Excavating for your foundation

This section deals with important steps you must take prior to starting your work. Among those steps: getting the appropriate permit from your municipal office and preparing your lot for excavation.
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1. Obtain the required location certificate
2. Obtain a building permit
3. Using your land surveyor
4. Soil types
5. Call on a contractor specializing in excavation
6. Remove useable top soil
7. Plan the right dimensions

1. Obtain the required location certificate

Before jumping head first into foundations work, you must obtain the required location certificate, which must be prepared by a qualified land surveyor.

2. Obtain a building permit

You must also obtain a building permit from your municipality. The issuance of this permit is subject to your plan respecting applicable by-laws. For example, the exact positioning of a building on a lot must take into consideration the distance that separates the building from the front and lateral edges of the lot. Once you have obtained the required permit, you can legally proceed with construction.

3. Using your land surveyor

The work of the land surveyor is not limited to the preparation of the location certificate. S/he must also mark off the lot on which your house will be built.

In addition, the surveyor is responsible for defining the actual site of excavation of the house, a crucial task that will ensure you build foundations exactly where you are supposed to. If you are planning to build on a wooded lot, you may have to call on your talents as a lumberjack to cut down trees and remove stumps before calling on a surveyor.

4. Soil types

You also need to know the in-depth condition of the soil before proceeding with excavation. This is a factor that impacts on the costs of construction. To find out, you may wish to consult with people who have already built in the area or with city hall.

5. Call on a contractor specializing in excavation

Your are now ready to excavate. We recommend you call on a contractor that specializes in this type of work to handle two important phases of the project: the excavation of that part of the lot on which you will put down the foundations of the house and of the trench that will allow you to connect to municipal services such as water, drainage and sewers.

6. Remove useable top soil

Before excavation begins, be sure to remove useable top soil and put it aside for future use.

7. Plan the right dimensions

Note that excavation must accommodate the foundations walls, a waterproofing membrane and drains.
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