The stuff people ask us most often. If you've got a question that isn't here, just call.
Yes. Every project starts with a free phone conversation. If it sounds like a good fit, we'll come out to the property for an on-site walk-through — also free. We don't charge to give you a number on a job we might work on.
Depends on the season. In the off-season (late fall, winter), we can usually be on site within a week. In spring and summer, we're often booked out further. Phone consultation can happen the same day most of the time.
Our schedule fills up in spring. If you want work done in summer, late winter or early spring is when you should be calling. For fall and winter projects, there's usually more flexibility. Emergency jobs (broken sewer line, collapsed retaining wall) we try to get to as fast as we can.
Depends on the job. We take on a lot of bigger residential projects, but we also do smaller stuff — a short retaining wall, a parking pad, a day of excavation work. Give us a call and we'll figure out if it's a fit.
Construction pricing depends on the site. Two "simple" retaining walls can have completely different costs based on soil, access, slope, materials, and what's already there. We can give you ballpark ranges on the phone, but anything more specific needs eyes on the property. That way the number we give you is the number you pay.
Retaining walls range from around $12,000 for a small, straightforward wall all the way up to $250,000+ for large, engineered, multi-tier systems. Wall height, length, materials, soil, site access, and engineering requirements all affect the price. We wrote a whole blog post breaking this down: How Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost on Vancouver Island?
For most projects, yes. A deposit covers the cost of materials and secures your place on the schedule. The amount depends on the size of the job. We walk you through it during the quote.
In most BC municipalities, retaining walls over 4 feet (1.2 metres) require a building permit and engineered drawings. Some places set the threshold lower. We help figure out what your specific municipality requires before any work starts.
For most structural retaining walls over 4 feet, yes. For house foundations, yes. For a small garden wall or a simple driveway, no. If engineering is required, we coordinate with the engineer — it's not extra work for you.
Usually the homeowner or their general contractor pulls the permit. We help provide any technical information the permit office needs from our side.
All across Vancouver Island. Nanaimo, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Campbell River, Duncan, Ladysmith, Port Alberni — if it's on the island, we probably go there.
Generally no. Our focus is Vancouver Island.
If it's a big enough project on the north island or somewhere further out, yes. Give us a call and we can talk about it.
Yes. Fully licensed and insured, based on Vancouver Island.
Most of the core work we do in-house — excavation, grading, retaining walls, concrete. For specialized stuff that needs specific equipment or trades (big hauls, certain concrete work, electrical), we'll bring in trusted subs or contract equipment. Either way, we manage the project and it's our name on it.
Excavators, skid steers, dump trucks, and whatever else the job calls for. We bring our own gear for most projects and contract specialized equipment when a job needs it.
Depends entirely on the project. A small retaining wall might be two or three days. A full backyard overhaul could be two to four weeks. A multi-phase site prep for a new build might run a couple months. We give you a realistic timeline with the quote.
Construction sites have variables. Sometimes we find things in the ground we weren't expecting — unexpected rock, old footings, bad drainage, soft soil. When that happens, we stop, tell you what we found, and talk through the options before we make any decisions or add any cost.
The site gets left clean. Debris hauled out, any ruts from equipment restored, and everything that isn't part of the finished job removed. You shouldn't be dealing with a mess after we leave.
The workmanship is backed by us. Manufacturer warranties apply to specific materials (pumps, liners, certain retaining wall blocks). We walk through all of that when the job is done.
Call us. If something isn't right, we want to know about it. That's how the business has run since day one.