digging footings

[nottsrob184]

Hi all.
I am in the process of building a single storey rear extension to my house.
I was going to get the trench for the footings dug by hand myself but think at 53 i am a bit to old....any idea what the cost will be to dig out a 42 foot long trench?....i have a small gap that may be accessible with a mini digger.

Thanks.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

mini-diggers cost about £40-60 for the day, will cost you more for the driver, plus the diesel. But should do it quite quickly.

 

[RedHerring]

You can get a weekend hire also. If you're going to use a digger, plan your approach and progress so that you're not having to bridge a trench.

Give some thought to your spoil.
Top soil - can you use it on-site? If not, can you use a seperate skip?
Sub-soil - are you going to hire a skip to remove it.
How will you transport the spoil around the site? Give some thought to hiring a dumper also. A dumper that can tip into a skip perhaps?

Also, can you clear for the floor slab at the same time?

About 2.5 years ago it cost me about £350 for digger & dumper weekend hire, (self drive). About £300 for 2 skips. Top soil was reused on site.

Perhaps the more experienced posters might confirm, but I think, budget-wise, a third of the cost of a new build goes in the ground.

 

[noseall]

This sized trench could easily be dug in a day provided there is room for a small dumper (about 5-6 feet).

You must make sure that the water stop cock in the road is serviceable. You must also mark out where any pipe runs or electric/gas/other services are.

You will need a large area to dump the spoil, either via skips or a plywood deck onto which the spoil can be heaped in preparation for a grab. I think most grab loaders load from the passenger side.

If you were to drive the dumper, a mate on the digger, the spoil removed by a grab loader, the whole thing dug out in a day, without any catastrophes and a lot of forward thinking, then you may get it done for less than a grand.

Don't forget to dig off the oversite as you trench back.

 

[noseall]

mini-diggers cost about £40-60 for the day, will cost you more for the driver, plus the diesel. But should do it quite quickly.

Day 1 is the most expensive as this includes fuel, delivery and surcharge. Based on a weeks hire they do average out to about £40-£60 per day.