Foundation excavation in Berwick & Casey.

• Strip footings — continuous trench under load-bearing walls. Typical 300–600mm wide, 600–1200mm deep. Standard for brick-veneer extensions on stable ground.
• Pad footings — square or rectangular pits under columns, posts or point loads. 600–1500mm a side, 600–1500mm deep. Common for verandas, carports, sheds and steel-post outbuildings.
• Piered footings — drilled cylindrical holes anchored below the reactive-clay active zone. 300–600mm diameter, 1.5–3m deep on Casey clay. Mandatory on AS 2870 Class M/H sites for any structural footing.
• Slab edge / stiffener beam cuts — the perimeter and internal stiffener beams under a raft slab. Trenched to engineer’s spec, usually 300–500mm deep with crisp 90° edges.
• Retaining-wall footings — linear trench matching the retaining engineer’s drawing. Width and depth from the wall design.

Why piered footings matter on Casey clay.

Endeavour Hills, Hampton Park, eastern Hallam and Narre Warren North all sit on AS 2870 Class M to H1 reactive clay. That clay swells and shrinks 30–50mm seasonally as moisture changes. A standard strip footing within that active zone (top 1–2m) moves with the clay, and any brickwork or slab tied to it cracks. Piers drilled below the active zone (typically 1.5–3m) anchor the footing to stable ground. The engineer designs the pier spec; we drill, clean and concrete to spec.

Set-out and depth verification.

We set out from the engineer’s drawings or the surveyor’s pegs. Every footing trench gets depth-checked with a tape before any concrete arrives — the inspector won’t pass a shallow footing and your structural engineer won’t sign off either. Corners squared, base scraped clean of loose spoil, sides plumb where the engineer requires it.

Worksafe and Dial Before You Dig.

Every job starts with a DBYD plan overlay. Marked services within 600mm get hand-dug. Trenches over 1.5m deep get shoring, benching or engineered battering per the SWMS — not negotiable. Our $20M public liability and workers comp certificates are emailed before deposit.

Pricing.

• Wet-hire daily rate 5t excavator: $1,100–$1,500/day, mini-ex on tight blocks: $900–$1,200/day
• Single-storey rear extension footings: $2,200–$4,200
• Two-storey extension footings: $3,500–$6,500
• Pad footings for veranda or carport: $1,200–$2,500
• Retaining-wall footing trench, 15m run: $1,500–$3,500