Foundation & Basement Excavation
Digging for a new home, an addition or a garage foundation: the hole, the footings, the spoil pile and the backfill that has to wait for the inspection.
From $7,500 whole-house dig (national guides) Usually a few days of machine work for a house-sized hole; rock and wet ground add time
- Footing and foundation digs for new homes, additions and garages
- Spoil kept at least 1.2 m back from the edge
- Backfill scheduled after the footing and foundation inspection
Learn More Water & Sewer Line Trenching
Trenches for new or replacement water and sewer services, from the house to the municipal connection or to your own well and septic.
From $65 per machine hour with operator Often a day or two of digging; the municipal permit and inspection set the real schedule
- New and replacement water service trenches
- Sewer lateral trenches to the municipal connection
- Lines to a private well or septic tank
Learn More Septic System Excavation
The digging side of a septic job: test pits, the tank hole and the field, done for a provincially licensed installer, never instead of one.
From $3,000 excavation only (national guide) Depends on the provincial approval; digging itself is often a few days
- Test pits for the licensed installer's soil assessment
- Tank and field excavation arranged by the installer
- Removal of old tank backfill and soil
Learn More Lot Clearing & Grading
Clearing trees, stumps and brush and shaping the ground so water runs away from the house, with the permits some towns and the WAWA rule require.
From $65 per machine hour with operator A day for a small yard, longer for a wooded lot; permits come first
- Tree, stump and brush clearing for a building site
- Rough and finish grading away from the foundation
- WAWA permit check within 30 m of water
Learn More Driveway Excavation & Base
Digging out a new or failing driveway and building the gravel base under it, with the curb-cut or entrance permit your road needs.
From $1,500 excavation and base (national guide) One to three days for most single-lot driveways
- Digging out soft soil and old driveway material
- Gravel base laid and compacted
- Grading for drainage off the driveway
Learn More Drainage & Weeping Tile Digs
Digging along the foundation or across the yard to replace weeping tile, fix drainage and get water away from the house.
From $65 per machine hour with operator Often two to five days for one side of a house
- Excavation along the foundation to reach weeping tile
- Drainage trenches carrying water away from the house
- Trench safety for deep foundation digs
Learn More Rock Breaking & Removal
Breaking ledge and boulders with a hydraulic hammer, or blasting by a certified blaster, when rock sits where the foundation or trench has to go.
From $200 per hour, breaker on excavator (national guide) Impossible to promise before digging: rock is found, not scheduled
- Hydraulic breaker work on ledge and boulders
- Rock loading and trucking off site
- Blasting by a certified blaster, as WorkSafeNB's Regulation 91-191 requires
Learn More Backfill & Haul-Away
Filling back against a foundation after the inspection, bringing in gravel or fill, and trucking surplus soil and rock off the property.
From $40 per cubic metre of crushed stone (guides) Usually a day or two once the inspection has passed
- Backfill after the footing and foundation inspection
- Crushed stone and granular fill supply
- Compaction in lifts
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