Building the Foundation for Maple Wood Cottages
Earthwork is the process of preparing the land for construction. It includes excavation, grading, trenching, backfilling, and managing soil conditions. For Maple Wood Cottages, this meant transforming a 19.3-acre site into a stable, well-drained, and build-ready environment for homes, roads, utilities, and green spaces.
Excavation: Digging Deep for Stability
Not all soil is created equal. When unstable or organic soils are encountered, they’re removed and replaced with special backfill—granular material sourced off-site and compacted to meet WisDOT standards. This ensures that the foundations of buildings and infrastructure rest on solid ground.
Grading: Shaping the Landscape
Grading is critical for drainage and structural integrity. The site was carefully contoured to match design elevations, promote water runoff, and prevent erosion. Ditches and swales were constructed to guide stormwater away from buildings and roads, and all grading work was done to meet strict tolerances.
Excavation for Building Foundations
Excavation for structures such as homes and the community building was performed with precision to ensure long-term stability.
Key practices included:
Excavating to the outer lines of the structure to allow for formwork and construction access.
Avoiding disturbance of the natural foundation soil, with final trimming done by hand to preserve integrity.
Refilling any over-excavated or disturbed areas with approved backfill material, which is compacted in layers to prevent future settlement.
Extending excavation beyond the structure footprint to accommodate construction methods and ensure safe working conditions.
Once the foundations were constructed and inspected, backfilling was done using granular material placed in uniform lifts.
Erosion Control: Protecting the Site and Environment
With so much soil movement, erosion control is essential. The project employs a comprehensive set of temporary and permanent erosion control measures to protect nearby lakes, streams, and wetlands:
Key Erosion Control Methods:
Silt Fences & Erosion Bales: Installed around the perimeter and near water bodies to trap sediment and prevent runoff.
Diversion Berms & Dikes: Redirect surface water away from disturbed areas.
Slope Protection: Includes erosion mats, riprap, and slope paving to stabilize embankments.
Stockpile Management: Excavated materials are stored away from sensitive areas and covered or compacted to prevent erosion.
Temporary Stabilization: When permanent vegetation can’t be established due to weather, areas are stabilized with mulch or dormant seeding.
Ditch Checks & Settling Basins: Slow down water flow and allow sediment to settle before discharge.
Regular Inspections & Maintenance: All erosion control devices are inspected after rain events and repaired as needed.
These methods are implemented in accordance with Wisconsin DNR Best Management Practices and EPA guidelines, ensuring compliance and environmental stewardship throughout construction.
Seamless Site Coordination
We carefully aligned our schedules to ensure seamless collaboration with the teams responsible for pouring foundations, installing utility infrastructure, and executing other critical phases of site development. This coordination allowed us to maintain efficiency, minimize disruptions, and support the overall progress of construction.
Looking Ahead
As the earthwork phase advanced, the transformation of the site became increasingly visible. Grading operations sculpted the terrain to match design elevations, while access roads were roughed in to support construction traffic and future residents. Utility corridors were carefully defined and excavated, laying the groundwork for essential infrastructure such as water, sewer, and stormwater systems. Simultaneously, excavation for building foundations was completed with precision, ensuring stable subgrades and proper drainage for long-term structural integrity. This foundational work not only shaped the physical landscape of the Maple Wood Cottages community but also established the conditions necessary for subsequent phases of construction to proceed efficiently, safely, and sustainably.
