Excavation
Foundation holes, footing trenches, test holes and backfill. The part of the job that decides whether everything above it sits level.
What this includes
- Foundation and footing excavation to the depth and dimensions on your plan
- Excavation for additions, garages, slabs and outbuildings
- Test holes so you know what is under the surface before the price is fixed
- Backfill against foundation walls once they are cured and braced, placed in lifts and compacted
- Hauling spoil off site, or stockpiling it on site if you have a use for it
- Rough restoration of the areas we drove and worked on
What it does not include
- Forming or pouring concrete. We dig the hole, your concrete contractor pours in it.
- Waterproofing, damp-proofing or foundation drain board
- Blasting. If we hit ledge that cannot be worked with an excavator, we stop and tell you before anyone spends more money.
- Engineering or design. We build what the plan says.
What we need from you
None of this is paperwork for its own sake. Each one is something that changes the price or the schedule if it turns up late.
- A foundation plan or a set of dimensions we can work to
- Property lines marked, or a survey we can work from
- Confirmation that Dig Safe 811 has been called and the site is marked
- A decision on where spoil goes before we start moving it
How we price it
Foundation work is usually quoted as a fixed price for a defined hole: depth, dimensions and a stated assumption about the ground.
The assumption matters. A price built on ordinary soil does not survive four feet of ledge, so we say in writing what we assumed and what happens if the ground turns out different.
Test holes are quoted separately and on purpose. They are cheap compared to finding out during excavation.