & Being Safe
These two go hand in hand much more than you might think, and they are vital to consider in tandem. Be sure that you have a full-time safety manager, and that you are working with a project manager too, as well as getting a builder’s risk insurance policy in place.
Prepare The Building Pad
This needs to be done very carefully and at the right time if you are going to make it work. You’ll need to identify the ideal time of year to build first, and then ensure that the pad is executed correctly, being aware of the vital need for fill types along the way. And don’t forget about drainage too.
Set Up The Crew
You’ll find that how you set your crew up makes a huge difference to how the project goes, so set them up to win. Avoiding muddy sites and making the site accessible will really help you out a lot here.
Finishing On Time
Of course, any project like this is going to need to finish on time, so you should do all you can to make sure that happens. Be aware of scheduling factors that might make this difficult, and make sure that you are using a builder you feel you can trust.
If you do all that, your on site preparation is going to go much more smoothly.