Excavation · Cambridge
Hydrovac vs Traditional Excavation
When a Cambridge job should be dug with a machine and when it should be hydrovac'd — the practical difference, what each costs, and where the older neighbourhoods tip the balance.
Both move earth. They solve different problems, and in Cambridge's older neighbourhoods the choice is often made by what's buried and how well it was recorded.
Traditional excavation
An excavator or backhoe removes soil mechanically. It's fast and cost-effective for bulk work — foundations, basements, grading, most trenches in open ground. It's what we use for the majority of Cambridge residential jobs.
Hydrovac excavation
A hydrovac truck loosens soil with pressurized water and vacuums it into a tank. No bucket, no blade, nothing sharp near a buried line. It's slower and more expensive per cubic metre, but it's the only responsible way to expose a gas main, a hydro feed or a water service you're about to work beside — and it's required by many utilities within their tolerance zone.
Which one in Cambridge?
- Traditional: new-build foundations, additions, garage footings, lot grading, most drainage and conduit trenches on open Hespeler and Clemens Mill lots.
- Hydrovac: exposing services in downtown Galt and Preston where the records are old and the paint is approximate; potholing to confirm a gas or hydro line before a trench crosses it; tight spots beside a foundation where a bucket can't work safely; frozen ground in winter.
- Both: a lot of jobs. We hydrovac the crossings and daylight the services, then machine-dig the rest.
Cost
Hydrovac is billed by the hour, truck and disposal — the slurry has to be hauled and dumped. A short potholing job to confirm two lines is a modest add to a trench. Hydrovac'ing an entire foundation is rarely sensible; hydrovac'ing the two metres beside the gas service always is.
Frequently asked questions
Does my job need hydrovac?
If there's a marked gas, hydro or water line within the tolerance zone of the dig, part of it does. We'll tell you which part after the locates come back.
Is hydrovac safe for tree roots and foundations?
Yes — that's one of its advantages. It exposes roots and old footings without cutting them, which matters on the mature lots in West Galt and Preston.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote specific to your project.