Civil Works
Site preparation, foundations, slabs and yard hardstanding — the ground works under your structure.
What civil works covers
Civil works is the ground package that everything else stands on: clearing and demolition, earthworks, foundations, floor slabs, yard hardstanding and the drainage structures that serve them. Red Ocean self-performs the work, so the base is built by the same contracting team that will erect the steel above it.
The service sits under civil works and roads beside roads construction. Buildings and yards are usually ordered together — the yard follows the building so heavy transport does not damage fresh paving.
Earthworks are measured against the geotechnical report rather than a drawing alone: haul of cut and fill, compaction plant and moisture conditioning all change with what the ground actually is. Where soft spots appear, they are dug out and replaced with approved material, noted in the daily record and photographed before they disappear under fill. That record matters later, when a pavement above them shows a settlement crack and someone asks what happened in the ground.
Ground truth before concrete
Levels and coordinates are established before excavation. The formation is inspected against the geotechnical report, and where the ground differs from that report we stop and raise it before a cubic metre of concrete is ordered.
Foundations are set out to the structural drawing — pads, strips or rafts — with reinforcement checked and recorded before each pour. Blinding, waterproofing and cast-in items are installed to the detail, and pour cards travel with the concrete tickets.
Drainage structures go in before the slab closes over them: manholes, trench drains and service sleeves are set to level with the invert and coordinates recorded. The old problem with buried work is that it vanishes — a cover that ends up two metres from its drawing position costs a day to find. Every structure is surveyed on installation, so the as-built coordinates are what the next team digs against.
Concrete placed and protected
Slabs and hardstanding are planned in bays with joints where the concrete wants to crack rather than where it is convenient. Thickness and reinforcement follow the loading you described — forklifts, storage racks and fully loaded trucks need different pavements than car parking.
Heat protection is routine from May to September: pour in the cool window, keep the surface moist while it cures, and cover against drying winds. Curing compound is applied where the specification calls for it, and loads are kept off until the slab releases them.
Sequenced with the steel
Civil can lead, so the slab is ready when the frame arrives, or run alongside the steel structures scope with roads and yards finished last to avoid damage from heavy transport. One programme and one project manager hold both together.
Sequence is where the value sits: utilities and drainage first, then formation, then foundations and slabs, then paving — each layer available for testing before the next covers it. Steel anchor bolts are set in the slab while the concrete is plastic and checked against the drawing that afternoon, because a bolt ring out of position is a re-pour, not an adjustment. One programme shows every hold point and who signs it.
Handover carries the test records, pour cards and as-built coordinates for buried services — useful long after the project closes. Send the drawings and we will price the ground package with you.
What’s included
Order any item on its own or as a full package with our roofing and steel teams.
More in Civil Works & Roads
Related projects
All civil Works projectsCommon questions
Yes — one programme with the steel scope, sequenced so the slab is ready when the frame arrives.