tree removal
Clearing the Lot and Prepping for the Foundation
Depending on the condition of the lot which you have selected for your new dream home, many avenues can occur. For the purpose of this section we will assume a relatively simple lot, a few trees requiring removal, and the building of a house pad required. When removing trees from your future homesite it is required that you bring in heavy equipment to properly remove the tree ball and root system. You SHOULD NOT cut the tree down and grind the stump down to place the house over. YOU MUST REMOVE THE ENTIRE ROOT SYSTEM. Typically a trackhoe can be used to dig up the tree ball. If a tree is only cut down with the stump grinded down, then over time the roots will decompose and can result in airpockets under the slab and cause foundation problems. It is also a best practice to remove trees within 5 to 10 feet of your home. These trees will pull needed moisture from your slab area and can ultimately result in foundation problems. Also trees that are too close to the home can grow over time and the roots can cause foundation problems.
In certain areas of the country extensive work can go into the pre foundation stage of construction and this should be thoroughly reviewed and considered prior to the purchase of the dream home site. Expensive site prep can typically be found in areas that are rocky and require heavy excavation as well as areas that are steep and require special foundations or half basement style foundations.
One of the most important points to remember before proceeding the the formset is that all vegetation needs to be removed from the intended home site.
Building the pad for the homesite is a major aspect of your new home. A proper building pad will prevent foundation failures in the future. The building pad should be benched using a bulldozer and upon completion of the pad you should consult a local testing agency to do a compaction test. A compaction test will determine the density of the building pad. A improperly built building pad can sink upon the first rain and ruin the home from the start. While building the homesite it is important to also establish drainage. Drainage should be visible at this point
When looking to save money while building your own home, it is a good idea to consider regrading a lot that slopes by moving soil from the rear of the lot towards the front of the lot in lieu of bringing in more land fill to raise up the front of the lot.
During this process is when you will do the lot survey, locate the property pins, locate all utility lines, have the surveyor stake the property boundaries and the house corners, and set a stake that marks the height of the top of the slab. Typically the slab height is 26″ above the curb height. See the section on Color-Coded Utility Markings for basic knowledge regarding utility layout colors used.
