Darwin Excavation Contractors

We assume something is down there until we know otherwise. Before every excavation we lodge a BYDA request, which brings back plans from the organisations that manage water, sewer, gas, power and telecommunications. Those plans only cover public networks, and older Darwin properties often have unrecorded private lines like stormwater, a cable to the shed or irrigation. So we also look for clues on the surface, such as meter boxes, sewer inspection openings and pit lids. If there's still doubt, we expose the line carefully by hand or with a vacuum truck. That's far cheaper than cutting a live cable or a water main.

It needs more planning. Darwin is mostly flat, so the challenge isn't slope, it's water. Low blocks near creeks, mangroves and the harbour, and rural lots that stay wet through the wet season, bring three questions: keeping the machine from getting bogged, supporting trench and pit walls in soft or saturated ground, and making sure the finished levels send water away from your building. That last one is the easiest to overlook. Changing your ground levels changes where runoff goes, including onto the neighbours, and a pad or cut without proper drainage can cause trouble in the first big storm of the wet. Drainage, and any retaining, should be designed together with the dig, not tacked on afterwards.

If it's suitable, keeping it on your block for landscaping or to raise a low corner is usually cheapest, since nothing needs trucking away. That only works if the soil is right for the job and there's a sensible spot for it. Clay-heavy or organic soil, for instance, makes poor fill under slabs and driveways. Any surplus is carted to an appropriate landfill or recycler. Clean fill and contaminated soil are handled and charged very differently, so when we quote, let us know about anything in your site's history, like an old fuel tank, buried rubbish or past industrial use.

You might. It depends on how deep you're cutting and filling, how close the work is to boundaries and buildings, and the type of land. Cliff-top coastal lots, flood-prone or storm-surge areas, waterways and protected vegetation can all trigger requirements under the NT Planning Scheme, and earthworks that are part of a building project may be covered by that approval. On low coastal ground, acid sulfate soils may also need to be assessed before digging. We'll point out anything that looks relevant when we visit, but please confirm with your local council or a registered building certifier before work starts.