Laying the foundation is often seen at the first step in the construction process, but before the foundation can be laid, the sub-surfaces must be prepared and initial excavations must be carried out.

These activities are called groundwork and they depend on the type of construction project. Groundwork can include activities like laying drains, cabling, and the laying of utilities installations like water pipes, fibre optic cables, gas pipes, and telephones lines.

While most projects begin with groundwork, some require demolition or site enabling works. Ground investigation is important in the identification of problems, stability levels, and past land uses and will facilitate the gathering of data required for effective design. The ground investigation will also highlight potential defects like contamination. Site clearance is also a part of initial preparations and the depth of this process will depend on the land. If the land is sloped, it may require levelling.

While these activities may be required before groundwork, many construction projects consider groundwork to be the first stage in the construction process. There are many aspects to groundwork and foundations is one of them. Substructure, site clearance, and trenching are also elements of groundwork.

Groundwork also includes drainage, landscaping, underpinning, and sewer and basement construction. Given the range of activities that fall under groundwork, there is no doubt that it is an important stage in the construction process. When constructing your building, these are several reasons why you should pay special attention to your groundwork.

The weight of a building lies on its foundation, which is why it is essential that a building has a solid foundation. Before construction begins, a contractor will do the necessary groundwork evaluations and planning in order to lay everything out according to the expected output.

When looking at the importance of groundwork in the construction process, there are three functions of the foundation that must be taken into consideration. The first is supporting the load or weight of the building. The foundation also ensures that the building is secure against adverse weather conditions like flood and winds. The third function is that the foundation prevents moisture from getting into the structure of the building.

Since the foundation is part of the groundwork that must be carried out during the initial stages of construction, its functions make groundwork fundamental to the construction process. Groundwork also creates the layout and structure of the building and this is why groundwork is important when constructing a building.

Landscaping is also a major aspect of groundwork, as the outdoor space of a building is also of importance. This plays a huge role in the aesthetics of a building and landscaping can include driveways and gardens.

Given its importance, it comes as no surprise that the depth of the groundwork depends on the specific requirements of the project. When planning the depth of the groundwork, a few solutions that will be considered are driveways, footings, flagging, piling, beam and block flooring, concrete surface, excavations, and drainage systems.

After a contractor evaluates and plans the groundwork necessary for the building, it can be decided if the project requires the laying of a new foundation or if a foundation repair would suffice.

When choosing a contractor to evaluate and plan the depth of the groundwork for your construction project, it is vital that they are fully-certified and have experience in foundation work, excavation, draining systems, and demolition.

It is recommended that you consider a few contractors before making a decision. While their certifications and experience, as well as referrals, are of importance, you should also go over all the details of the project and share them in writing with the contractor. This way, they will have a good understanding of the project and requirements before starting their evaluations and planning.

Given the importance of groundwork when constructing a building, it is vital that you hire a skilled and experienced contractor to do the necessary planning and evaluations before carrying out the groundwork of your construction project.