How much does it cost to dig a really big hole?
Discussion
This is larger scale engineering than DIY but this still seems like the best sub forum... What sort of order of magnitude cost would it be to dig a ~4m deep hole, say 4m wide by 10m long? Filling it back in afterwards so no disposal costs. Lets assume there's no services in the way and it's just earth.
We're looking at a new project at work that involves getting a very large pressure vessel into a sub-basement. I have no reference for what sort of cost we're looking at. In Birmingham if that makes a difference.
We're looking at a new project at work that involves getting a very large pressure vessel into a sub-basement. I have no reference for what sort of cost we're looking at. In Birmingham if that makes a difference.
Fastdruid said:
I wonder if he can spell the word p * * * t .... ?Space will be the key here, if you have loads of room to put the soil and you can slope all the sides so you can ramp down and have no risk of collapse then you could probably get change from £500 using a big excavator and a dumper. I suspect that as you are near a building you will have issues that will require the involvement of a structural engineer.
Edited by Muncher on Tuesday 14th March 12:15
Speak to https://dawsonwam.co.uk/
Last time I had to do this (in 1998?...) I had to put a pair of fuel tanks in for 2 x 2MW standby generator sets in a similar sized hole outside a data centre in West London. We had to:
- Structural Engineer's design for the temp works
- Ground Penetrating radar survey to prove the ground was free of obstructions
- sheet pile the hole sides using vibrationless / silent piling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5FqzeV_bC0) as the DC was brand new... The sheet piles were continuous and went in twice as far below the hole bottom as the final retained height / depth was above it
- excavate and dispose of the spoil - you wont be able to reuse the spoil as the odds of it being NFG for back fill are high - inserting horizontal braces as we went
- place the tanks and fill with water so they dont "float" as you back fill
- form and place a roadway slab over the top
As far as I recall I don't think we got change out of £200k back then...
This is not a job you want a couple of itinerant scrap metal recylcers to do for £500 with a JCB and a dumper
Last time I had to do this (in 1998?...) I had to put a pair of fuel tanks in for 2 x 2MW standby generator sets in a similar sized hole outside a data centre in West London. We had to:
- Structural Engineer's design for the temp works
- Ground Penetrating radar survey to prove the ground was free of obstructions
- sheet pile the hole sides using vibrationless / silent piling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5FqzeV_bC0) as the DC was brand new... The sheet piles were continuous and went in twice as far below the hole bottom as the final retained height / depth was above it
- excavate and dispose of the spoil - you wont be able to reuse the spoil as the odds of it being NFG for back fill are high - inserting horizontal braces as we went
- place the tanks and fill with water so they dont "float" as you back fill
- form and place a roadway slab over the top
As far as I recall I don't think we got change out of £200k back then...
This is not a job you want a couple of itinerant scrap metal recylcers to do for £500 with a JCB and a dumper
battered said:
Evenin' Squire! Yeah, I just done a 'ole like that, 500 nicker, all sorted. New Channel Tunnel y'say? Yeah, be...8, no, 10 grand with the skips, cash [paid up front, awright guvnor?
If it is just a case of digging a hole and nothing more then a 13 tonne digger can dig to a depth of 5.5mYou have 160 cubic meters of soil to dig, say a volume of 200m3 loose, not having to move it far.
Maximum capacity on the biggest 1200mm bucket is 0.8 cubic meters. That's "only" about 260 buckets full, which for one man in a digger plus another in a dumper looks easily doable in a day, so less than £500. I suspect there is rather more to it than that, not least making sure the basement doesn't cave in when back filling but that's another story.
Busa mav said:
OP, you wont get anywhere near getting the excavated material back into the reduced hole so you will have "some" (huge fukkin pile) spoil to remove.
I doubt you would get the machinery on hire and delivered for a few days for £500.
Upwards of 6k is my guess.
Yes, he will have a bloody huge pile of soil left!I doubt you would get the machinery on hire and delivered for a few days for £500.
Upwards of 6k is my guess.
http://www.balloohire.com/product/equipment-hire/1... £240 per day for the excavator (no doubt plus a hefty delivery charge)
http://www.balloohire.com/product/equipment-hire/1... £162 per day for the dumper
Just as a starter, and this is without any:
set up and setting out,
down time whilst the vessel is dropped into the excavations
Supervisor / random labourer
overheads and profit, heaven forbid that ever being allowed on PH
assuming there is space for machinery to work
500 a day for machinery , x 3 days £1500
Operators for machinery £1000
2 x grab lorries £800 ?
set up and setting out,
down time whilst the vessel is dropped into the excavations
Supervisor / random labourer
overheads and profit, heaven forbid that ever being allowed on PH
assuming there is space for machinery to work
500 a day for machinery , x 3 days £1500
Operators for machinery £1000
2 x grab lorries £800 ?
ds in because the last bloke to live here couldn't just buy an ordinary trampoline like anyone normal. 
to dig it safely without any collapse you need to batter back the sides to suit the depth and the earth build up.
i would start at prob 12m wide at the top stripped to a meter or so and then step down from there, quick fag packet reckons about 300m3 of excavations. for that depth hse reckon tyou shouldn't be within 3m with a digger, so you would struggle possibly with a 13T that someone suggested, although they are good diggers. i normally pay £35-40 an hour for a 13t and operator what knows what he is doing.
you need a dumper and an area where you can spread or pile that amount of earth, you may need another digger for that unless you have a huge area.
you'll need some form of mess facilities so a srater unit or oasis unit would be needed, basically a cabin, genny and built in wc t satisfy hse. budget £250/wk plus maybe £150 delivery.
your tanks presumeably need to be bedded on something sturdy? maybe 40t of clean aggregate?
I would reckon maybe a
20t digger - maybe £1800 inc driver for week
10t dumper - maybe £500 inc driver
oasis unit - maybe £400 inc diesel and some tea and coffee
some Herras fencing - £150
signage - £50
aggregates - £500
if a builder was doing it or muckshifter they would want a decent weeks wage out of it. £3,400 plus margin and overheads.
could be a £4,400 - £5,000 job.
that's also assuming you did it in a week, knowing how some of the turnips i know work could string it out to a two week jaunt.
i would start at prob 12m wide at the top stripped to a meter or so and then step down from there, quick fag packet reckons about 300m3 of excavations. for that depth hse reckon tyou shouldn't be within 3m with a digger, so you would struggle possibly with a 13T that someone suggested, although they are good diggers. i normally pay £35-40 an hour for a 13t and operator what knows what he is doing.
you need a dumper and an area where you can spread or pile that amount of earth, you may need another digger for that unless you have a huge area.
you'll need some form of mess facilities so a srater unit or oasis unit would be needed, basically a cabin, genny and built in wc t satisfy hse. budget £250/wk plus maybe £150 delivery.
your tanks presumeably need to be bedded on something sturdy? maybe 40t of clean aggregate?
I would reckon maybe a
20t digger - maybe £1800 inc driver for week
10t dumper - maybe £500 inc driver
oasis unit - maybe £400 inc diesel and some tea and coffee
some Herras fencing - £150
signage - £50
aggregates - £500
if a builder was doing it or muckshifter they would want a decent weeks wage out of it. £3,400 plus margin and overheads.
could be a £4,400 - £5,000 job.
that's also assuming you did it in a week, knowing how some of the turnips i know work could string it out to a two week jaunt.
PositronicRay said:
Love PH.
Anywhere between change from £500 to, not so simple job £200,000
Yep, gotta say there's some funny threads on here.Anywhere between change from £500 to, not so simple job £200,000
So we've gone from a bloke hiring a digger and dumper and leaving site for less than £500 to someone dipping into his back pocket and pulling out half a mill for a hole.
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