Dig Work · Nanaimo
Foundation Digging & Footings in Nanaimo
Nanaimo Excavators digs foundations and footings for new homes across Nanaimo, Lantzville, Cedar and South Wellington. We cut to your engineer's drawings, get the BC 1 Call locate first, and shore or bench any trench over 1.2 metres before anyone works in it. You get the hole squared and ready for your inspector before the forms go in.
We dig footings and foundations to the depth and dimensions on your engineer's drawings, then shore or bench the trench before anyone works inside it. Every foundation dig gets a locate first — we won't put a bucket in the ground until BC 1 Call clears the site.
How deep do footings need to go?
Footing depth comes off your engineer's or building department's drawings, and frost depth, soil bearing and the structure above all factor in. We cut to the exact depth and dimensions specified and check it against the drawings before backfill.
Do you dig foundations for new homes?
Yes — new builds and additions both. We work off your engineer's drawings and the survey pins, so the hole lands where the forms have to go. We line the dig up with your builder too, so the hole isn't sitting open through a wet week.
What happens if the trench is over 1.2 metres deep?
WorkSafeBC requires any excavation over 1.2 metres that a worker enters to be sloped, benched, shored, or professionally engineered. We shore or bench every trench that crosses that line.
Where does foundation spoil actually go?
Most of it stays on your property. A foundation dig brings out a big pile of material, and where the lot has room we keep it and put it back as backfill against the wall once the drainage is in. That way you are not paying to load it, haul it and tip it.
Anything that has to leave goes to a private soil site, and we sort that out at the site walk.
What does rain do to an open foundation hole?
We time the dig around the rain, so we do not open your hole earlier than you need it. Water sits in the bottom and softens the ground you are about to build on. We watch the sides too, because they get heavier as they soak. So we line the dig up with your forms and your crew, and we dig it when you are ready to use it. If the weather turns while we are open, we pump the bottom out. Then we cut a channel, so the water runs away from the hole instead of into it.
How it works
Locate request — We file the locate request and confirm the site is clear before digging.
Excavation — We dig to the footing or foundation depth on your drawings, checking grade as we go.
Shoring & benching — Where the trench is deep, we slope, bench or shore it before anyone goes in.
Sign-off ready — We square the excavation and leave it ready for your building inspector or engineer to sign off before forms go in.
For related help, see site prep and grading, or compare typical prices in the excavation cost guide. Nanaimo Excavators also serves Lantzville. See also permits and locates.
Dig work in nearby communities
Ready for a quote on excavation in Nanaimo?
We walk your property and quote it free, anywhere in the Regional District of Nanaimo.
Text or call (778) 744-3128