Pre-construction
Once you have chosen your contractor, reviewed and agreed on your plan, timetable and permit conditions, the following points should be discussed (if applicable to your plan).

During Construction
Visit the site daily and talk regularly with the contractor. An experienced person must closely monitor all phases of construction daily. On the first day, arrive before construction begins. Review the plan with the contractor again to make sure you are in agreement about how to begin. Visually inspect the equipment. Look for obvious fluid leaks or other problems that can contaminate your site. Ask what the progression of the construction will be and what the contractor expects to accomplish each day.

Be a part of the construction. There is always plenty to do, so ask the contractor if you can help. You might be able to make changes while onstruction is in progress that is impossible once the contractor is gone. For example, it is very difficult to regrade muck soil at a later time; it has to be done to your satisfaction while the equipment and crew are present. An experienced contractor will have a plan of how to deal with water on the site. As you begin to plug and fill ditches, break tile, or move soil, the water may quickly return to the site. This is exactly what you want to happen, but your contractor needs to work fast to keep ahead of the water. You are better off letting the water continue to drain from the site during construction, with the last step closing off the lowest point where water drains. The contractor may pump water while the construction proceeds. When filling ditches, the contractor should make sure the site can drain and prevent flooding of areas still under construction. If plans call for topsoil to be stockpiled for respreading after scraping the subsoil, make sure that the last step of re-spreading topsoil really happens. Commonly a contractor pulls out of the job before re-spreading the topsoil adequately, especially if the site is now under water. Not only are you left with an unnatural looking pile, but also this topsoil is what some plants need to thrive and often contains the seed bank needed to re-vegetate your site.

If a berm or ditch plug is included in your plans, be careful that the topsoil of organic soils and root masses are not used in the core or foundation of these structures. If topsoil is used in the core of a berm, decomposition of the plant materials over time can cause berm failure. The core of any feature containing water needs to be made up of compacted mineral soil. Use adequate erosion control on all wetland work to ensure that sediment does not wash into local streams or lakes. All exposed surfaces need to be seeded quickly or utilize erosion matting to keep them from eroding. In general, prevent environmental damage to other resources while you construct the restoration site. When the contractor completes the job and before equipment is removed, do a walk-through with the plan in hand. Make sure everything conforms to expectations. If any work remaining requires the contractor to come back, find out when, and make final payment only after everything is to your satisfaction.

Implementing your plan is an exciting phase of your project. If you have made sound decisions, you have given your wetland a great boost on the road back to ecological health. Pay great attention to detail at the time of construction and visit the site at least daily. You will find the time spent on site during this critical phase of the project rewarding.