EXCAVATION
Light and Medium Residential Excavation
Pool holes, patio bases, retaining wall footings, drainage trenches, site prep. Small-to-medium equipment that fits through a 4-foot gate when access is tight.
EXCAVATION
Pool holes, patio bases, retaining wall footings, drainage trenches, site prep. Small-to-medium equipment that fits through a 4-foot gate when access is tight.
OUR EXCAVATION SCOPE
Big commercial excavators can't fit through a backyard gate, can't work safely next to a house foundation, and cost too much for residential projects. We run small to mid-sized equipment — mini excavators, skid steers, compact track loaders — that can actually work in London backyards without ripping up the side yard or damaging the neighbour's fence.
Typical residential excavation jobs stay under about 50 cubic yards of soil moved. That covers almost everything homeowners need: a fibreglass pool hole, a patio base dig-out, a retaining wall footing trench, a French drain system, or prep for a cabana foundation.
Before any machine turns over, we call in utility locates through Ontario One Call. Gas, electrical, water, telecom — all marked and documented. Digging without locates is how you hit a gas line and make the news.
TYPICAL JOBS
Most of our excavation is tied to a larger project we're building. We occasionally take on standalone excavation work when the scope and access fit our equipment.
Excavate to pool shell dimensions plus working room. Remove spoil. Lay HPB bedding. 1 to 2 days typical.
Excavate 12 to 18 inches below finished grade. Remove clay, haul off. Prep for aggregate base.
Dig wall footing trenches to frost depth. Haul spoil. Prep granular base for block.
French drain trenches, catch basin pits, drain tile runs. Pitched to daylight or dry well.
Cabana and structure footings dug to frost depth. Sonotubes or pad prep for concrete pour.
Rough earth moving to match grading plan. Fill pulled from site or imported from Paton Soils.
HOW IT WORKS
Walk the site, check access (gate width, lot slope, neighbour setback). Confirm what equipment fits.
Call Ontario One Call. Wait 5 business days for locates. Don't skip this step — ever.
Dig to plan. Soil hauled off site or stockpiled for reuse. Dust and noise managed.
Check with laser or level that we're to spec. Adjust. No one wants to find out after concrete is poured.
If it's standalone excavation, we backfill and restore. If tied to our bigger project, the next crew takes over.
TRANSPARENT PRICING
Installed ranges for 2026, before HST. Excavation is usually priced as part of a larger project — below are standalone rates:
Cost drivers:
All ranges are ballpark figures for London and Southwestern Ontario, 2026. HST (13%) added as a final line on every quote.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Usually yes. Our smallest mini excavator is 3 feet wide and our skid steer can be swapped to a narrow track model. We confirm access in our site visit before we commit.
We don't start until Ontario One Call has marked everything — gas, electrical, water, telecom. That's 5 business days, free, required by law. Hand-digging around marked lines where needed. Hitting a line is career-ending in this trade; we don't cut corners.
Yes. Most residential excavation produces 15 to 50 cubic yards of soil. If it's clean, we haul to a soil recycler. If it's contaminated (old fuel tank, fill from unknown sources), disposal cost goes up and we document it.
There will be ruts and track marks. That's real. Grass recovers but usually needs sod patches in the high-traffic lanes. For access through landscaped areas we lay plywood and mats to minimize damage. We discuss this up front and include restoration in quotes when needed.
For tied-in work (we're already building the pool or patio), it's scheduled with the rest of the job. For standalone excavation, usually 2 to 4 weeks out from quote sign-off, plus the 5-day locate wait.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Tell us what you're excavating, where it is, and how much access you have. We'll send a ballpark within 24 hours.