Residential service
Excavation and Site Preparation
Excavation and site preparation is everything between the approved plan and the first steel: staking the layout, protecting utilities, digging to the design depths, managing groundwater and spoil, and preparing a stable base.
Precise excavation and site prep for a stable, code-compliant build.
Family-owned
40+ years
Building pools since 1985
Counties served
Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia
Central Florida, from Orlando
How it works
Excavation and Site Preparation, step by step
The order of work. Playwell gives a project-specific schedule after the site review.
- Utility locate and accessUnderground utilities are located and marked, and the equipment path into the yard is cleared and protected.
- LayoutThe pool and deck are staked to the approved site plan and checked against setbacks.
- ExcavationThe pool is dug to its shape and depths, with soil hauled off or regraded per the site plan.
- Groundwater and soilWater in the excavation is controlled, and soft or unstable soil is addressed before the shell or base goes in.
- Base and gradingThe floor of the excavation is shaped and compacted, and the lot is graded so water drains away from the pool and the house.
Pool construction by area
Each area page names the building department that permits the work there.
Excavation and Site Preparation: common questions
Does excavation need engineering?
Sometimes. Orange County, for example, asks for angle of repose engineering when it applies, and retaining walls tied to the pool need signed and sealed engineering.
What happens to the dirt?
It is either hauled away or used to regrade the lot, following the grading and drainage plan the building department approves.
What if the excavation hits water?
Central Florida soils can hold water close to the surface. The water is controlled during construction and the pool design accounts for groundwater pressure. Playwell assesses the site at the review.
Tell us about your project
Send a short project brief. Playwell reviews it, reaches out by your preferred method, and schedules a site review before any quote.