A Distinctive Hybrid

In lining up this string of videos on dealing with and overcoming access and/or excavation issues, I thought after the last one that I’d run through most of the possibilities and could put down my video camera for a while.

But then I ran into a site that offered super-slim access (no more than a smallish wheelbarrow could get through) and awful, heavy soil that left me with a need for yet another get-it-done solution. My initial supposition had been that we’d need to dig the hole by hand and remove the material in small, labor-intensive loads, one by one. Time and budget and the size of the pool didn’t encourage that line of thinking: I knew I needed to get a Bobcat onto the job site.

The approach I selected was something of a heart-stopper, as it put a multi-million-dollar home at risk of serious damage. But working with the team that came in to do the job, I developed enough confidence to move forward – and you’ll see the results in the video.

Again, this solution is not for the faint of heart or for the under-insured. But given the circumstances, it was the best available approach and got the project off to a flying start – literally.

To see the video, click here.

Randy Beard operates Pure Water Pools, a construction/service firm based in Costa Mesa, Calif. He may be reached at [email protected].