Groundworks & Foundations in Poole & Dorset

Groundworks is the part of a build nobody photographs and everybody pays for twice if it is done badly. We set out, dig, drain and pour foundations across Poole, Bournemouth and the wider Dorset area for our own projects and as a subcontract package for other builders and self-builders.

Dorset throws up a wide mix of ground – heathland sand around Poole and Wareham, clay through the Stour valley, chalk on the downs and made ground on a lot of the coastal plots. Each wants a different footing, and getting that judgement right on day one is what keeps a building still forty years later.

Trees, clay and heave

The most common reason a foundation gets deeper and more expensive than expected in this area is a tree – existing, recently removed, or the neighbour's. In shrinkable clay, roots draw moisture out of the ground and the soil moves seasonally. Building control will want the foundation taken below that zone of influence, and in some cases a compressible layer to the trench face.

We flag this at quote stage rather than at the bottom of a hole, and we will tell you where a provisional sum is honest and where a fixed price is possible.

Drainage done once

Falls, rodding access, bedding and surround, and a properly recorded connection – drainage is unglamorous and it is the single most common cause of a failed building control inspection. We air test and photograph everything before it is covered.