Sitework, Earthwork, and Site Utilities
Earthwork balance
Cut and fill are measured in bank (in-place) cubic yards. Excavated soil swells as it is loosened and shrinks again when compacted, so trucking and import quantities must be figured on the right basis. Clearing, grubbing, and stripping topsoil precede any structural fill.
Compaction and subgrade
Structural fill goes down in lifts, usually 6 to 8 inches loose, and is compacted to a percentage of maximum dry density, commonly 95 percent of ASTM D698 Standard Proctor. Moisture must sit near optimum; too wet or too dry and the lift will not reach density. Proof-rolling or plate load testing confirms the subgrade before footings and slabs.
Utilities
Sanitary sewer flows by gravity, with minimum slopes set by pipe size (roughly 1/8 to 1/4 inch per foot for small lines). Inverts, not pipe crowns, set the elevations, and manholes are set to finished grade. Bedding and backfill follow the pipe manufacturer; tracer wire and warning tape go over nonmetallic lines. Storm systems add inlets, culverts, and detention. Call Georgia 811 before digging, and install silt fence and inlet protection before the first rain.
Traps
Mixing bank, loose, and compacted volumes; ignoring OSHA's 5-foot trigger for trench protective systems and 25-foot ladder travel distance; forgetting locate tickets; and letting stormwater run over unstabilized ground.
Worked example: a 1,000 CY bank cut with 25 percent swell yields 1,250 loose CY. At 12 CY per truck, that is about 104 haul loads, not 84.