Cambridge Excavation Company
Excavation Contractors Serving Cambridge and Waterloo Region
Fennex Cambridge Excavation Pros is an excavation company based in Cambridge, Ontario, digging foundations, trenches, driveways and building sites for homeowners, builders and businesses. Our excavating contractors have worked the clay, till and gravel of Waterloo Region for more than 40 years.
We serve Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Woolwich, Puslinch and Wilmot, plus any job within about a 30-minute drive of our yard. One company can take your project from the first locate request to final grade, so you are not coordinating three separate trades.
Fennex is licensed and insured, covered by WSIB and holds a COR safety certification through IHSA. We also answer the phone seven days a week, with evening hours most excavation contractors in the region do not keep.
Excavation Services We Offer
We handle nearly every kind of digging a home or job site needs, from foundations and septic beds to driveways, drainage and demolition. Find your type of project below to see how we do the work and what shapes the cost.
Foundation, Basement and Backyard Digging
Digging below grade is where accuracy matters most, because a footing set too shallow or a wall left unsupported causes problems for decades. We handle foundation excavation for new homes and additions, basement excavation and lowering and shoring and underpinning excavation for older houses.
Around the house, we dig basement walkouts and separate entrances, shape holes for inground pool excavation and auger footings through our post and pole hole digging service for decks, fences and pole barns.
Site Prep, Clearing and Grading
Every build starts with a stable, well-drained pad. We provide site preparation for new construction, land clearing of trees, brush and stumps and grading and levelling that sends water away from the house.
Once the walls are up, our backfilling service places and compacts material in lifts so the ground around your foundation does not settle.
Utility Trenches, Service Lines and Septic
Service trenches have to hit exact depths and slopes, and any trench deeper than 1.2 m (4 ft) needs sloping or a support system under Ontario's construction regulation. We dig utility trenching for buried electrical and communication lines and sewer, water and storm line excavation for new connections and replacements.
Rural lots without municipal sewer rely on our septic system excavation for tanks and leaching beds.
Drainage Fixes and Erosion Control
Wet basements and soggy yards usually trace back to water with nowhere to go. Our drainage excavation service covers French drains, weeping tile replacement digs and culverts under driveways.
On slopes, creek banks and open sites, erosion control with silt fence, rip rap and erosion blankets keeps soil on your property and out of the Grand River watershed.
Demolition, Concrete and Pool Removal
We take down sheds, garages, houses and small commercial buildings through our demolition service, then sort and haul the debris. Old patios, slabs and walkways are cleared by concrete breaking and removal with a hydraulic hammer.
Unwanted inground pools are taken out through swimming pool removal, with compacted fill so the yard can carry a lawn or a future addition.
Road, Driveway and Parking Lot Construction
Pavement fails from the bottom up, so the excavation and granular base matter more than the surface. We handle private and subdivision road construction, driveway excavation and preparation and parking lot construction on Granular B subbase and Granular A base, compacted in lifts.
Environmental Excavation
Fuel-stained soil and abandoned oil tanks need careful handling and a proper receiving site. Our environmental excavation and remediation service removes contaminated material and manages excess soil under O. Reg. 406/19.
Operated Mini Excavators and Bobcats
Some jobs need a small machine and a skilled operator for a few hours, not a full crew. Our mini excavator and Bobcat services fit through many backyard gates for landscaping digs, footings, short trenches and cleanup.
Excavation for Homeowners and Commercial Clients
We work for both homeowners and commercial clients, and each needs something different from an excavation contractor. Homeowners want a clean yard and clear answers, while builders and property managers need schedules met and paperwork in order.
Residential Excavation
For homeowners, we dig new home foundations, additions, walkouts, pools, drainage repairs and driveway bases, usually on lots with fences, gardens and neighbours close by. Our residential excavation services page explains how we plan access, protect lawns and keep a backyard project on schedule.
Commercial Excavation
For builders, developers and property managers, we handle building pads, site servicing, parking lots, demolition and environmental digs. Our commercial excavation services page covers our COR safety program, WSIB clearance and how we work alongside general contractors.
Why Fennex Is the Excavation Company Cambridge Calls
Cambridge homeowners and builders call Fennex because we pair four decades of local digging with the safety credentials larger contractors require. We also pick up the phone after other excavation companies have closed for the day.
Over 40 Years Digging in Waterloo Region
Fennex has been excavating in Waterloo Region for more than 40 years. That time teaches you how the ground behaves here, from dense clay till that holds water against a foundation wall to the sand and gravel of the Waterloo, Paris and Galt moraines that can cave into an unsupported trench.
It also means we know what local municipalities, the Grand River Conservation Authority and building inspectors expect to see on site. Fewer surprises on inspection day keep your project moving.
COR Certified, WSIB Covered, Licensed and Insured
Fennex holds a Certificate of Recognition (COR) through the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA), an audited standard for construction safety programs. Many general contractors and public owners ask for COR before they award excavation work.
We are licensed, insured and covered by WSIB, so a workplace injury on your property is handled through our coverage. Before any job, you can ask for our WSIB clearance certificate, which protects you from liability for a contractor's unpaid premiums.
Open Seven Days a Week
We are open Monday to Saturday from 7:00am to 9:30pm and Sunday from 9:00am to 9:00pm. Most excavation companies in the area close by late afternoon, so evening calls often go to voicemail.
Our hours mean you can call after work, walk a site with us on a Saturday or talk through a project on a Sunday.
How an Excavation Project Works With Us
Most projects follow the same four steps, whether it is a set of deck footings or a full basement dig. The biggest timing factors before digging starts are underground locates and any permits the work needs.
- 01
Free Quote and Site Visit
Every project starts with a free quote, usually based on a visit to your property. We look at machine access, soil, slopes, nearby structures and where excavated material will go, then give you a written price and scope.
- 02
Locates and Permits
Before any digging, we request utility locates through Ontario One Call, which is free and required by law. Utility owners have up to five business days to respond to a standard request, so we book them early.
We also flag permits your project may need, such as a municipal building permit, a Grand River Conservation Authority permit near watercourses or a site alteration permit for major grade changes.
- 03
Excavation Day
On dig day we bring the right size machine for the job, from a mini excavator for a fenced backyard to a full-size excavator and dump trucks for a foundation. Ground mats protect lawns and driveways along the travel route.
Trenches and holes deeper than 1.2 m (4 ft) are sloped, benched or shored as O. Reg. 213/91 requires, before anyone works inside them.
- 04
Backfill, Grading and Cleanup
Once footings, pipes or tanks are in and inspected, we backfill in compacted lifts and grade the surface so water drains away from buildings. The site is left raked and ready for the next trade, whether that is a framer, a landscaper or a paving crew.
Serving Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Nearby Townships
Fennex works anywhere within roughly a 30-minute drive of our Cambridge yard. Each community below has its own page covering local soils, permits and the work we do most there.
- Cambridge excavation, including Galt, Preston and Hespeler
- Kitchener excavation
- Waterloo excavation
- Guelph excavation
- Woolwich Township excavation, including Elmira, St. Jacobs and Breslau
- Puslinch excavation, including Aberfoyle and Morriston
- Wilmot Township excavation, including New Hamburg and Baden
Not sure if your property is inside our radius? Our full list of excavation service areas also covers nearby communities such as Ayr and Rockwood.
What Does Excavation Cost?
Residential excavation in Waterloo Region generally ranges from a few thousand dollars for a small dig to $15,000 or more for a full foundation or basement project. The exact price depends on how much material moves, how far it travels and what the ground looks like once the bucket goes in.
The main cost drivers are:
- Volume and depth of the dig, measured in cubic metres
- Machine access, especially narrow gates, steep lots or overhead wires
- Soil type, groundwater and any bedrock or old concrete that needs a hydraulic hammer
- Trucking and disposal of excess soil, which rises if testing is needed under O. Reg. 406/19
- Shoring, permits and restoration such as topsoil, seed or sod
We give a firm, written price after a free site visit, so you know the number before a machine arrives.
Excavation FAQs
How much does excavation cost per hour in Ontario?
Across Southern Ontario, a mini excavator with an operator generally runs about $120 to $180 per hour, and a full-size excavator about $180 to $280 per hour. Trucking, disposal and minimum call-out charges are usually extra.
For a clearly defined job, a fixed quote after a site visit is often easier to budget than an hourly rate.
Do I need to call Ontario One Call before excavation?
Yes. The Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act requires a locate request before any digging, even for fence posts or garden beds, and the service is free.
When you hire Fennex, we submit the locate request and wait for the utilities to clear or mark the site before we dig.
Do you help with permits?
Yes, we help you identify which permits apply and supply the excavation details they ask for. The property owner or general contractor applies for the building permit itself, since it covers the whole project rather than just the dig.
We also flag when a conservation authority permit, a municipal site alteration permit or a road occupancy permit for work in the boulevard may be needed.
Do you take on small excavation jobs?
Yes. Small jobs such as a single trench, a few deck footings or a patio removal suit our operated mini excavator and Bobcat services, which leave far less lawn damage than a full-size machine.
Are you open on weekends?
Yes. Saturday hours match our weekdays, 7:00am to 9:30pm, and on Sunday we are open from 9:00am to 9:00pm.
Get a Free Excavation Quote
Tell us what you are building, fixing or removing, and we will give you a written excavation quote with no obligation. Photos of the site and any drawings help us price it faster.
Call us any day of the week or send the form, and our Cambridge team will get back to you to book a site visit.
- Fennex Cambridge Excavation Pros
- 725 Briardean Rd, Cambridge, ON N3H 4R6
- +1 226-894-8631
- info@fennexexcavation.ca
- Mon to Sat 7:00am to 9:30pm
Sun 9:00am to 9:00pm