Excavation Shoring in Richmond Hill, ON | OCM Excavation

OCM Excavation is based in Richmond Hill and installs engineered excavation shoring on deep digs across the area, from Yonge Street infill builds to estate-lot foundation work in the Bayview corridor. Once a Richmond Hill excavation passes 1.2 metres in depth, Ontario law requires a shoring system, sloped walls, or a trench box before any worker can enter. We design and install hydraulic shores, steel trench boxes, and soldier pile systems sized for local silty clay till. For a same-week site visit, call 416-317-3090.

When Richmond Hill Projects Need Shoring

Shoring shows up on the Richmond Hill projects you’d expect: new basement excavations on tight infill lots, underpinning a 1970s split-level, replacing a collapsed septic with a sewer connection, deep weeping tile renewal, and additions where the new foundation lands beside the existing house. Soil across most of Richmond Hill is silty clay till — solid material when undisturbed, but Type 2 or 3 under Ontario Regulation 213/91, which means the 1.2-metre rule applies almost everywhere.

Hydraulic trench shores handle the majority of residential Richmond Hill jobs at depths between 1.2 and 3 metres. Deeper basement work, lot-line additions, and excavations next to neighbouring footings step up to soldier pile and lagging with stamped engineering drawings.

Shoring Methods We Run

• Hydraulic trench shores for residential trenches up to roughly 3 metres in Richmond Hill clay — weeping tile, sewer laterals, foundation repair pits.
• Steel trench boxes for longer utility trenches, side-yard gas and water replacements, and any trench where workers walk the full length.
• Soldier pile and lagging for deep basement digs on tight lots and for excavations sitting next to existing footings.
• Slide rail systems for wider parallel-trench work and projects where standard shore widths don’t span the opening.

Our Yanmar SV40 mini excavator works inside the standard side-yard footprints common in Richmond Hill subdivisions, which lets us place hydraulic shores without dropping a fence or losing landscaping.

Engineering, Permits, and the City’s Building Division

Building permits in Richmond Hill are issued through the City’s Building Division as part of the broader Planning and Building Services group. Shoring drawings usually ride along with the foundation submission for additions, underpinning, and lowered basements rather than as a standalone permit. Past roughly 3 metres of dig depth, or any time the excavation undermines an adjacent foundation, the shoring needs to be designed and sealed by a Professional Engineer in Ontario. We line up that engineering early so the design isn’t holding up the dig.

Typical Cost Range in Richmond Hill

Most residential shoring jobs in Richmond Hill run from $8,000 to $50,000. A short hydraulic-shored sewer trench can land near the low end. A full lot-line soldier pile system supporting a basement dig with engineering, monitoring, and lagging boards reaches the upper end on larger Richmond Hill lots. Depth, soil class, water table, and proximity to adjacent structures push the price more than location.

Why Richmond Hill Owners Choose OCM

We’re a Richmond Hill–based excavation crew that owns the equipment we run. That means we don’t pad shoring quotes with rental margins and we can mobilize quickly when a foundation surprise turns into a shoring job overnight. We’re fully insured under our commercial liability policy and we don’t put a worker in a trench over 1.2 metres without an approved support system in place. To talk through a Richmond Hill site, call 416-317-3090.

You can see related work on the service areas page, our basement underpinning in Richmond Hill, the sibling Vaughan shoring page, and Richmond Hill excavation contractor services.

Frequently Asked Questions

How deep can a Richmond Hill trench go before shoring is required?

Ontario Regulation 213/91 sets the threshold at 1.2 metres (4 feet) in Type 2, 3, or 4 soils. Almost all Richmond Hill ground is silty clay till, which falls in that range. Past 1.2 metres, the trench needs shoring, a trench box, or properly sloped walls before anyone enters it.

Will shoring damage my landscaping or driveway?

Hydraulic shores and trench boxes are lifted in and out by the excavator with minimal surface impact beyond the dig footprint itself. Soldier pile installation drills small holes along the dig line. We protect adjacent surfaces with plywood mats and quote any restoration needed up front so there are no surprises after backfill.

Can you shore an excavation next to my neighbour’s house?

Yes, and that’s exactly when shoring matters most. Lot-line excavations next to an existing Richmond Hill foundation typically use soldier pile and lagging with engineered drawings, plus condition documentation of the neighbour’s wall before we start. The dig face stays exposed for the shortest possible window.

Do I need a separate permit for shoring in Richmond Hill?

Usually not as a standalone document. Shoring drawings are typically reviewed as part of the foundation or underpinning permit submission to the City’s Building Division. The exception is a deeper or more complex shoring system that an engineer needs to detail separately. We handle the coordination either way.

How fast can you mobilize shoring in Richmond Hill?

For standard hydraulic shores or trench boxes on a job we’re already excavating, we can be on site the same week. Engineered soldier pile systems need design time first — typically one to two weeks for drawings, then a few days for materials. Call 416-317-3090 with the site details and we’ll give you a realistic mobilization window.

Get a Richmond Hill Shoring Quote

For shoring on any Richmond Hill deep excavation, call OCM at 416-317-3090 or use our contact page. We’ll review depth, soil, and adjacent structures and price the shoring scope clearly.

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