Preparing Land in the East Grinstead, Godstone, Surrey & West Sussex Areas with Groundworks

Before building, construction or landscaping works can begin, having the groundworks in place makes the site safe and stable. Without a strong foundational substructure, the integrity of the build, be it a property or a hard surface, could be at risk. Using a team from our dependable trade network sets a project off on the right track.

Your core needs will be structural safety, accurate budgeting, teams working to a schedule and plant used when needed to save time.

In turn, your questions will centre on whether you need foundations to be deep or shallow, how long the work will take, whether soil is cleared, what happens if soil conditions are poor, whether the plant and machinery is supplied and, of course, what the cost will be.

Riley’s Property Management is here to answer them.

Located in Crawley and covering all areas in Surrey and West Sussex, including East Grinstead, Godstone, Horsham, Oxted and Reigate, we can offer the groundworks service your project needs, when you need it, and prepare sites through to when the damp proof course is laid.

We also create sub-bases in preparation for landscaping works.

The Groundworks Process

Groundwork is approached as one process, beginning with clearance of the site where we uplift scrub and vegetation, undertake small-scale demolitions or soft strip-outs of structures, and clear other debris from the site to leave a blank canvas that is ready for development.

Ground conditions, soil stability and water tables are assessed with a focus on potential onsite hazards so these can be mitigated.

Our findings help inform the requirements for the foundations.

Plant and machinery, and hand-digging where needed, make up the bulk excavation stage with depth based on the specification and trenching and levelling factored in. The depth will vary based on the concrete reinforcement needed and the specification requiring piled, raft or strip foundations.

Drainage to manage foul and surface water is installed, and trenches for ducting to accommodate utility supplies are dug.

If groundworks have been planned for hard landscaping installations, such as driveways, garden patios and pathways or car parks on civil and commercial projects, the soil is then graded and the aggregates and sands used to backfill prior to surfacing are compacted.

This sets up the project for whatever comes next.

Integrated Project Management

Riley’s Property Management is a property maintenance specialist and includes building repairs and landscaping in its service range. This means we have a firm understanding of project management and taking jobs from one phase to the next. Groundworks will be the first phase whenever structures are being built or hard surfaces are being laid.

Even if we are not managing the project in its entirety and are only dealing with the groundworks, we will still take the rest of the job into consideration.

This means we focus on:

Trades and Machinery

Tight planning is about the logical movement of people and equipment as the job progresses so, during the site preparation stage, Riley’s Property Management puts the right people in the right place at the right time. This is achieved through a contractor and subcontractor network we have worked with before and have grown to trust.

The same principle applies to plant and machinery so, if groundworks operations need bulldozers, diggers, dumpers, loaders or rollers, we can supply them or hire them in while pricing this into the job.

Running to a Schedule

The groundworks team is usually first on the job so any delay in the delivery of this phase will have a knock-on effect on other trades. Close attention is paid to the schedule so that individual stages in preparing a site are completed on time and to the correct standard.

When weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances stand in the way and the project timescale is affected, we will communicate this to you at the earliest opportunity so we can find a solution together.

Handover to the Next Phase

With the groundworks complete, we oversee handover to the next trade professionally and liaise with the main contractor to confirm that the work specified has been done. Good communication at the handover point is beneficial to the next phase and to the project as a whole.

If plans change between us starting the groundworks phase and other trades coming in, we remain flexible and will adjust as needed so a project, and its specification, stays firmly on track.

Avoiding Disruption

By becoming a part of your own project management structure, Riley’s Property Management becomes a partner to operations. We understand that mistakes cost the job time, money and trust so, even in the role of a contractor and subcontractor network, we treat a project as if it were our own.

Disruption impacts budget and profitability. While some occurrences are influenced by factors out of our own control, we still see it as our duty to work around them and to provide a solution that works.

This approach has helped us to develop our reputation as a local and regional groundworks specialist in our home location of Crawley, the surrounding East Grinstead, Godstone, Horsham, Oxted and Reigate areas, and across all locations in Surrey and West Sussex.

Please contact us for advice and get your next project off to the best-possible start.

For a professional groundworks service in East Grinstead, Godstone & all areas near Crawley, call 07801 517572.