Excavation Contractor in Pickering

OCM Excavation & Construction is a working excavation contractor in Pickering. We dig foundations, basements, footings, septic beds and rough grading from Bay Ridges and Liverpool through Amberlea, Rosebank and West Shore, out to Whitevale and the Brougham hamlet to the north. Our crews work around Frenchman’s Bay, the Rouge River east tributaries and the Pickering Nuclear corridor along Montgomery Park Road. Call 416-317-3090 for a free site visit and quote on any Pickering excavation job.

Excavation Services We Run in Pickering

Pickering lots range from tight Bay Ridges bungalows on 40-foot frontages to estate parcels up by Whitevale and Greenwood. We size the equipment to the access. Common scopes:

• Residential foundation excavation — full open-cut digs for new builds and rebuilds, typically 2.4 to 3.0 metres deep to footing level.
• Basement digs and lowering — bench-cut underpinning prep and full basement excavations for older Liverpool and West Shore homes adding livable square footage.
• Footing trenches — strip footings for additions, garages, deck piers and porte-cochere extensions.
• Septic prep — bed excavation, tank pit and import of filter sand for rural Pickering properties north of Highway 7.
• Rough grading and lot prep — strip topsoil, cut to subgrade, shape for drainage and meet the lot grading plan filed with the City of Pickering.
• Mini-excavator work — backyard pool digs, window wells, trenching and tight side-yard access where a full-size machine won’t fit.
• Demolition and haul — garage take-downs, partial-house demolition, full residential demo with debris haul to an approved transfer station.

Pickering-Specific Conditions We Plan Around

Excavation in Pickering is not the same job as excavation in Oshawa or Toronto. A few things change how we price and schedule:

• City of Pickering Building Services issues demolition permits and reviews lot grading. Most demos and any work that changes site drainage need a permit before we mobilize.
• Conservation authority overlap — most of Pickering sits inside Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) jurisdiction (Rouge River east tributaries, Petticoat Creek, Frenchman’s Bay, Duffins Creek). The far east edge of the City near Carruthers Creek can fall under Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA). We confirm which authority applies before we touch a regulated property.
• Pickering Tree Protection Bylaw — the City protects mature private trees over a set diameter. Bylaw numbers and DBH thresholds get updated periodically, so we pull the current version from City staff before clearing.
• Frost depth — the Ontario Building Code minimum cover for footings in this region is 1.2 metres. We dig to that depth or deeper for any structural footing in Pickering.
• Soil — south Pickering (Bay Ridges, West Shore, Frenchman’s Bay) trends to clay-loam with sandier pockets close to Lake Ontario. North Pickering toward Brougham and Whitevale carries more glacial till and groundwater. Both affect shoring, dewatering and backfill choice.

Why Pickering Homeowners and Builders Hire OCM

We are a Durham- and GTA-experienced excavation crew. We bring the right machine — 3-ton minis through 30-ton excavators — and we have working relationships with the soil-haul yards and granular suppliers serving Pickering. We coordinate with your foundation contractor, surveyor and the City so the dig lines up with the footing pour and the lot grading certificate. See the full menu on our excavation services page, plus related work in foundation waterproofing and trenching and post drilling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to excavate in Pickering?

Most structural excavation in Pickering ties to a building or demolition permit issued by City of Pickering Building Services. Site alteration, grading changes and any dig inside a TRCA or CLOCA regulated area need their own approval. If your property is near Frenchman’s Bay, the Rouge, Petticoat Creek or Duffins Creek, expect a conservation review. We confirm what is required before the machine moves.

How deep do footings have to be in Pickering?

The Ontario Building Code sets a minimum frost cover of 1.2 metres for footings in this part of Ontario. For heated basements, footings sit deeper because the basement floor itself is below frost. On most Pickering lots we excavate 2.4 to 3.0 metres to footing level. Garages, sheds and deck piers also need to bear below the 1.2 metre frost line.

Is my Pickering property under TRCA or CLOCA?

Most of Pickering sits inside TRCA jurisdiction — Rouge River east tributaries, Petticoat Creek, Frenchman’s Bay and Duffins Creek all flow through TRCA territory. The far eastern edge of the City near Carruthers Creek and the Ajax border can fall under CLOCA. Boundaries follow watersheds, not roads, so we check the conservation mapping for your specific address before quoting.

How much does adding a basement excavation cost?

Basement excavation pricing depends on depth, soil, access and how much spoil has to leave the site. A straightforward open-cut basement on a clean Pickering lot is typically quoted in the low- to mid-five-figure range for the excavation scope alone. Bench-cut underpinning, shoring, dewatering or restricted access push that number up. We give a written number after we walk the site.

What is the timeline for an excavation job in Pickering?

A typical residential foundation dig in Pickering runs 2 to 5 working days on site once permits are in hand. Septic bed work is usually 3 to 7 days depending on tank type and field size. Full residential demolition with haul is generally 1 to 3 days. Conservation authority review, permit turnaround and weather are the variables that move start dates more than the dig itself.

Get a Pickering Excavation Quote

If you have a Pickering project — Bay Ridges basement, West Shore foundation, Whitevale septic bed, Liverpool addition or a Brougham rural build — we will come look at it. Call 416-317-3090 or request a free quote at our contact page. We answer the phone, we show up, and we price the job in writing.

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