Excavators, both the mini variety as the standard sized options, are some of the most versatile types of heavy construction equipment you can use for your residential project. And whether you have chosen to invest in this machinery and buy it outright or are looking to lease one from an equipment provider, the first decision you need to make is the type of bucket you should utilise. While this is dependent on your project, there are several considerations to be had in mind.
As an avid DIYer, I have spent a lot of time researching excavators, buckets and other accessories. In this blog, I have compiled information such as the differences between general-purpose and v-shaped buckets, how soil type will affect your choice of excavator bucket, various applications for the excavator buckets and so on.
Two Situations in Which You Should Use an Excavation Service When Creating a Swimming Pool
Whilst it is possible to create a swimming pool without using any excavation services, doing so could make many aspects of this project easier. Here are some situations in which using excavating services when constructing a pool might be a good idea.
You want the pool to have a gradient
If you want the pool to have a gradient so that it has both a shallow and a deep end, then you should definitely use a construction company's excavation services. The reason for this is as follows; whilst you can manually dig a single-depth pool quite easily, it is much harder to dig one with a gradient by hand. If you were to attempt this, you would have to measure the depth very frequently as you dig, to ensure that you are gradually increasing the pool's depth and to avoid accidentally creating little dips or bumps in the slope. You would also have to climb out of this hole quite frequently, in order to observe the gradient from a distance and check that there are no unwanted bulges or depressions in it.
Conversely, if someone operating an excavator creates the pool's gradient, they can produce a gradual slope with clean lines, by making just a few sweeping motions with their bucket. All they would need to do is gently scrape the soil whilst gradually changing the bucket's angle, to alter the amount of dirt that the excavator picks up as it moves along the pool site. In short, making use of an excavator in this situation will not only make this stage of the pool construction quicker but is also more likely to produce a smooth and gentle gradient.
You want to take the soil you dig up and scatter it across your own land
Even if the swimming pool you plan to create will be quite small, the excavation of the site will still leave you with an enormous pile of soil. If you are fortunate enough to have a very large garden (or perhaps some fields) across which you can spread this surplus soil, then you won't need to rent a dump truck to transport it to a tip.
It will be easier to scatter the soil without damaging your land if you can find someone with an excavator who is willing to do this for you. They can pick up a lot of soil from the poolside with their machine's bucket and slowly sprinkle it over a large expanse of land on your property in a controlled manner, by gently tilting their bucket and allowing small amounts of soil to fall out as they drive forward. This will prevent too much soil from being dropped in any one spot (a mistake which could happen quite easily if you do this by hand, and which could spoil the affected area's appearance and crush some of the plants which grow there).