Commercial Site Works Contractor
Commercial Excavation Services in Cambridge and Waterloo Region
Fennex Cambridge Excavation Pros is a commercial excavation contractor serving general contractors, developers, property managers and institutions across Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and the surrounding townships. We have been moving earth in this region for more than 40 years.
Our commercial work covers the full site works package: clearing and stripping, mass excavation, building pads, underground servicing, shoring, demolition, and the granular base for roads and parking lots. We can take on a single scope as a subcontractor or carry the site works from bare land to paving-ready grade.
Prequalification is usually the first hurdle, so we keep it simple. Fennex holds the IHSA Certificate of Recognition (COR), carries WSIB coverage and commercial insurance, and works to O. Reg. 213/91 on every excavation.
Commercial Excavation and Site Works We Deliver
We deliver excavation and site works for four main project types: industrial, retail and office, institutional, and multi-residential. Each one has different priorities, so we plan crews, equipment and phasing around what the owner actually needs from the site.
Industrial and Warehouse Sites
Industrial projects in business parks along Highway 401 and Highway 8 need large, flat, well-compacted building pads and heavy-duty yards for truck traffic. We strip topsoil, cut and fill to the geotechnical engineer's design, and place engineered fill in controlled lifts so the slab-on-grade will not settle.
Servicing for these sites often includes long storm runs to ponds or oil-grit separators, plus sanitary and fire water mains.
Retail and Office Developments
Retail plazas and office buildings depend on parking, access and drainage working on day one. We handle the site preparation, curb and catch basin excavation, and the granular structure for drive aisles and stalls.
On renovations and pad additions, we work around open storefronts and keep fire routes and entrances clear.
Institutional and Municipal Projects
Schools, churches, community centres and public works projects come with tighter documentation, safety and scheduling rules. Our COR program, daily safety records and clean paperwork are built for that level of scrutiny.
Many of these jobs happen next to occupied buildings, so noise windows, dust control and pedestrian separation are planned in advance.
Multi-Residential and Subdivision Work
Townhouse blocks, low-rise apartments and subdivision phases need roads, servicing and foundations dug in a tight sequence. We excavate foundations block by block, install laterals, and build road base so the builder's trades are never waiting on the dirt crew.
Excess soil from these projects usually triggers O. Reg. 406/19 planning, which we build into the schedule from the start.
Earthworks and Site Servicing
Earthworks and servicing are the core of most commercial excavation packages, and they set the quality of everything built on top. Our commercial site preparation service covers clearing, topsoil stripping and stockpiling, cut and fill, proof-rolling and the engineered fill under slabs and pavements.
Underground work follows. Our utility trenching service installs hydro, gas, telecom and irrigation duct banks, while our sewer, water and storm line excavation service digs and beds sanitary sewers, watermains, storm sewers and service connections to municipal and OPSS specifications.
Deep cuts beside property lines, roads or existing buildings need engineered support. Through our shoring excavation service, we work with trench boxes, hydraulic shoring and engineer-designed systems so excavation walls stay where they belong.
Roads, Parking Lots and Paving Prep
A pavement only lasts as long as the granular structure under it, so we build the base to the engineer's section and test it before paving. Typical commercial sections combine a compacted subgrade, 300 mm or more of Granular B Type I subbase and 150 mm of Granular A base, with geotextile over weak clay.
Our road construction service builds private roads, subdivision roads and site entrances, including ditching, culverts and curb line prep. For plazas, offices and industrial yards, our parking lot construction service handles excavation, catch basins, storm connections and fine grading to the elevations that make the lot drain.
Demolition and Environmental Work
Redevelopment sites usually start with taking something out, whether that is a building, a slab or impacted soil. Our commercial demolition service removes buildings and structures after designated substance surveys and abatement are complete, sorting steel, concrete and wood for recycling.
Slabs, footings, curbs and old pavement come out through our concrete breaking and removal service, often crushed and reused as fill where the specification allows it.
Former industrial and fuel sites may need environmental excavation and soil remediation. We excavate impacted soil to your environmental consultant's limits and keep disposal records for the file.
Safety and Prequalification
Fennex is COR certified, WSIB covered and insured, and we can send prequalification documents quickly when you request them. Safety on our sites is planned, written down and audited, not left to chance.
IHSA Certificate of Recognition (COR)
COR is a health and safety accreditation awarded by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) after an external audit of a company's safety program. It confirms that hazard assessments, training, inspections and incident investigations are actually practised in the field.
Many public sector owners and large general contractors in Ontario now ask for COR on tender, and Fennex already holds it.
WSIB Clearance and Insurance
Under Ontario law, a principal can be held responsible for unpaid WSIB premiums of a contractor working for them. We provide a current WSIB clearance certificate on request, and you can confirm it yourself through the WSIB clearance certificate lookup.
Certificates of insurance naming the owner or GC as additional insured are also available on request.
Compliance With O. Reg. 213/91
Ontario's Construction Projects regulation, O. Reg. 213/91, sets the rules for excavations, including support systems for walls deeper than 1.2 m (4 ft). We classify soil as Type 1 to Type 4, then slope, bench or shore accordingly.
Our crews also keep spoil piles at least 1 m back from the edge, maintain safe ladder access, and inspect excavations daily and after rain.
How We Work With GCs, Developers and Property Managers
We work as a straightforward site works partner: clear pricing, a realistic schedule and records you can hand to the owner or the municipality. Here is how that looks in practice.
Tender Pricing and Unit Rates
We price commercial excavation either as a lump sum against the drawings and geotechnical report, or as unit rates per cubic metre, linear metre or tonne. Unit rates suit jobs where quantities will change, such as rock, unsuitable soil or extra excess soil.
Our bids list what is included and what is excluded, so there are no surprises in the change order log.
Scheduling and Phasing
On occupied or partially open sites, we phase the work so customers, tenants and emergency vehicles keep moving. That can mean working in sections, holding temporary access on granular, or doing tie-ins during evenings and quiet hours.
Our long operating hours, seven days a week, give us room to schedule around business hours when a site needs it.
Reporting and Documentation
We keep daily logs of crews, equipment, quantities and weather, along with excavation inspection records. Compaction testing by the owner's geotechnical firm is scheduled with us and the results are tracked lift by lift.
For soil leaving the site, we keep load tickets and hauling records that match the excess soil plan, so the owner has a complete paper trail.
Where We Provide Commercial Excavation
We provide commercial excavation from our Cambridge yard to homes, farms and businesses within about a 30-minute drive of Cambridge. Choose your community for local permit, soil and neighbourhood details.
Commercial Excavation FAQs
Are you COR certified?
Yes. Fennex holds the IHSA Certificate of Recognition (COR), and we can provide a copy with our prequalification package.
Can you provide a WSIB clearance certificate?
Yes. We provide a current WSIB clearance certificate before work starts and can supply updated certificates through the project as your accounts payable team requires.
Can you work on active, occupied sites?
Yes, most of our commercial work happens beside open businesses, schools or occupied buildings. We fence and separate work zones, keep fire routes open, plan truck movements away from peak hours, and phase the excavation so the property keeps functioning.
Do you handle excess soil documentation?
Yes. We work to the project's excess soil plan under O. Reg. 406/19, On-Site and Excess Soil Management, keeping load tickets and hauling records that show where every truck went.
Where the regulation requires a notice in the Excess Soil Registry or a soil characterization report, the owner's Qualified Person prepares it and we follow it in the field.
Request a Commercial Quote or Bid
Send us your drawings, geotechnical report and schedule, and we will return a clear price with inclusions, exclusions and unit rates. If you are still in early planning, we are happy to walk the site and help you budget the earthworks.
We respond quickly to bid invitations and can send prequalification documents the same week.
- 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