Licensed excavation, Riverwood

Excavation & Earthworks Riverwood

Riverwood is a Federation-and-brick suburb on the Hurstville ridge, basement, pool and knock-down work over shale and shallow rock. The regular jobs here are basement digs, pool digs and site cuts. Services located first, sites left level and clean.

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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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Site quotes
What Shire and St George jobs need

Sandstone under the Shire, sand on the bay, and duplexes in between

Digging in Riverwood is sandstone country with sand on the bay and duplexes in between. Across the Shire the rock sits within a metre, so a pool, a basement or a garage cut is sawn at the boundaries and broken out; on the bayside flats it's Botany Bay sand with the water table close, shored and dewatered instead. The St George ridges are shale over sandstone and duplex territory, and bush gullies with bushfire ratings run through half the Shire, so the site look settles the ground before the quote.

Sandstone sawn at the boundaries, broken in the middle, carted as rock
Duplex pads cut to spec on the St George ridges
Dilapidation and vibration handled before the breaker starts
Fill placed in compacted layers for reactive clay
Excavation in Riverwood

What's different about digging in Riverwood

Riverwood, in short

Riverwood sits about 19 kilometres south of the city. It's anchored by Riverwood shops, Riverwood station and Salt Pan Creek. It's ringed by Peakhurst, Beverly Hills, Narwee and Padstow. What's changing: knock-down rebuilds, duplexes, pools and unit sites, and basements over shale and rock near the centres.

The houses, and what they need

Riverwood's housing near Riverwood shops runs to federation and post-war brick homes with apartments near the centres. Near Riverwood shops, duplex and unit sites cluster near the centres. The work that comes out of Riverwood is basement digs, pool digs and site cuts.

The ground under Riverwood

Around Riverwood shops, Riverwood is on Wianamatta shale over Hawkesbury sandstone on the Hurstville ridge. Sandstone sits close to the surface around Riverwood station, so a Riverwood cut is sawn at the boundaries and broken out for anything deep. Around Beverly Hills, reactive clay, so the fill is layered and compacted.

The council, access, and getting to you

Riverwood is in Georges River Council, and around Riverwood shops there's no flood or bushfire overlay, so it's a standard DA or CDC job. Machines come in to Riverwood off Stoney Creek Road or the Promenade.

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.

Services located 01

Assess & quote

Site visit, plan review and Dial Before You Dig. One clear quote covering dig, cartage and cleanup.

Access protected 02

Set out & protect

Levels marked, driveway and surfaces protected, machine sized to the site.

Spoil carted 03

Dig & cart

Dug to plan and level, spoil carted as we go so the site keeps moving.

To level 04

Trim & hand over

Site trimmed, tidy and to level, ready for the next trade.

A trench can be a day, a basement can be weeks. Dates come with the quote, not after.

Where we work

Where around Riverwood we dig

Riverwood and the streets around it, from the older estates to the new blocks.

PeakhurstBeverly HillsNarweePadstow
Sutherland Shire & St George

Excavation across Riverwood

From the older streets to the newer blocks, Riverwood and the suburbs around it. If you're anywhere in the Riverwood area, we can get to you.

See the whole Shire and St George →
Recent work

Sites we've dug

Backyards to building sites, right across Sydney.
Penrith Site cut
Castle Hill Pool dig
Ryde Basement
Liverpool Civil
“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
“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 Riverwood, answered

How much does excavation cost in Riverwood?

It depends on the volume of material, the ground (wianamatta shale over hawkesbury sandstone on the hurstville ridge), 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 Riverwood?

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 Riverwood?

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.

Is there rock in Riverwood?

Yes. Wianamatta shale over Hawkesbury sandstone on the Hurstville ridge. Across the Shire and on the St George ridges, sandstone is usually within the first metre, so pools, basements and garage cuts are rock jobs: sawn at the boundaries, broken in the middle, carted as rock. It’s in the quote from the site look.

Can you dig a pool into the rock on my Riverwood block?

Yes, and it’s the standard Shire pool. The shell outline is sawn into the sandstone, the middle is broken out, the rock is carted, and the edges are left clean for the concrete or the fibreglass shell. Slower than a clay dig and priced for it.

Do you do duplex site cuts in Riverwood?

Yes. Through St George it’s the most common job: the old house down, slab and footings out, the block stripped, and two pads cut to the engineer’s spec, in clay on the ridge top and into sandstone where the design goes deep.

There’s no way to get a machine onto my Riverwood waterfront block. Can you still dig?

Yes. Mini machines are craned in over the house or walked through it, rock is broken out and craned or barrowed away, and on the Port Hacking and Georges River blocks a barge is sometimes the answer. Slower than a side-gate job and priced for it.

Why do slabs and driveways crack around Riverwood?

Reactive clay. It swells in wet winters and shrinks in dry summers, and anything poured on loose or uncompacted fill moves with it. A pad cut and filled in compacted layers to the engineer’s spec is what stops the new slab doing the same thing.

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
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Excavator arm breaking rock on a Sydney site
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Tell us about the job. We'll look at the site before quoting, so you know what's included before anything starts.

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