Test holes to find rock before a Rothesay foundation?

Test Holes Before a Rothesay Foundation Dig

Digging a few test holes before committing to a foundation excavation price is a sound move. Published price guides from September 2026 show a standard excavator with operator running $150 to $250 per hour, and a mini excavator at $65 to $150 per hour. A test-hole program is typically billed by machine time, and the hours depend on how many holes you sink and how deep you need to go to get a clear read on conditions.

The reason to do this in Rothesay specifically is that a foundation quote built without knowing what is underground can swing dramatically once the machine hits something hard. If the contractor encounters rock, a hydraulic breaker attachment runs $200 to $300 per hour, and large machines can run higher than that range. A whole-house foundation dig runs $7,500 to $30,000 in national guides, and rock found partway through can push a job up within that range. Getting a test hole or two done first gives both you and the contractor a firmer basis for a fixed or capped price rather than an open-ended hourly arrangement.

Before any machine touches the ground, two separate locate requests go in. Info-Excavation, reached through Click Before You Dig, needs at least three working days notice. NB Power runs its own underground locate service, separate from Info-Excavation, and asks for at least five business days notice; that locate is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form and covers only NB Power-owned lines. Private lines, such as wiring to a garage or shed, are yours to find and mark before the machine arrives. For anything involving a watercourse or wetland, no machine work happens within 30 metres without a provincial Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit first.

On the permit side, the Town of Rothesay issues building and development permits, and its building inspector enforces the National Building Code. Under Regulation 2021-2 of the Building Code Administration Act, a footing and foundation inspection is required before any backfilling begins. That means once the full foundation dig follows your test holes, the backfill waits for that inspection. We found no provincial licence or certification specific to excavation contractors, so ask the contractor for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate to confirm they are in good standing with their workers' compensation account. If the contractor has no workers and operates as a sole proprietor, WorkSafeNB says to discuss insurance with that person directly before work starts.

Under the Construction Remedies Act, hold back 10% of the contract price for 60 days after substantial performance is certified or declared. Get legal advice if you want specifics on how that works for your contract.

Set the written quotes next to each other and look at exactly how each one prices rock: is breaking billed separately at an hourly rate, or is it included up to a stated depth? Then check what each quote says about trucking distance and where the spoil goes, when backfill happens relative to the inspection, and whether site clean-up and any imported fill are included or extra.

You can submit the details of your Rothesay project through the request form on this page, and local excavation contractors listed in the New Brunswick Construction Network directory can reply by email.