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Licensed excavation, the Hills
Excavation & Earthworks Across the Hills
Knock-down rebuilds on the big sloping blocks of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Kellyville, builder site cuts on the new estates at Box Hill, North Kellyville and Rouse Hill, apartment basements at Norwest and Castle Hill, and acreage work at Dural, Glenhaven and Kenthurst. Shale clay and sandstone ridges handled, benched cuts and retaining planned in, 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
4.9★
Average rating
Free
Site quotes
What we do across the Hills
Excavation for every Hills job
Eight services across the Hills; each has its own page with the detail.
Excavation in the Hills
What's different about digging in the Hills
The Hills, in short
The Hills Shire sits north-west of Parramatta on the ridges between the Cumberland Plain and the Hawkesbury sandstone country. Castle Hill is the centre, with Baulkham Hills, Bella Vista and Norwest around it on the M2 and the Metro, and the Showground precinct filling with apartments. Kellyville, North Kellyville, Beaumont Hills and Rouse Hill are the 90s to 2010s estates along Windsor Road, and Box Hill is the North West Growth Area still being cut out of paddocks. North along Old Northern Road it turns to acreage: Glenhaven, Dural, Middle Dural, Kenthurst, Annangrove and Glenorie, rural residential blocks in the bush with the sandstone under them. West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook sit on the eastern edge toward Hornsby. The M2, M7, Windsor Road, Old Northern Road and Showground Road carry everything.
The houses, and what they need
The Hills housing is big. The 70s and 80s two-storey brick at Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, West Pennant Hills and Glenhaven sits on 700 to 1000 square metre sloping blocks, and a lot of it is now knock-down rebuild territory, with the new house bigger again and the block benched to take it. Kellyville and Beaumont Hills are 90s and 2000s project homes where the jobs are pools, extensions and granny flats. North Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Box Hill are builder site cuts on new lots and bulk earthworks on the release stages. The Showground, Norwest and Bella Vista are apartment sites with basements. And the acreage to the north is clearing, dams, house and shed pads and long driveways on rural ground. The common threads are slope and trees: most Hills jobs involve a benched cut, a retaining wall and a tree the council cares about.
The ground under the Hills
The Hills are the boundary between two kinds of ground. The ridges from Baulkham Hills up through Castle Hill and Kellyville are Wianamatta shale under deep reactive clay, the blue-grey shale close to the surface on the ridge tops and the clay deep on the slopes, moving with the seasons and needing compacted fill under any new slab. Drop into the gullies of Cattai Creek, Caddies Creek and Darling Mills Creek, or go north past Glenhaven toward Dural and Kenthurst, and the shale runs out and Hawkesbury sandstone takes over: thin sandy soil over rock, steep ground and bush. A knock-down rebuild in Castle Hill is a clay job; a house pad in Dural or Kenthurst usually hits sandstone in the first metre and needs a ripper or a breaker. The creek flats through Kellyville and Rouse Hill are soft and carry flood controls, and Box Hill’s release stages sit on filled and reshaped ground.
The council, the trees, and getting to you
The Hills Shire Council covers almost the whole region, with Hornsby taking Cherrybrook and the eastern edge. The Hills is known for protecting trees: mature trees on the older blocks and remnant bush on the acreage come with strict removal and root-zone rules, and a knock-down rebuild often has a tree condition on it before anything else. Bushfire ratings apply across the northern acreage and along the creek bushland, and asset protection zones control what can be cleared. Flood planning levels sit on the Cattai and Caddies Creek flats through Kellyville and Rouse Hill. Cut and fill on sloping blocks is regulated closely because of the retaining it needs. Everything beyond set limits goes through the DA or CDC, and we dig to the approved plans. Access is the M2 and M7 from the south, Windsor Road up the middle, and Old Northern Road out to the acreage.
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 Hills suburb we dig
Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills, the Growth Area estates, and the acreage north to Glenorie.
AnnangroveBaulkham HillsBeaumont HillsBella VistaBox HillCastle HillDuralGlenhavenGlenorieKellyvilleKenthurstMiddle DuralNelsonNorth KellyvilleNorth RocksNorwestRouse HillSouth MarootaWest Pennant Hills
Nearby areas we also cover
The Hills
Excavation across the Hills
From the sloping blocks of Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills to the new estates at Box Hill and North Kellyville, and the acreage at Dural, Glenhaven and Kenthurst.
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 The Hills, answered
How much does excavation cost in The Hills?
It depends on the volume of material, the ground (the ridges are wianamatta shale under deep reactive clay and the gullies 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 The Hills?
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 The Hills?
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 The Hills block slopes. How does a knock-down rebuild work?
The block is benched: cut into two or three levels to the engineer’s plan, with retaining walls where the levels meet, so the new house sits on a flat pad instead of on fill. Cut and fill on slopes is regulated, so it goes through the approval with the retaining design.
Is there rock in The Hills?
Yes. the ridges are Wianamatta shale under deep reactive clay and the gullies are Hawkesbury sandstone. North of Glenhaven and down in the gullies, sandstone is usually within the first metre, ripped where it’s weathered and broken where it’s solid. It’s in the quote when the site look finds it.
Will the council let me dig near my trees in The Hills?
The Hills is one of the strictest councils on trees. Mature trees and remnant bush have removal and root-zone rules, and a knock-down often comes with a tree condition before anything else. We flag it at the site look and dig to what’s approved.
Can you do house pads, dams and driveways on my The Hills acreage?
Yes. House and shed pads cut into the ridge, dams shaped in clay or cut into rock, and long driveways boxed and based. Tree and bushfire rules apply across the northern acreage and are checked before anything starts.
Can you dig a pool on my sloping The Hills block?
Yes, and it’s the standard Hills pool. The shell sits on a bench cut into the hillside, with a cut for the retaining wall on the uphill side and the downhill side formed. The pool builder’s engineer decides the bench, and the site look decides the machine.
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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