Excavation · Cambridge
Trenching in Cambridge
Trenching in Cambridge for water and sewer laterals, weeping tile, electrical conduit and sump and downspout discharge — dug to grade and backfilled properly.
A lot of Cambridge trenching is replacement, not new. Galt and Preston have thousands of homes on original clay sewer laterals and galvanized or old copper water services, and when they fail the repair means a trench from the house to the property line — sometimes to the main in the road, which brings the Region and the City into the job. We do the private side and coordinate the road-allowance side with the utilities.
The rest is the usual mix: a hydro run to a new garage or workshop, a conduit for a hot tub, weeping tile around a foundation, or a buried line so the sump and downspouts stop discharging beside the wall.
What's included
- Water service and sewer lateral trenches from the house to the property line
- Weeping tile and foundation drainage trenches
- Electrical and low-voltage conduit runs to garages, sheds, pools and hot tubs
- Sump and downspout discharge lines to daylight, a drywell or the storm connection where permitted
- Gas line trenches for your licensed gas fitter
- Bedding, backfill in compacted lifts, and surface restoration
Locates and hand-digging
Every trench starts with Ontario One Call locates, and in the older Cambridge neighbourhoods we assume the paint is approximate — services in Galt were laid before anyone kept good records. We hand-dig or hydrovac within the tolerance zone of every marked line. It's slower and it's the reason we haven't hit one.
Frost and slope
Water lines go below frost — four feet in Cambridge — and sewer laterals need a consistent fall to the main. A trench that's dug to depth but not to grade is a sewer that backs up. We shoot the grade before and after bedding.
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for the sewer lateral in Cambridge?
The homeowner owns the lateral from the house to the property line; the municipality owns it from there to the main. We handle the private side and coordinate the rest.
How deep does an electrical trench need to be?
It depends on the wiring method — direct-burial cable and conduit have different minimum depths under the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. Your electrician specifies it and we dig to it.
Do you restore the lawn or driveway after the trench?
Yes. Backfill is compacted in lifts so it doesn't settle, and we restore sod, gravel or interlock as agreed in the quote. Asphalt patching is arranged where a driveway is crossed.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote specific to your project.