Marinelle Adams
The land you chose for your construction project may always not be the most ideal. There is a possibility that it may have terrain features that are not ideal for your project. Uneven land, grounds filled with rocks and other hard objects, rough soil, and debris can hamper the progress of your plot development before it even starts.
Generally, you will rely on your building contractors to resolve issues like these. But the thing is, excavation and earth-moving projects are beyond their nature of work and they can charge tremendous amounts of money if you proceed to go with them. In projects with construction, every dollar matters, and thus no one would want to spend extra money on excavation services.
If you too are stuck in this dilemma, then we strongly recommend hiring a separate excavation contractor for your project. These contractors charge considerably less than developers and offer a better quality of work. According to Kinetic Industry, the right excavation contractor can fulfill all your excavation demands at a price that’s affordable for you.
But then another question arises – how do you choose the perfect excavation contractor for your project? The answer to that question is in this article as we dive deep into how you can identify and hire the most optimal excavation contractor for yourself. Read the article till the end so you don’t miss out on anything.
Seek recommendations from everyone
You’d be surprised how willing people are to give recommendations and suggestions once you tell them your problem. Asking everyone around for recommendations, especially neighbors, is a good idea to find the perfect excavation contractor for yourself. Look around – has anyone recently done an excavation project nearby? Was the work looking good? If yes, go ahead and ask the plot owner for their contractor and if the said contractor is good.
Searching for contractors this way can save you a lot of trouble in the future if you end up with a contractor who doesn’t do their job well. Besides, recommendations can also give you a good idea about the quality, time, and budget of the contractor’s work. If you do find an ideal contractor, consider checking their portfolio to see their quality of work and if they have recommendations from others.
Check the contractor’s excavation experience
One of the most crucial things in availing the services of any business, not only contractors, is to ensure that they have years of experience backing their work. While there is nothing wrong with new excavation contractors working on your project, there is a possibility that their inexperience causes some fatal error on your land.
That is why choosing an experienced contractor is essential. They know what they are doing and what’s the best way to do it. Experienced contractors minimize the margin of error while they are working, can give you the most accurate price quotes, and use the perfect and most extensive machinery for the job to ensure quality. An inexperienced contractor can barely provide half of this and that’s why they should be avoided even if they operate at a low cost.
Examine their certification and license
It’s important to know that each state has its own digging codes and laws. Check their certification and license to see if they are certified by a central authority or a reputed organization. This certification ensures that they are aware of the state’s codes and laws and only work in their compliance.
Their license also acts as a guarantee that they are a reputed contractor and you can safely rely on them. They ensure all safety regulations and protocols are followed throughout the project no matter what. Be very wary of excavation contractors that don’t have any license because there is no guarantee that they will follow all standard safety procedures and protocols.
Ensure the excavation contractor has their own insurance
Always ask the excavation contractor you are planning to hire if they have sufficient insurance in case things go wrong. They should have various insurance policies backing their agency. For example, in case a citizen, an employee, or one of your own agency members gets in a fatal accident because of the direct actions of the excavation contractor, they should provide life insurance to cover the damages.
Similarly, sufficient damage compensation should be provided in case they damage any utility or power lines while working. Breaking any of these lines can cause a hefty fine and if the contractors don’t have any insurance to resolve that, it might mean that the compensation would need to come out of your own pocket. This is why having insurance is important, especially on the excavating contractors that do such dangerous work.
See if they provide an estimated price for their work
One of the most obvious red flags you can spot in a contractor’s behavior that should tell you to stay away from them is their unwillingness to give you a price quote or estimation of their work. It is understandable that they might not be able to give you a price quote over the call without seeing the land when you first interact with them.
However, if they still avoid doing it even after seeing your plot on-site, then you should consider it as a sign that you need to find some other excavation contractor. All decent excavation contractors have enough experience to give you the exact pricing of the whole venture as soon as they see your plot. This estimate is crucial to know because only then can you decide on the budget of your whole project.
There are many excavation contractors that avoid quoting a price, or even a price range because they intend to overcharge you over one thing or the other when they are done. You should also be aware of the charges an average excavation contractor takes in your area.
If a contractor gives you an offer that is too good to be true, chances are it actually is. The excavation contractors that offer you a very low price are either extremely new, use cheap machinery or have a subpar quality of work.
Conclusion
There are various aspects through which you can choose the perfect excavation contractor for your whole project. We hope this article was helpful, and if it was, please consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.