Breaking Ground: What Really Happens During Excavation

Before you see walls go up or finishes come to life, the real magic of building starts below the ground. The way your foundation, utilities, and drainage systems are set determines the strength and comfort of your home for decades to come.

At Evolution, our goal is to bring trust and excitement back to construction. Knowledge is power, and when you know what’s happening under your feet, you can truly enjoy the transformation that’s about to rise above it.

Let’s break down what actually happens when the excavator gets to work on your site.

Digging for Your Foundation

When you’re building a new home or adding an extension to an existing home, a hole must be dug for the foundation. The specifics of your project will dictate just how deep and wide the excavator goes.

There are a few foundation options:

• Full Basement: Full basements can be different heights. If the budget allows, you can opt for taller foundation walls.  There are headers and mechanicals that run along your basement ceiling making the ceiling height below these areas shorter.  Taller walls help maintain a more comfortable height below these areas.  Keep in mind, the taller you go the higher the cost. 

• Crawl Spaces & Slabs: Are less expensive to build because the cement foundation walls would be shorter and the hole shallower, approx. 3' tall walls.

  
  

Sewer vs. Septic Systems

The town your home is located in dictates the type of waste removal system the homes in the neighborhood have.

• Public Sewer System: If available, the excavator digs and connects your home to the public sewer main.

• Cesspool/Septic System: If no public sewer exists, each home requires a septic tank and leaching pools. The system’s size is based on the number of bedrooms. New construction requires a new system, while large renovations may require upgrades if bedrooms are being added.

  
  

Planning for Rainwater Drainage

An important part of building a home, which oftentimes does not get enough attention, is the Rain Water Drainage Plan. Having a dry basement is not a guarantee on Long Island, in fact the majority of the homes have water intrusions at least once a year.  That’s why the Rainwater Drainage Plan is so critical.

This includes:

• Gutters and downspouts to collect roof water

• Drywells to carry water away from the foundation

• Property grading to direct water flow

• Yard drains for added protection

  
  

Running Your Utilities

Finally, excavation also makes way for the systems that power your home:

• Electric, Cable, Telephone: Typically run overhead but can be upgraded to run underground for a cleaner look.

• Water and Natural Gas: Trenches are dug to lay

  underground lines that connect your home to the grid.

The Takeaway

Excavation may look like a lot of dirt being moved around, but every trench and grade sets the foundation for decades of safe and comfortable living. The truth is, you do not need to worry about the technical details. Our team handles the planning, compliance, and execution so you can focus on the exciting part: watching your vision come to life.

Building a New Construction Home

Want to see what it really takes to bring a home to life from the ground up? Check out our educational video series on Instagram where I take you behind the scenes of the building of a new construction from the very beginning. Watch the video!

Follow along @evolutiongeneralcontracting and hit that follow button so you never miss a step in the journey!

See you in the next post!

– 

Jennifer DeVito

Founder, Evolution General Contracting + Evolution Realty of Long Island