Residential, commercial and government projects involve assessing the types of soils associated with the project. Failure to adequately understand the physical characteristics of site geology can lead to disastrous financial consequences for owners, general contractors and earthwork contractors.
Some soil types are suitable for construction and provide the opportunity to use the existing soils in the construction process thereby minimizing soils import and/or export resulting in potential cost savings for the project. Often times however the existing soils are not suitable for foundations, roads or bridges. For example, a site that requires significant muck excavation will likely require removal of the unsuitable material and import of suitable soil material for construction. Similarly, if the Contract Documents including the soils report fail to identify the existence of rock in a cut-and-fill project the owner and/or general contractor may be faced with the earthwork contractor requesting significant monies in the form of a change order for rock excavation which may require ripping the rock with a bulldozer or blasting which is significantly more costly than excavating other types of soils.
Whether you are an owner, general contractor or an earthwork contractor, if you find yourself dealing with legal issues associated with increased costs due to earthwork, contact the law firm of Milo D. Miller Law Group, P.C. as our attorneys have over two decades of experience addressing earthwork claims in litigation and arbitration. Contact the Milo D. Miller Law Group, P.C. at 720-306-7733.