Thinking of landscaping your home?
Is your house looking a little drab? Perhaps you are looking to add value to your home before putting it onto the market? Or perhaps you just feel like a new garden. Spring is upon us, daylight savings have kicked into gear and renovation season is in full swing. An important bit of advice before digging that first hole – Consider what may lay underground.
Often, we don’t consider the things we cannot see, as frankly they are not front of mind, however the consequences could be deadly if we don’t. Many if not all properties have underground pipes/ cables and most have no obvious starting/ ending point or signs of existence. High voltage electricity lines, natural gas pipes, communication lines, sewer and water pipes are the most common utilities found underground on your property.
Regardless of the size, any potential breach/ damage to a utility pipe/line can have not only small, but large-scale disruption to a number of neighbouring properties and can lead to costly repair bills. See why you need to consider hiring a professional locator to assess your property before any landscaping project can begin.
5 steps you need to take before starting any project!
- Plan
- Prepare
- Pothole
- Protect
- Proceed
Plan:
To mitigate your risk of underground service damage you should engage a Dial Before You Dig (DBYD qualified service locating professional. This will allow you have detailed DBYD plans and ensure an accurate map of your work area can be drawn out
Prepare:
STS Locating Services will ensure a detailed interpretation of the DBYD plan has been carried out. DBYD member assets as well as DBYD non-member assets or unverified assets that are located on site such as domestic utilities can be found. A qualified locator will also be able to provide important assistance during potholing.
Potholing:
Potholing or exploratory drilling is a method used to confirm the underground utility lines. Potholing is an important part of the process to ensure that any potential damage to existing utility lines are mitigated. Its important to note that once the potholing has been completed the site must be left in a safe, free from hazards state in accordance with the DBYD guidelines. Something a certified DBYD locating organisation can assist with.
Protect:
Once a service has been correctly located, its important that all those who may be working on the project are aware of each marked utility line. ALL DBYD no go or exclusion zones must be considered and adhered to. Any public facing underground assets ( or even ones your family members might stumble across) should be isolated as must as possible to prevent any damage or harm during the renovation process.
Proceed:
When, and only when you have considered the 4 points above, should you consider starting your landscaping project.
Its amazing the value a change in design can add to your home. Most people at some stage in their life have attempted there own small/large scale garden projects, but not many have considered what may lie beneath the ground, waiting to cause problems. We can help you get well on your way to starting your project, and give you peace of mind that your project will go off without a bang…literally.