It is important to plan the location of the house relative to the property limits, the position of the sun and other elements of nature. The depth of the excavation must, among other things, depend on the sanitary and storm sewer connections. In addition, the location of the house should facilitate an effective flow of surface water. Also, the location of underground utilities such as electrical lines, telephone or gas must be identified in advance.

One must be sure to comply with the setbacks margins imposed by the city. It is strongly recommended at this stage to use the services of a surveyor to ensure that the implementation conforms to the standards and regulation of the municipality.

Excavation can begin when implantation is completed. Typically, a day is enough for the excavation work. A trench has to be dug to make the connections to municipal services, if any. To ensure that the foundations are not affected by frost or unstable ground, the depth of the excavation also depends on the soil type.

In some cases where the ground is soft and / or contains significant amounts of water, it is necessary to over-excavate and backfill with compacted granular material. In the presence of roc, it is then necessary to blast or break the rock to continue the work.