Excavation · Cambridge
How to Choose an Excavation Contractor in Cambridge
How to pick an excavation contractor in Cambridge — the questions that reveal whether they've dug in Galt's rock and the Grand's floodplain, or are about to learn on your lot.
Excavation is one trade where the cheapest quote can be the most expensive job. The mistakes — a hit gas line, an over-dug footing, a trench with no fall, fill that settles under your driveway — show up after the machine has left. Here's what to ask a Cambridge contractor before you hire them.
Questions worth asking
- Do you carry liability insurance and WSIB coverage? Ask for the certificates, not the assurance.
- Do you handle Ontario One Call locates, and what do you do near the marked lines? The right answer is hand-digging or hydrovac within the tolerance zone, every time.
- Is the quote written and itemized? Dig, haul-away, disposal, dewatering, backfill, restoration and any rock allowance should be separate lines.
- What happens if you hit rock or water? In Cambridge this isn't hypothetical. A contractor who hasn't priced for it will price for it later.
- Have you worked in a GRCA-regulated area? If your lot is in the floodplain, you want someone who has been through that permit before.
- What size machine will you put on my lot? A full-size excavator on a narrow Galt side yard will damage what it doesn't dig.
- Can I see a local job? References from Cambridge, not from an hour away.
Red flags
- Cash only, no written quote
- "We don't bother with locates for small jobs"
- A price that's far below the others with no explanation of what's excluded
- No mention of what happens to the excavated material
- Vague about restoration — who fixes the lawn, the driveway, the neighbour's fence
Frequently asked questions
How many excavation quotes should I get?
Two or three from contractors who walk the lot. A quote from a photo can't see the side-yard access, the water table or the neighbour's foundation.
Should the excavator also do the concrete?
Some do both; many don't. What matters is that the excavator works from the same drawings as the concrete crew and confirms depth and corners before they arrive.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote specific to your project.