The Backyard Digging Danger Zone
Colorado homeowners take incredible pride in their outdoor living spaces. From installing a new privacy fence to digging out a custom swimming pool or pouring a concrete patio, backyard renovations are a massive part of homeownership.
However, before you grab a shovel or rent a mini-excavator, there is a critical step you must take to protect your home, your wallet, and your family: identifying what is buried beneath your lawn.
The 811 “Backyard Blind Spot”
Most responsible homeowners know they need to call 811 before digging. While this is a legal requirement in Colorado and absolutely necessary, 811 locators generally only mark the front yard. They stop at the utility meter attached to your house.
This means your backyard is essentially an 811 blind spot. If you have any utilities running through your backyard, they are considered “private,” and it is entirely up to you to find them before you dig.
Common Backyard Projects That Require Private Locating
Any project that requires breaking ground deeper than a few inches should be preceded by a private utility locate. Here are the most common residential projects where hidden utilities cause major disasters:
1. Installing a Fence
Fence posts require deep holes, usually dug with an auger. Augers will violently tear through anything in their path. A private locate ensures you don’t accidentally drill straight through a PVC sprinkler main or a buried electrical line while setting your posts.
2. Building a Pool or Hot Tub
Excavating a pool requires moving massive amounts of earth. Backyards often contain hidden infrastructure like old septic tanks, private sewer laterals, or electrical lines running from the main house to a shed. Hitting these during a pool dig can delay the project by weeks.
3. Pouring a Concrete Patio or Deck Footings
Like fences, deck footings require deep, precise digging. Additionally, if you are upgrading your outdoor space with a built-in BBQ, you may have an existing private gas line running through the yard that you are completely unaware of.
4. Planting Large Trees
Even seemingly harmless landscaping can be dangerous. Digging a root ball hole for a large tree can easily sever irrigation lines or outdoor lighting wires.
What is Hiding in Your Yard?
You might be surprised by how much infrastructure is buried on private residential property. A professional private utility locator like JLP Tech can detect:
- Sprinkler and Irrigation Mains: Often made of PVC, which 811 cannot detect.
- Detached Garage/Shed Power: Electrical conduits running from your main breaker to outbuildings.
- Outdoor Kitchen Gas Lines: Highly dangerous, pressurized gas lines running to fire pits or BBQs.
- Private Sewer and Septic Lines: The pipes connecting your home’s plumbing to the municipal sewer in the street or a buried septic tank.
Protect Your Colorado Home with JLP Tech
A DIY backyard project can turn into a nightmare if you strike a hidden utility. The cost of repairing a severed private gas line or flooded irrigation system will instantly wipe out your renovation budget.
Before you start your next home improvement project in the Denver metro area or across Colorado, call 811 to clear the public lines, and then contact JLP Tech to clear the rest. Our advanced Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and electromagnetic locators will ensure your backyard is perfectly safe to dig.