Narrow access

[bdrums]

We're in the process of getting designs and bids. Pretty much have narrowed it down to 2 builders.

Problem is we have a pinch point on either side of the house of right about 6 ft. One neighbor is selling so I doubt very seriously they would let us take down the fence and trample their yard.

The other neighbor lives out of the country and is never home. We see them about once a year for just a short amount of time.

So, taking down either fence is not likely to happen anytime soon.

One builder quoted us a small equipment dig. Two day machine charge. Something like a mini bobcat. But I don't know model. He's confident it will fit. And this company has been around a long time with an exceptional reputation.

Does anyone have experience with a small equipment / narrow access dig? How long did it take? Watching videos it appears a dig can be done fairly quickly but moving the dirt out might be very time consuming.

Any other thoughts or gotchas to look out for?

Thanks!

Oh, I'm in The Woodlands, TX. Just north of Houston, if that matters.

 

[ummgood]

It all depends on what they find when they start digging. I wouldn't want to do a small equipment dig in Austin. They used a huge excavator for my dig and it took about 2 days. I think one job my pool builder is doing with small equipment is taking more than 3 weeks because of rock. You really don't know until they start digging how long it would take with small equipment. I would guess if you just have dirt and no rock it would probably take at least a few days.

Oh and if they can get the bobcat back there they might run another bobcat back and forth to move the dirt. On my job they ran a bobcat back and forth to move the dirt and used the excavator strictly to dig it out.

 

[poolkid]

I just had a situation like yours. We had a maximum of 6ft width for access. Take a look at the equipment that my excavator used.

They took a day and a half to dig a 16X32 rectangle play pool with an average depth of 4ft. As the contractor, I paid $2240.00 to the excavator.

 

[Marlahoutex]

How much space is normally required?

 

[ummgood]

How much space is normally required?

If you want a large excavator in you need 10' of clearance.

 

[bdrums]

Our builder told us about 9 ft for a bobcat.

 

[poolkid]

Our builder told us about 9 ft for a bobcat.

Bobcats come in quite a few sizes. In AZ, if we can't fit the track hoe and dump truck in the backyard, we go bobcat. If needed we can fit a mini bobcat through a 4ft gate. The largest needs a minimum of 7ft.

 

[emil]

My build had a very narrow access also. They barely got the mini-bobcat in, had to take off the top of it to fit. One of the biggest delays in my build was the bob cat would scoop the dirt into wheel barrows, they had 2 guys back and forth from the front yard pushing wheel barrows of dirt. Poor guys must have made over 1000 trips.

 

[Sandissimos]

I had the same thing as Emil. We had a mini bobcat as our side passageway is barely 3 foot wide. The pool builder estimated a week for our dig, but we had less than a foot of topsoil and below that it was solid chalk. In the end it took 2 men 3 & 1/2 weeks to complete the dig. One used the mini-digger, the other wheelbarrowed the rock round to the front where it piled up until we could barely get out of the house! Then a grab & tip lorry would come & take it all away again. We had loads of grab & tip lorries!!

 

[Patrick_B]

No worries, if he says it will fit, no problem. A large majority of digs are done this way now.

 

[bdrums]

I'm sure it will. Was just curious about other experiences. He's quoting a 2 day dig, but I'm reading anything from 4 or 5 days to weeks. I have no trees in the back yard and our pool will probably be in the area of 12K gallons. The worst thing we'll have to deal with is that southeast Texas clay.

 

[csmith78]

WOW - 4-5 days....I don't know friend...We also had a 4 1/2 feet passage between the houses - they used the smallest little machine and 2 guys with motorized wheelbarrows (They were cool). Our dig only took 2 days - fingers crossed it moves fast! Exciting days ahead...