Excavation and grading work we do in Stoney Creek
As a Stoney Creek excavation contractor, we handle the digging and dirt work that comes before, and after, a build. The Hammer Construction does the machine work ourselves, and we're licensed and insured for it. If you need excavation in Stoney Creek, ON, here's the range we cover:
- Site and lot grading. Rough and final grading, regrading a yard that's holding water, and shaping a lot so the ground drains the way it should.
- Foundation and footing excavation. Digging out for a foundation, an addition, a garage pad, or footings.
- Trenching. For drainage, weeping tile, and service runs.
- Deck and fence footings. Post holes and footing holes dug to depth, the same trades we build, so the dig and the deck or fence line up as one job.
- Prep digs. Base excavation for patios, walkways, and retaining walls.
- Demolition and haul-off. Tearing out, then loading and hauling the soil and debris so the site's left clean.
Tell us what you're planning and we'll walk the site, talk through access and grade, and give you a free quote. No charge to come out and look.
Locates first: Ontario One Call before we dig
Nothing breaks ground until the locates are done. In Ontario it's the law, the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012, that anyone digging request locates from Ontario One Call first. That goes for a full foundation or a single fence post. We book it for you, and it's free.
The request goes in at least five business days ahead. Ontario One Call passes it to the utility owners, gas, hydro, water, telecom, and they come mark their buried lines on the property. Digging without locates is an offence under the Act, and it's how people hit a gas line or cut their own service. We don't skip it. It's the first thing on every excavation job.
Grading and drainage that move water the right way
Most excavation problems are really water problems. The rule we grade to is simple: water moves away from the house, and it never gets pushed onto a neighbour's land. We do lot grading and drainage in Stoney Creek that pitches the ground away from your foundation, cuts swales where the water needs a path, and runs downspouts out past the backfill instead of dumping them at the wall. On a new build, the grading has to follow the approved lot-grading plan, and we work to it.
Stoney Creek soil makes this matter. Down near the Lake Ontario shoreline and out through the old fruit lands of Winona and Fruitland, the ground runs sandier and drains faster. Up on Stoney Creek Mountain it turns to clay that holds water and sheds slow. Same fix either way, read the lot, set the grade, and get the water gone before it sits against the house.
Permits, the conservation authority, and the escarpment in Stoney Creek
Whether your dig needs a permit depends on what it's for. Excavation for a foundation is tied to the building permit for that structure. A demolition needs its own permit. Plain grading or landscaping often needs no building permit at all, but it still needs locates, and it still has to respect the grading rules. We confirm the permit side with the City before the machine shows up.
Stoney Creek is part of the City of Hamilton, so the conservation authority here is the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA)Under Ontario Regulation 41/24, in force since April 1, 2024, you need a permit before site alteration in a regulated area, near a watercourse, a floodplain, a wetland, or a steep slope. If your project is near any of that, the HCA may require a permit, and we confirm it before we break ground rather than after.
There's one more layer up the hill. Stoney Creek climbs the escarpment past the Devil's Punch Bowl and Felker's Falls, and land that's designated escarpment can also fall under the Niagara Escarpment Plan. If your lot sits in that zone, that's another approval we help you check. We won't guess that a specific property is regulated, we find out first.
Machine work that fits a Stoney Creek lot
Stoney Creek isn't one kind of lot, so the approach changes with where you are. The newer subdivisions up on the Mountain and around Heritage Green tend to be open, with room to bring a machine around the side and stage the dig. The older, lower lots near the lake and around Battlefield are tighter, closer setbacks, mature trees, less room to swing. We size the machine and plan the access to suit the yard instead of forcing one approach onto every job.
For anything structural, the depth is set by frost. Footings have to bear on undisturbed soil below the frost line, which runs about 1.2 m (4 ft) down in this part of southern Ontario. We dig to that depth so what we put in doesn't heave when the ground freezes and thaws. And because we do the digging ourselves, the crew that grades your lot is the same one that hauls the spoil off and leaves the site clean. Want a number on your project? Get a free quote and we'll lay it out.
What working with us looks like
- Free quote. Send your details through the contact form, or call or text (647) 424-1148. We come out, look at the site, and talk access, grade, and scope.
- Locates and plan. We book the Ontario One Call locates and confirm any permit or conservation-authority approval before a machine moves.
- Dig and grade. We excavate to depth, trench where it's needed, and grade the lot to move water away from the house.
- Haul and clean. Spoil and debris get loaded and hauled off, and we leave the site tidy.
- Final walkthrough. We walk the finished grade with you before we call it done.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need locates for a small dig in Stoney Creek?
Yes. The law applies to any dig, from a foundation down to one fence-post hole. We submit the request to Ontario One Call at least five business days ahead, the utilities mark their lines, and it's free. We handle it on every job.
Do I need a permit to excavate or grade in Stoney Creek?
It depends on the work. Foundation excavation is covered by the building permit for the structure, and a demolition needs its own permit. Plain regrading often needs no building permit, but if the work is near a watercourse, wetland, floodplain, or steep slope, the Hamilton Conservation Authority may require a permit under O. Reg. 41/24. We confirm all of it before we start.
How deep do footings have to go here?
Structural footings bear on undisturbed soil below the frost line, about 1.2 m (4 ft) down in this area. Digging to that depth is what keeps a foundation or footing from heaving over a freeze-thaw winter.
My lot's near the escarpment. Does that change anything?
It can. Land designated as escarpment around the Devil's Punch Bowl and Felker's Falls can fall under the Niagara Escarpment Plan, which is a separate approval on top of the City and the conservation authority. We help you check whether your lot's affected before any digging starts.
Do you haul the dirt away?
Yes. We load and haul off the excavated soil and debris and leave the site clean. Removal and disposal are part of the job, not an afterthought.
Get a free excavation quote in Stoney Creek
Planning a dig, a regrade, or a foundation in Stoney Creek? We'll come out, look at the lot, talk through access, grade, and what it'll take, and give you an honest quote with no pressure. The Hammer Construction is local, licensed and insured, and we do the digging ourselves, locates booked, dug to depth, graded to move water, and hauled clean. Get a free quote through our contact form, or call or text (647) 424-1148.