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Excavation & civil works, Melbourne
Site cuts, bulk excavation, basements, trenching, stormwater drainage, grading and sub-base for homes, estates, developments and commercial sites. Services located before every dig, ticketed operators on every machine. Led by John, our demolition, excavation and civil works specialist.
Excavation quote
Send the site address and plans if you have them.
Services
What we dig, drain and prepare
From a single driveway trench to a full development site cut, with spoil managed and ground prepared for what comes next.
Site cuts & house padsResidential · knock-down rebuild
Cut and fill to engineer's levels for slabs, with batters, retaining and spoil removal.
Bulk excavation & basementsEstates · townhouses · commercial
Basements, pools, footings and bulk earthworks, with rock breaking where required.
Trenching & servicesWater · power · comms · sewer
Service trenches dug, bedded and backfilled to spec, coordinated with your plumber and electrician.
Stormwater & drainagePits · pipes · legal point of discharge
Stormwater lines, pits and agricultural drains that keep water away from slabs and pavements. Connections to the legal point of discharge are completed by licensed plumbers.
Grading & sub-baseDriveways · car parks · paths
Laser-levelled grading and compacted crushed-rock sub-base for driveways, car parks, paving and footpaths.
Demolition & clearingStructures · slabs · vegetation
Demolition of sheds, slabs, pools and structures, and site clearing ready for construction.
On site
Demolish, dig, drain, prepare
Recent Terraza civil and preparation work across Melbourne, the part of the job most people never see.
Plant
The right machine for the site
Tight Bayside access or an open development block, we match the machine to the job so you don't pay for more than you need.
How we dig safely
- Locate services first. We lodge a free Before You Dig Australia enquiry, review the asset plans and expose critical services by hand or vacuum before any machine digs.
- Permits & notifications. We check council requirements, such as asset protection permits and vehicle crossings, and WorkSafe Victoria requirements for deeper trenches before work starts.
- Dig to levels. Laser-controlled excavation to the engineer's or surveyor's levels, with batters or shoring where needed.
- Manage spoil properly. Clean fill is reused on site where possible. The rest is classified and taken to licensed facilities in line with EPA Victoria rules.
- Compact & hand over. Sub-base compacted in layers, with test results supplied when the project requires them.
How much does excavation cost in Melbourne?
Cost depends on volume, access, soil and rock, and how far spoil has to travel. As a guide:
| Work | Price | Main cost drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Mini excavator + operator | Quote on request | Access, minimum hours |
| Residential site cut | Quote on request | Fall of the block, volume, retaining |
| Bulk excavation | Quote on request | Rock, depth, spoil disposal |
| Stormwater drainage | Quote on request | Depth, pits, connection point |
| Spoil removal | Quote on request | Soil classification, distance |
Every Terraza quote is fixed-price and itemised, or hourly with a written estimate for smaller jobs.
For builders & developers
We deliver site cuts, services trenching and drainage ahead of your slab and follow up with concrete, paving and landscaping, so there's one less handover on your programme. See our builder program →
Questions
Excavation FAQ
Do I need a permit to excavate?
It depends on the council and the work. Many Melbourne councils require an asset protection permit before building works, and deeper trenches trigger WorkSafe requirements. We check this for you during the quote.
What happens if you hit rock?
Melbourne has pockets of basalt and hard rock. We allow for it in the quote when test holes or the geotech report show it, or quote rock breaking as a clear, separate rate.
Can you get machines into a narrow backyard?
Yes. Our smallest excavators fit through tight side access, and we protect driveways and lawns on the way in.
Do you remove the soil?
Yes. We reuse clean fill on site where possible and take the rest to licensed facilities in line with EPA Victoria requirements.
Start with the ground
Fixed-price excavation and civil quotes in 48 hours.