What You Don’t See
Really Does Matter!
By Steele Pollard
The Village at
Many people are buying beautiful new homes in Central each week without knowing very much about the streets and the overall infrastructure. But how these things were built will become important as the years roll by.
Many home buyers do not know the developer, contractor or
architect who designed and built the streets, laid the water lines, the sewer
and drainage pipes, dug the ponds and formed the dams that will affect the
value of their property for years to come.
This is why it is important for homebuyers to understand: (1.) what makes a
well built development; (2.) what can go wrong if corners were cut; (3.) and
who is involved and what their roles are.
The First Step
The primary team that creates a new neighborhood should
consist of a developer, land planner, engineer and road contractor. The first
step a quality developer should take is hiring a land planner who is often an
AIA certified architect.
The land
planner decides where lots, parks, lakes, streets, shops, pool, walking trails
and other amenities will be placed on the raw land.
Once the architect hands his drawings to an engineer, the engineer transforms them, via computer-aided design software, into the construction drawings to be used by the contractor.
Next the construction drawings, based on the architect’s
land design, show the location of all subsurface pipes for water, storm water
drainage and sewer as well as the electrical, telephone, cable and gas line
servitudes. This allows the neighborhood to function the way property owners
expect it to. It is these construction drawings that tell the contractor the
quantity of pipe to order, the various sizes of what is needed and the amount
and quality of concrete and asphalt required to do the job right.
Poor Soil Conditions
Correct decisions at this point are vital to making the
development an economic success for all concerned. Errors in the engineers’
drawings can lead to insufficient pipe diameter to carry storm water.
Insufficient soil cement, to correct poor soil conditions, can lead to cracked
streets.
Once the contractor and developer agree on a price, which is based on the
plans, and assuming the developer has the required funding in place, the
contractor will order the material specified.
Construction begins literally from the bottom up. The deepest pipe will
be buried first, often as deep as 25 feet below grade, and the contractors will
work their way up from there.
The quality of the construction work comes from attention to detail by all four
parties: the developer; the architect; the engineer; and the contractor.
Compacting the Soil
One key action, which is the road contractor’s job, is to compact the soil
every time he puts it back into a trench when he is installing pipe. Many
people do not realize how critical this step is.
This step keeps voids from forming when the soil naturally compacts with the
help of the earth’s gravity over the years.
A poor compaction job is easy to spot when you see a cave-in on a
street. It’s because a void was created under the roadbed.
Even though contractors are supervised by the East Baton
Rouge Parish Department of Public Works when building roads and placing
subsurface pipe, they can cut corners.
Prospective homeowners should inquire about the quality of the team members who built their subdivision or neighborhood and they should closely examine the project for signs of early infrastructure failure. They can also ask the sales staff pointed questions about the development’s construction just to see if they are aware of the need for a first quality job.
After all, it’s your money, and you have a right to know that the infrastructure job was done correctly. Don’t be afraid to ask, and if you have questions and can’t get answers call us at (225) 261-9110.