The Machines Behind House Building

When a new home-buyer first walks into that new-build, they might be impressed by the hardwood flooring or marble countertop. What they should be impressed with, is the array of building equipment used in house building. Long before the carpets were laid, and the roof was tiled, construction machinery first needed to prepare the property for earth-moving duties including, trenching for water, sewer and gas lines, foundation or basement excavation, driveway installation and grading, and finally landscape grading.

All of this had to be accomplished with a variety of construction machinery that I’ll cover here.

Backhoes are the descendants of the 19th-century steam shovel; its main feature is a large steel-toothed bucket attached to an articulated arm, usually mounted a construction-grade vehicle via a king-post. Backhoes often have a deep-dished bulldozer-like bucket on its opposite end.

Bulldozers are probably the most recognizable form of construction machinery. Like an army tank, it rides on two tracks, rather than wheels. Where you might find the front bumper, is attached a long, curved sheet of steel known as the blade. The bulldozer operator has the option to raise, lower, and horizontally angle the blade to move earth as needed.

Excavator or diggers are like backhoes, but have the added advantage of riding on tracks, again much like an army tank. The extra articulating ability of the excavator allows for more use than a backhoe including digging trenches, general landscaping, and demolition.

When a new house is built, it may not be surprising to see a forklift on the premises. Forklifts are used for moving building materials to and from the immediate building site. Items such as roofing tiles, stacks of plywood and concrete bricks can all by easily moved with a forklift.

These are just a few samples of the kinds of machinery used in the building trades. A quick search on Google (or your site) will allow you to discover even more.