Our excavating work at Groundhog Excavating and Drainage is mainly for the purpose of foundation and drainage repair, but we realize landowners and homeowners may find themselves in need of a professional excavation service for a number of other reasons. You may have a large area of land that needs clearing for a driveway, a garage or for recreational purposes. Even it’s a simple landscaping job, there are a number of reasons to call a professional excavator.
1. A professional excavating service is well “grounded” when it comes to soil
How well do you know soil? How well do you know how to move it and put it back into place to prevent soil problems down the road? Excavating involves more than just moving dirt around. What’s on the surface may be quite different from what’s underneath. If you do it yourself, you may end up encountering a variety of different kinds of soils beneath the surface. Professional excavators know what to expect. They also know the right steps to take to reduce future siltation and erosion.
2. Professional excavators know the damage potential to surrounding structures
“Hey, not so close!” These are especially important words when it comes to valuable buildings and heavy equipment. A professional excavation team knows how far to stay from structures. You don’t need to accidentally hit a building with excavating to cause trouble. Just the vibrations from an excavation can affect surrounding structures. Awareness of these issues is vitally important. As with any do-it-yourself project, the money you save on the immediate work could end up costing you a lot more in repairing the “work” you’ve done.
3. Professional excavators know their equipment
Do you know the types of excavation equipment that is right for the job? A digger’s a digger, right? Wrong. You might know a spade from a trowel, but do you know a boom from a dipper stick? And how’s your knowledge of hydraulics? We could go on and on. But the bottom line is, if you don’t have the experience and training, don’t mess with the equipment. Yes, you can rent excavation equipment, but rentals are better left to professionals who are in a pinch, rather than someone whose inexperience threatens not only their home and property but the equipment itself. Also, if the equipment you’ve rented isn’t in top condition, you can expect possible breakdowns and delays.
If you have an arsenal of tools and machinery and know how to use them in every instance, you’re probably already a professional excavator. Otherwise, call a pro. Do-it-yourselfers can run into real problems when they encounter the unexpected– like hitting rock. A professional knows not only what to do, but what equipment — whether drills or other special machinery — to use for every situation.
4. Professional excavators are insured
Got insurance? For this? Do-it-yourself excavators are liable for any damage caused by their “handiwork.” Even homeowner’s insurance coverage doesn’t extend to a DIY gone awry. It’s best to let a fully-insured pro excavator fire up the right machinery and put their vast experience into gear to get the work done safely, carefully, and properly. The first time.
Need some digging done in Delta? Swamped in Surrey? Backed-up in Burnaby? Clogged in Cloverdale? Call us for a free estimate at 778-233-7499. Or, message us here.