ᐅ Utility Connections and Preliminary Construction Steps – What Is the Correct Sequence?

Hello dear community,

I am a bit confused about the ideal sequence of preparatory construction measures and hope you can shed some light on this.

Initial Situation:
- A back plot is to be developed and built on (see drinking water line and general site plan attached)
- The house and garage on the front plot will be demolished, and this plot will not be rebuilt initially
- The lines for the new house should run under the driveway
- We are building with a general contractor but need/want to handle the utility connections and preparatory construction measures ourselves

Questions:
(1) Would there be any advantage in “recycling” the old electricity and water lines from the demolished building for construction power and water supply? As far as I understand, a new connection to the street network is required anyway for the final house connections, so I guess no savings can be made here, right?
(2) Can the final drinking water line, wastewater pipe, and electrical/communications conduits be installed under the driveway before the construction access road is created, so the access/road doesn’t need to be dug up again later? Could there be problems if 40-ton (approximately 44 US tons) vehicles drive over these lines?
(3) I assume that for drinking water, electricity, and internet, the asphalt on the street/sidewalk will need to be dug up to make the connections. Is there a way to consolidate or simplify this, or is this just the usual procedure?
(4) When creating the construction access road, is there anything to consider so that the compacted material can be used directly as a base for the later paving of the driveway?

Thank you very much for your feedback!

1) It’s best to discuss this with your utility providers. Usually, the water pipe is run directly through the multi-utility conduit and used as construction water. Electricity is initially routed overhead to the temporary power distribution board and later pulled through the empty conduit.

2) I would definitely recommend installing empty conduits. A water hose can easily be pushed through a PVC sewer pipe (KG pipe) after backfilling. Electricity and internet cables as well. I would also have an empty conduit installed for the fourth opening of the multi-utility entry, extending all the way to the sidewalk. Heavy vehicles shouldn’t be a problem if the pipes are buried deep enough.

3) Coordinate with the utility providers.

4) You need to plan the height accordingly. Otherwise, there is probably no better compacted base than a construction road. Then you only have to fill the potholes and add gravel.

You need to check with your utility providers whether they will pull electricity and water through empty conduits.
I don’t think so, because the multi-utility pipe is sealed gas-tight.

Is it common to run construction water through the multi-utility pipe? Construction water would then be inside the house? I’ve never seen that.

xMisterDx schrieb:

Is it common to run the construction water through the multi-service duct? That would mean construction water is inside the house? Never seen that.

It was like that at every site here. You hardly need any water for masonry work, and the interior plastering requires water inside the house anyway. Once the house is sealed, the construction water connection is protected from frost and mischievous kids. The plasterers just run a hose through the window. Absolutely no problem.

xMisterDx schrieb:

I don’t think so, because the multi-service duct is sealed gas-tight.

That’s how it’s done everywhere here too. Gas leakage isn’t an issue, and there is an additional seal to prevent water ingress.

Alternatively, for regular routes and summer construction, you can initially tap the construction water directly at the property boundary via a temporary standpipe, then later dig the trench for the multi-service duct and lay everything at once. However, in this case, it doesn’t make much sense because the original poster would then have to reopen the long driveway and would certainly exceed the maximum allowed pipe lengths for the construction connections.

@Schnubbihh
You are about 1 meter (3 feet) below street level, plus a slope for wastewater drainage on top of that.
Will there be a lifting station before the sewer connection?
In our case, the excavation contractor/paver removed the topsoil,
installed the trenches with the utilities (wastewater, electricity, empty conduits for water, telecom, garden, and gate power),
created the construction access road with sand and recycled material,
and after the construction finished, leveled and paved the area.

Nida35a schrieb:

@Schnubbihh
You are right about the elevation being 1m (3.3 ft) below street level, with an additional slope for wastewater on top.
Is there a lift station before the sewer?

Exactly; there is a lift station in the sewer, and the wastewater is pumped uphill to the street for every property on that street.

Nida35a schrieb:

For us, the excavation contractor/paver stripped the topsoil,
dug the trench with the pipes (wastewater, electricity, empty conduits for water, telecom, garden, and gate power),
built the construction access road with sand and recycled material,
and after the build, leveled and paved the area.

That’s exactly how I had imagined it. Was electricity and water connected directly at that stage, or were the pipes initially only laid up to the property boundary and connected later by the utility providers? What was done with the pipes on the house side? At that point, there probably wasn’t a slab yet?