Licensed excavation, Clovelly

Excavation & Earthworks Clovelly

Clovelly is a beach-and-cliff suburb on sandstone, pool, basement and retaining work cut into rock on the steep blocks. The regular jobs here are basement digs, pool digs and retaining walls. Services located first, sites left level and clean.

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Licensed operators
Dial Before You Dig
Fully insured work
Local Sydney crew
Rock
Digs handled
Mini to 35t
Machine range
4.9★
Average rating
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Site quotes
What Eastern Suburbs jobs need

Sandstone or sand, and the neighbour’s wall either way

Digging in Clovelly sits on one of two grounds, and both are difficult in their own way. The headlands and harbour slopes are sandstone at the surface, sawn and broken out a metre from the neighbour's footing; behind the beaches it's deep sand with the water table close, shored and dewatered because it collapses if it's cut vertical. The blocks are tight, heritage overlays cover the older streets, and access is often by crane over the roof, so the site look settles the approach before the quote.

Sandstone sawn at the boundaries, broken in the middle, carted as rock
Dilapidation and vibration handled before anything starts
Crane and through-house access planned for blocks with no way in
Services located before anything moves, older streets have surprises
Excavation in Clovelly

What's different about digging in Clovelly

Clovelly, in short

Clovelly sits about 8 kilometres east of the city. Locals place it by Clovelly Beach, Gordons Bay and Waverley Cemetery nearby. It's ringed by Coogee, Bronte, Waverley, Randwick and South Coogee. What's changing: knock-down rebuilds, pools and basement garages cut into the cliff rock, and retaining on the steep blocks.

The houses, and what they need

In Clovelly, near Clovelly Beach, it's mostly interwar and mid-century homes with newer luxury rebuilds on the cliff blocks. Near Clovelly Beach, the older brick and fibro is renovate-or-rebuild ground. On a Clovelly block that usually means basement digs, pool digs and retaining walls.

The ground under Clovelly

Clovelly sits on Hawkesbury sandstone with rock close to the surface on the coastal cliffs, out toward Clovelly Beach. Around Gordons Bay a Clovelly dig hits sandstone in the first metre, sawn at the edges so the neighbour's ground stays put and broken in the middle. Around Bronte, the sandstone is sawn at the boundaries and carted out as rock.

The council, access, and getting to you

In Randwick City Council, Clovelly around Clovelly Beach sits under coastal hazard and tree protection controls, so the dig follows the approved plans. Access to Clovelly is off Clovelly Road or Arden Street; the slope is worked in benches with retaining, near Coogee.

How it runs

First call to clean handover

Every job follows the same sequence, whether it's a single trench or a full site cut.

Services located 01

Assess & quote

Site visit, plan review and Dial Before You Dig. One clear quote covering dig, cartage and cleanup.

Access protected 02

Set out & protect

Levels marked, driveway and surfaces protected, machine sized to the site.

Spoil carted 03

Dig & cart

Dug to plan and level, spoil carted as we go so the site keeps moving.

To level 04

Trim & hand over

Site trimmed, tidy and to level, ready for the next trade.

A trench can be a day, a basement can be weeks. Dates come with the quote, not after.

Where we work

Where around Clovelly we dig

Clovelly and the streets around it, from the older estates to the new blocks.

CoogeeBronteWaverleyRandwickSouth Coogee
Eastern Suburbs

Excavation across Clovelly

From the older streets to the newer blocks, Clovelly and the suburbs around it. If you're anywhere in the Clovelly area, we can get to you.

See the whole Eastern Suburbs →
Recent work

Sites we've dug

Backyards to building sites, right across Sydney.
Penrith Site cut
Castle Hill Pool dig
Ryde Basement
Liverpool Civil
“Very easy to deal with.
Excellent communication”
Priya, Penrith
“Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill
“Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde
“Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool
“Very easy to deal with. Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith “Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill “Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde “Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool
“Very easy to deal with. Excellent communication” Priya, Penrith “Left the site spotless.” Dave, Castle Hill “Would definitely recommend them!” Marcus, Ryde “Great job thanks so much.” Lauren, Liverpool

Excavation in Clovelly, answered

How much does excavation cost in Clovelly?

It depends on the volume of material, the ground (hawkesbury sandstone with rock close to the surface on the coastal cliffs), access for the machine and how far spoil has to be carted. Every job gets a written quote after a site look, with the dig, cartage and cleanup spelled out, so you know what’s included before anything starts.

Do I need council approval before you dig in Clovelly?

Usually, if the excavation is part of a build. Cut and fill beyond set limits, work near boundaries and anything on a lot with a flood, bushfire or heritage overlay needs approval as part of the DA or CDC. We work to the approved plans; check with your certifier before the dig is booked.

How long does an excavation job take in Clovelly?

A trench, pool dig or single pad is a day or two; a knock-down site cut or a basement runs longer and depends on volume, ground and weather. Dates come with the quote, not after.

Is there rock in Clovelly?

Yes. Hawkesbury sandstone with rock close to the surface on the coastal cliffs. On the headlands and the harbour slopes sandstone is at or near the surface, so pools, basements and garage cuts are rock jobs from the start: sawn at the boundaries, broken in the middle, carted as rock. It’s in the quote from the site look.

Can you cut a garage or basement under my existing Clovelly house?

Yes, it’s a common harbour-slope job. The rock is sawn at the house footing line and the boundaries and broken out in stages to the engineer’s underpinning and shoring sequence, so the house above and the neighbour’s house stay where they are.

There’s no way to get a machine into my Clovelly backyard. Can you still dig?

Yes. Mini machines are craned over the house or walked through it, and spoil comes out the same way in bins or by conveyor. Slower than a side-gate job and priced for it, but it’s how most Eastern Suburbs backyards get dug.

Do you do knock-down rebuild site cuts in Clovelly?

Yes. The old house down, slab and footings out, the block stripped and the new pad cut and compacted, as one run if you want the demolition handled too.

Can you dig a pool in Clovelly?

Yes. Hawkesbury sandstone with rock close to the surface on the coastal cliffs. The pool builder’s engineer will usually want the base checked, which is standard, and the machine is sized to the side access.

What happens next

Tell us the job. We'll size it up.

Tell us the suburb, the access and what needs digging
We'll come out and look before quoting anything
You'll get a written quote with what's included spelled out
The machine's matched to your access, not whatever's free
Clear on spoil, cartage and cleanup before we start
No obligation, no pressure
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Excavator arm breaking rock on a Sydney site
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Tell us about the job. We'll look at the site before quoting, so you know what's included before anything starts.

Written quote after a proper site look
Free quote after a proper site assessment
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