The 48-Hour Residential Turnaround: Demolition & Foundations
A rapid-response residential groundworks project completed over a single weekend in 2019. Tilsley Groundworks demolished part of an existing property, cleared the site, and installed Building Control-approved foundations in just 48 hours to minimise disruption for the homeowner.
A rapid-response residential groundworks project completed over a single weekend in 2019. Tilsley Groundworks demolished part of an existing property, cleared the site, and installed Building Control-approved foundations in just 48 hours to minimise disruption for the homeowner.
Speed, Safety, and the Weekend Window
Executive Summary
For main contractors in the residential sector, managing the client's stress is half the job. The initial phase of an extension—breaking down old walls and digging trenches—is the most traumatic part of a build for a homeowner. It creates noise, dust, and anxiety. In 2019, our client, a high-end construction firm, saw an opportunity to bypass this stress entirely by scheduling the heavy works while the homeowner was on holiday. However, this strategy carried high risk. If the groundworks contractor failed to finish by Sunday night, the homeowner would return to a disaster zone. The client needed a partner with absolute reliability. They chose Tilsley Groundworks because we do not rely on third-party plant hire availability. We own our machines and we employ our workforce directly, giving us the flexibility to commit to a strict 48-hour weekend deadline without excuses. The objective was clear: safe demolition, rapid waste extraction, and precise engineering, all delivered with zero trace of mess left behind.
A Surgical Strike on Residential Groundworks
The tilsley Solution
Our solution was a logistical masterclass in "Site Enablement." We treated this residential job with the same military precision as a commercial contract. Instead of using skips, which take up space and look unsightly, we coordinated our own grab lorries to run in rotation. As soon as the excavator pulled down a section of the wall, the rubble was loaded and removed from the site immediately.
To ensure efficiency, we deployed a right-sized Volvo excavator capable of handling the structural demolition but compact enough to manoeuvre on a driveway without damaging the paving. Safety was the primary criteria; we installed temporary Heras fencing and strict exclusion zones to protect the main house and the neighbours' boundaries. By controlling the entire ecosystem—labour, plant, and transport—we condensed a week's worth of work into two days.
From Demolition to Inspection-Ready Foundations
Technical Implementation
The technical execution began with the controlled deconstruction of the specified section of the house. Our operatives used hydraulic breakers and selector grabs to dismantle the masonry safely, separating timber and brick for recycling. Once the footprint was clear, we switched buckets to commence the trench excavation.
Foundation Excavation & Inspection
Precision was paramount. We excavated the trenches to the specific depth required by the structural engineer, checking the soil bearing capacity as we progressed. Because the timeline was so tight, we pre-arranged a site visit with the local Building Control officer for the Saturday. Our team ensured the trench bottoms were clean, level, and free of loose debris, allowing the inspector to sign off the works on the first visit—a critical milestone that can often delay lesser contractors.
Concrete Formation
With the "green light" from Building Control, we proceeded immediately to the concrete pour. We supplied and placed the specified C25/Gen 3 concrete mix, pumping it directly into the trenches to avoid manual handling and mess. The concrete was levelled to the exact formation height using laser receivers, providing a perfectly flat base for the bricklayers.
A Seamless Handover for the Main Contractor
The Results
The project was a textbook example of how Tilsley Groundworks adds value to a main contractor's service. By completing the heavy demolition and foundation package over the weekend, we removed the "friction" from the project.
The homeowner returned to find the messy work vanished and the new build ready to rise out of the ground. The site was left impeccably tidy, with all spoil carted away and the driveway washed down. For the construction firm, this reliability cemented their reputation with the homeowner. It demonstrated that when Tilsley says we will finish by Sunday, we finish by Sunday. We delivered a safe, efficient, and certified foundation package that allowed the follow-on trades to hit the ground running on Monday morning.
