Your Quick Guide Through The Land Development Process
Land development is a broad category that covers every activity carried out with the intention of altering the state of any given piece of land. This can be for commercial development purposes, residential construction or civil construction. If you are planning to develop land under any of these categories, this article will help you understand the different processes involved.
Engineering survey Before any actual construction can begin, an engineering survey process is first carried out. This is more of a planning stage that helps to obtain important data about the land to be developed. This process is carried out by engineers and surveyors. Under this land development phase, the land is measured, the topography is studied, the soil is tested, and the area to be developed is mapped out and plotted. This process allows the engineers to understand how to develop the land, where to develop, and what challenges to expect.
Land clearing This is the first stage where actual physical work is carried out on the land. During this stage, the land is cleared to prepare it for the ensuing earth-moving phase. Here, the vegetation is removed, trees may be felled, and elevated ground areas may be flattened. Existing structures on the land may also be demolished. The cleared land is then marked and measured to indicate where the different structures or infrastructures will be built.
Excavation and land preparation This is where the earthworks commence. Heavy machinery is used to excavate the land in order to create trenches for the building foundation, retaining walls or sewerage and drainage or any sub-ground development planned. Apart from excavating the land, other processes such as soil stabilisation, grading, soil compacting, and earth filling may be carried out.
Building construction Once the land has been cleared, marked and excavated, the final phase of construction begins. Here, the final outcome of the development process is realised. This can range from landscaping the land to installing telecommunications, installing drainage systems, building roads, constructing buildings, constructing runways, paving the ground or installing basic utilities, like water, sewerage, gas and power.
Some land development companies will only provide part of the services, like land clearing and earth moving or building construction. Others will only offer consultation services or engineering survey while others can offer all the services falling under land development. Talk to a contractor and find out how to schedule your planned development plus any other details you may need, e.g. budget, construction designs, estimated timeframe, etc.
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