In-ground swimming pools are a valuable addition to your property, and good planning ensures a successful result. Excavating a pool requires a few essential steps to ensure the structure is sound. Below is a guide to the process. 

What to Expect

One of the first steps in the excavating process is to craft a plan containing the necessary information, such as the pool location as well as details, like the deck, ledges, and lighting. The plan should also mark out where excavation machinery will access the property, landscaping details, utility lines, and more.

Before digging, contractors will mark the area with paint, stakes, or string lines. You will be asked to check that the footprint of the pool is accurate since it is their guide for excavating.

As the property owner, there are a few preparations to consider before contractors start. Remove furniture, toys, and other items so there are no obstructions or delays on the day of the dig. Warn neighbors of the work, mainly because the machinery will be loud until the hole is complete.

If the contractors need to remove a fence that is shared by the property owner next door, get their permission in writing. Keep children and pets out of the area, and if possible, have them stay somewhere until the excavation is complete. While most holes can be dug in one day, larger designs may take two.

The Excavating Process

A critical first step is to mark all underground utilities. Call utility companies or a county official to delineate where gas, electric, water, and cable lines are. Make sure excavation contractors know where sprinkler heads are set and clearly mark septic tanks and drain fields.

Digging should consider large tree roots and rocks that might be an obstruction. Tree roots, especially, can be damaging down the line since they can invade your pool, making locating the pool away from large trees important.

Excavators will usually mark out an area five feet longer and wider than the actual pool size. They will then dig the shallow end depth before measuring out where the slope to the deep end will begin. From there, they will dig out the incline that leads to the deepest point. 

Machinery will shape the side walls along the length of the hole before contouring the pool’s final shape. At this point, the floor is leveled and prepared for the liner’s installation, and contractors will use the dirt they removed as backfill to complete the walls and for pipe trenches for the pool’s plumbing installation.

When you need a professional excavating company for a pool installation, contact Gillum Excavating. Family-owned and -operated for more than 50 years, the Chillicothe, OH-based company provides expert demolition and land clearing services to residential and commercial customers in the area. They also provide dump truck and hauling options at affordable rates. Call (740) 773-3425 for more on their excavating and site work services or visit them on Facebook for more information.