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What we do
- Residential excavation and earthwork.
- Land grading and slope correction.
- Stump grinding and removal.
- Site preparation for sod, seeding or pavers.
- Lanes, driveways and parking areas.
- Trenching for drains, service lines, cables and light foundations.
- Compacted backfill and fill: topsoil, gravel, clean stone.
Access width, the first question to ask
It determines feasibility and price well before anything else.
- The Kubota U25 excavator fits through 5 feet. It is 4 ft 11 in wide, 7 ft 11 in tall, 13 ft 7 in long, and weighs 5,625 lb.
- The Kubota SVL65-2 loader fits through 6 feet. It is 5 ft 5 in wide, 5 ft 8 in with the bucket, and weighs 8,125 lb.
- Tighter than that, we have a mini loader that fits through backyard gates, and part of the work is done by hand.
Measure the tightest passage between the street and the work area, gate and house corner included, and give us the number. It changes the whole plan for the job.
Before digging: locating underground services
We file the request with Info-Excavation. It is free and takes a few business days, and it is one reason we never dig the day after a phone call.
That said, there are things the public service cannot see: an irrigation system, an invisible dog fence, a line to a spa or shed, an old drain. Tell us, because those are on no plan.
Trenching and backfill
Trenching is the most common job for the mini excavator: French drain, water or sewer line, electrical cable to a garage or pool, fence base, shed foundation. We dig to the width and depth required, shore the walls when the trench goes deeper than 4 feet, and locate underground utilities with Info-Excavation before the first bucket goes in.
Backfilling matters as much as digging. Fill dumped in all at once settles for years and leaves a dip in the lawn or driveway. We fill in 8 to 12 inch layers, compacted one at a time, with the right material for the use: clean stone around a drain, 0-3/4 gravel under a driving surface, fill soil then topsoil under a lawn. We deliver the material, spread it and haul away the surplus.
- Trenches 12 to 36 inches wide, up to 6 feet deep.
- Filling of dismantled pools, old wells and shed basements.
- Backfill around a new or repaired foundation, with a final grade sloping away.
- Topsoil, 0-3/4 and 0-2½ gravel, 3/4 clean stone and sand delivered by the yard or the tonne.
Respect for your property
We work with high density polyethylene ground protection mats, and we pick the machine to suit the access rather than forcing the biggest one in. Soil and old material are hauled away, and the site is left clean with the surfaces swept.
If you want to keep some soil for your flower beds, say so and we leave you a pile wherever you want it.
On the job site
You talk to the owner, not a receptionist
Jonathan Thibeault answers himself. $2,000,000 civil liability insurance, work guaranteed 1 year, detailed written quote.
Where we travel
Laval and all its districts, the Lower Laurentians, Deux-Montagnes and Lanaudière. Your town not on the list? Call anyway, we often travel a bit farther for a good project.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I book?
Spring and fall are the busiest stretches. Calling in January or February is not too early, that is how you get the date you want in May. We give a realistic schedule with the quote, not a date pulled out of the air.
Do I need to be there during the work?
We need you at the start, for the meeting and the survey, and at the end for the walkthrough. In between, you can go to work. If a decision comes up mid-job, we call you before making it for you.
Where does the excavated soil go?
We haul it away, and that is included in the quote unless stated otherwise in writing. You do not end up with a mountain of old material at the back of the yard.
What if it rains?
We do not work soil in the mud, the result would be poor and you would see it two years later. Heavy rain pushes the job by a few days. We tell you as soon as we know.