What images come to mind when you picture homes being built? If you’re like most people, you probably think of things like carpenters framing walls, contractors installing shingles on roofs, and builders putting up sheetrock. Those are all important aspects of building homes, but they’re only part of the bigger picture.
Before builders can take any of those steps, they have to use heavy machinery to set the stage. Without that equipment, none of the other phases of building would be possible. Take a look at some of the hidden roles of heavy equipment in building today’s homes.
Laying the Groundwork
First of all, construction crews use heavy machinery to quite literally lay the groundwork for building homes. Construction sites need to be cleared and leveled to prepare them for building. Workers use heavy equipment like excavators and bulldozers to clear away trees, dirt, boulders, and other obstructions so they can start the building process. From there, they use heavy machinery to dig trenches for foundations, basements, water and sewer lines, and other essentials. Without that equipment, workers would have to do all that by hand, which would take a great deal more time and manpower.
Building the Foundation
After clearing and leveling the construction site, builders use heavy machinery to create homes’ foundations. They may use concrete mixers and pump trucks for pouring foundations and distributing concrete evenly where it needs to go. If they didn’t have those machines, builders might have to carry loads of wet concrete manually, and the foundation-building process would be much slower and less efficient.
Building the Foundation of Modern Homes: The Hidden Role of Heavy Equipment
Additionally, heavy equipment helps construction workers move a variety of building materials. Machines like forklifts and telehandlers carry pallets of bricks, lumber, roofing materials, sheetrock, trusses, windows, and other building components. They, possibly along with cranes for larger, taller homes, also lift those materials when necessary. They help make lifting heavy loads safer and easier for construction workers.
Removing Construction Waste
Furthermore, construction crews use heavy machinery to remove waste. Building a home generates more waste than most people might think. From excess dirt and felled trees to scraps of lumber, concrete, siding, and other materials, all of that debris needs to be taken away from construction sites and disposed of properly.
Skid steers, loaders, dump trucks, and many other machines handle that portion of the process. With sustainability and waste reduction being so important these days, many construction companies also use heavy machinery to separate recyclable and reusable construction debris from waste that can’t be recycled. That makes it easier for those materials to be handled properly and helps keep them out of landfills.
Putting on the Finishing Touches
Finally, heavy equipment is essential for putting on the finishing touches after homes are built. That may include putting in landscaping features and creating driveways, pathways, and other hardscapes. Machines may also be used to connect new homes to the power grid and the internet along with many other measures that help ensure their owners can take advantage of all the modern conveniences that are at their disposal.
Making Modern Homes Possible
Heavy machinery is crucial for every phase of the home construction process from clearing undeveloped land to putting on the finishing touches. Thanks to modern construction equipment, building homes is now easier, more efficient, and faster than ever before. Though people may not often think about those hidden aspects when they’re picturing homes being built, they’re certainly essential roles in the construction process.
