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Licensed excavation, the Inner West
Excavation & Earthworks Across the Inner West
Terrace and semi digs in Newtown, Marrickville, Leichhardt and Balmain, knock-down rebuilds and duplexes across Ashfield, Burwood and Strathfield, and river-block work at Drummoyne, Five Dock and Concord. Sandstone handled, old fill and heritage rules sorted, machines through the house or over the fence when there’s no other way in.
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✓ Licensed operators
✓ Dial Before You Dig
✓ Fully insured work
✓ Local Sydney crew
Rock
Digs handled
Mini to 35t
Machine range
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Free
Site quotes
What we do across the Inner West
Excavation for every Inner West job
Eight services across the Inner West; each has its own page with the detail.
Excavation in the Inner West
What's different about digging in the Inner West
The Inner West, in short
The Inner West is the ring of suburbs immediately west of the city between the Parramatta River and the Cooks River, from Glebe, Annandale and Balmain on the harbour through Newtown, Marrickville and Leichhardt to Ashfield, Burwood and Strathfield, with Drummoyne, Five Dock, Concord and the Canada Bay suburbs along the river. Inner West Council covers most of it; Burwood, Strathfield and Canada Bay councils take the west and the river. Parramatta Road runs through the middle, the City West Link and Victoria Road along the north, the Princes Highway and King Street down the south, and the rail line through Newtown, Ashfield and Strathfield. It’s dense, old and being rebuilt one block at a time.
The houses, and what they need
The Inner West is terraces and semis in the east, federation houses in the middle and 20s and 30s bungalows in the west, and a lot of it is heritage conservation area: Haberfield in its entirety, and large parts of Balmain, Glebe, Annandale, Leichhardt, Marrickville, Ashfield and Strathfield. The jobs follow the houses. On the terrace blocks it’s under-house basements, rear extensions with the old front kept, and plunge pools in yards eight metres wide, all reached through the house or over the fence. On the federation and bungalow streets it’s knock-down rebuilds where the overlay allows, duplexes in Strathfield and Burwood, and pools through a narrow side passage. Along Parramatta Road, the rail line and the river it’s apartment basements on old industrial and commercial sites, with fill and contamination in the ground.
The ground under the Inner West
The ridges are sandstone: Balmain, Glebe, Annandale, Drummoyne, Five Dock and the high ground of Marrickville and Dulwich Hill sit on Hawkesbury sandstone at or near the surface, which is why the old houses have sandstone footings and the terraces have rock under the floorboards. The flat ground of Ashfield, Burwood, Strathfield and Croydon is Wianamatta shale under reactive clay, the same ground as the western suburbs, and slabs there crack for the same reason. The low ground along the Cooks River at Marrickville and Tempe, the Parramatta River at Rhodes, Concord and Mortlake, and the old industrial land along Parramatta Road carries a century of fill, some of it contaminated, and acid sulfate soil close to the water. The Cooks River flats flood. On a given street the ground can change from rock to fill within a block.
The councils, the heritage, and getting to you
Inner West, Burwood, Strathfield and Canada Bay councils all run heritage conservation areas across their older streets, and the conditions matter: work near a listed house, excavation under a terrace, and anything in Haberfield comes with heritage conditions and can come with an archaeological watching brief. Flood planning levels apply along the Cooks River and the low ground at Marrickville and Tempe. Contamination and acid sulfate maps cover the river flats and the old industrial land. Tree protection is firm, and the councils set working hours for rock breaking near neighbours. Cut and fill and any under-house work goes through the DA or CDC with the engineer’s underpinning and shoring design, and we dig to the approved plans. Access is Parramatta Road, the City West Link and Victoria Road, and the last hundred metres is usually a lane.
How it runs
First call to clean handover
Every job follows the same sequence, whether it's a single trench or a full site cut.
A trench can be a day, a basement can be weeks. Dates come with the quote, not after.
Where we work
Every Inner West suburb we dig
The terrace streets, the federation belt and the river suburbs along the Parramatta.
AbbotsfordAnnandaleAshburyAshfieldBalmainBalmain EastBirchgroveBurwoodCabaritaCamperdownCanada BayChiswickConcordConcord WestCroydonCroydon ParkDrummoyneDulwich HillEnfieldEnmoreFive DockForest LodgeGlebeHaberfieldHomebushHurlstone ParkLeichhardtLewishamLiberty GroveLilyfieldMarrickvilleMortlakeNewtownNorth StrathfieldPetershamRhodesRodd PointRozelleRussell LeaSt PetersStanmoreStrathfieldSummer HillSydenhamTempeWareemba
Nearby areas we also cover
City & South SydneyParramatta & CumberlandBankstown & CanterburyRyde & Hornsby
Inner West
Excavation across the Inner West
From the terraces of Newtown, Marrickville and Balmain to the federation streets of Ashfield and Strathfield, and the river blocks at Drummoyne and Five Dock.
See all Sydney areas →Recent work
Sites we've dug
Penrith Site cut
Castle Hill Pool dig
Ryde Basement
Liverpool Civil
“Very easy to deal with.
Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith
Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith
“Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill
“Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde
“Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool
“Very easy to deal with. Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith “Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill “Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde “Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool
“Very easy to deal with. Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith “Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill “Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde “Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool
Excavation in Inner West, answered
How much does excavation cost in Inner West?
It depends on the volume of material, the ground (the ridges are hawkesbury sandstone), access for the machine and how far spoil has to be carted. Every job gets a written quote after a site look, with the dig, cartage and cleanup spelled out, so you know what’s included before anything starts.
Do I need council approval before you dig in Inner West?
Usually, if the excavation is part of a build. Cut and fill beyond set limits, work near boundaries and anything on a lot with a flood, bushfire or heritage overlay needs approval as part of the DA or CDC. We work to the approved plans; check with your certifier before the dig is booked.
How long does an excavation job take in Inner West?
A trench, pool dig or single pad is a day or two; a knock-down site cut or a basement runs longer and depends on volume, ground and weather. Dates come with the quote, not after.
My Inner West house has no side access at all. How does the machine get in?
Through the house on boards with the floor protected, or over the back fence by crane. Spoil comes out the same way or by conveyor into a skip in the lane. Slower than a side gate and priced for it, but it’s how most Inner West yards get dug.
My Inner West house is in a heritage conservation area. What does that mean for the dig?
Conditions on the approval, usually about keeping the front of the house, protecting the neighbours’ walls, and sometimes an archaeologist watching the dig on the oldest streets. Haberfield and the older parts of Balmain, Glebe and Marrickville are the strictest. We dig to what’s approved.
Is there rock in Inner West?
Yes. the ridges are Hawkesbury sandstone, the flats are shale under clay, and the river ground is a century of fill. The ridge suburbs sit on sandstone at or near the surface, often right under the floorboards of a terrace. It’s sawn against the party walls and broken out, and it’s in the quote from the site look.
Can you dig a basement under my Inner West terrace?
Yes, and it’s one of the most common Inner West jobs. The house is supported to the engineer’s underpinning design, the ground under it is dug in stages through the front or rear, and rock is sawn at the party walls so the neighbours’ footings stay put. Spoil goes out by conveyor.
Could the ground on my Inner West block be contaminated?
Along the rivers, Parramatta Road and the old industrial land, possibly. A century of fill is common and some of it carries lead, ash and asbestos. Council maps flag it, spoil is classified and managed to a plan, and the site look prices the handling honestly.
What happens next
Tell us the job. We'll size it up.
✓ Tell us the suburb, the access and what needs digging
✓ We'll come out and look before quoting anything
✓ You'll get a written quote with what's included spelled out
✓ The machine's matched to your access, not whatever's free
✓ Clear on spoil, cartage and cleanup before we start
✓ No obligation, no pressure
Free quote
Ready to get your dig underway?
Tell us about the job. We'll look at the site before quoting, so you know what's included before anything starts.
✓ Written quote after a proper site look
✓ Free quote after a proper site assessment
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