ᐅ Earthworks (excavation and gravel compaction) during freezing conditions

Hello everyone,

At the moment, my foundation contractor is excavating the building pit and plans to compact the soil and lay down gravel and crushed stone next week.

The forecast for next week shows nighttime temperatures between -2 and -7 degrees Celsius (28°F and 19°F), and daytime temperatures between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius (32°F and 41°F).

I have read online that proper compaction is not possible during frost and that this could potentially affect the structure later on (settlement issues).

Should I ask the contractor to wait until the nights are frost-free, or what would you recommend? Are there any measures he can take to ensure proper compaction under these conditions?

If he compacts the soil this week and also compacts the gravel and crushed stone on top, would that be sufficient for load-bearing capacity?

Thank you all.

If you have hired a specialist as a groundworker, they should contact you on their own if the temperature is too low for the work. However, I believe that with the daytime temperatures currently prevailing, there should be no major issues with compaction.