It is natural to think of earthmoving and excavation as being essentially the same thing, but that is not the case. Excavation means digging out. It is what archaeologists do when they are looking for ancient buildings or artefacts, although they do it gently and gradually, whereas in the construction industry it is all about heavy, powerful machines rather than trowels and brushes.
Earthmoving is a general term to describe the kinds of activities that can include excavation.
Need a Hilly Site Flattened? That’s Earthmoving
If you find a site for a new project that is the right size and in the right place but has hills and perhaps slight depressions that might be called gullies or little valleys, what you need is not excavation but earthmoving.
You need everything on the same level, and an earthmoving contractor can do that for you, possibly by taking the excess from one part and filling in another part with it. If there are more hills than dales, they may take the excess away and could even find a new home for it where more soil is needed.
Need a Flat Site Given a bit of Character? That is Earthmoving
The practice of earthmoving and the art of landscaping have a bit of an overlap because the latter often needs topographical features added. Topography essentially means nothing more than high parts and low parts and the word is a combination of two Greek ones, topos meaning place and graphein meaning write, so it is all about describing a landscape.
If you are creating a park or some other kind of public space, or if you are fortunate enough to have a large garden, you may want to introduce features such as raised beds for flowers or vegetables, and this often involves installing big blocks – possibly old railway sleepers – and backfilling with soil. That is classed as earthmoving, although the work will probably be carried out by a landscaper.
Creating a Basement or Cellar? That is Excavation
When you are creating a space that will be an underground part of a normal above-ground building, you are not so much moving earth as getting rid of it. That is excavating, although it may come under the heading of earthmoving if you can use the excavated soil for another purpose.
Need Trenches for Drainage or Utilities? That is Excavation
In this case you will be having neat, fairly small trenches dug so that pipes, cables etc can be put down there, safely out of the way. That is excavating, albeit on a small scale.
Building a Bunker? That is Excavating
It’s not something most of us want to think about, but there is always the possibility of some kind of global conflict where the safest place will be underground, protected by thick walls. Digging out the space needed for this is excavating, followed by finding a building contractor prepared to imagine the scenario you are preparing for.
Why do you Need to Know the Difference Between Earthmoving and Excavation?
If you are going to get a quote from a company that does this sort of work, you can get off to a better start by explaining clearly what you are planning, so the contractor can assess what you need. You don’t want them sending and charging you for the biggest excavator in their compound, and they want to allocate the best plant for the job. At Fraser Earthworks & Co, we’re equipped to help you with your project whatever is required. Get in touch with our team here and we can give you a quote or help you figure out what you need.
