On a housing scheme, groundworks set the pace for everything that follows. If the plots, drainage and roads are late or wrong, every trade behind them stands still. That is why a groundworks package is as much about management as it is about machines.
Before site start
A good package starts with the paperwork:
- Programme. Plot release order, drainage and road sequencing, and how the groundworks tie into the build programme.
- Setting out. Agreed control points and who is responsible for checking them.
- Temporary works. Excavation support, crane and piling mats, and haul roads.
- Utilities. Locating existing services before excavation and coordinating new connections.
Adoptable drainage and roads
On many schemes the sewers and roads are designed to be adopted:
- Sewers are typically adopted by the water company under a Section 104 agreement (Water Industry Act 1991). In Cheshire that is usually United Utilities.
- Roads are adopted by the highway authority under a Section 38 agreement (Highways Act 1980).
Both mean building to the adopting authority's specification and having the work inspected along the way. Getting this wrong is expensive, so the groundworker needs to know the agreements and work to them from the first trench.
Inspection and testing
Drainage is normally tested and surveyed before it is handed over, for example with air or water tests and CCTV surveys of the pipe runs. Foundations are inspected before concrete goes in. Keeping the records as the job goes saves arguments at handover.
Communication
The difference between a package that runs and one that drifts is usually communication. That means a clear point of contact, early warnings when the ground or the drawings throw up a problem, and progress reported against the programme.
Our background covers new-build developments and the management of projects valued at over £1 million and teams of more than 100 operatives. If you have a scheme coming up in Cheshire, send us the drawings and programme and we will price the package.
