Excavation & Grading in Collingswood, NJ

Working through a gate

When the only way to the backyard is a garden gate, a full-size excavator isn't an option. We use compact and mini equipment where it fits and hand-dig where it doesn't, and we plan where spoil will go before we start, since there's rarely room to stockpile on site. Often, material is loaded out the same day.

Original water services

Many Collingswood water services are still the original galvanized or lead-jointed runs from the street. Replacing one means trenching from the curb to the foundation, often under a stoop, walk or front garden, and coordinating the connection with the Borough of Collingswood Water Department. We set the new line at proper depth and backfill so the trench doesn't settle.

Clay sewer laterals

Sewer laterals in the borough are mostly clay, and age, roots and settlement eventually break them. Sewer is handled by the Collingswood Borough Water/Sewer Department, with wastewater treated by the Camden County MUA. We camera the line first so the excavation is sized to the actual problem, then dig, replace and restore.

Opening borough streets

When a service connects at the main, the dig reaches into borough pavement. Street openings are regulated and inspected, and the restoration has to meet the borough's standard. The utilities under these older streets are congested — gas, water, sewer and communications lines often cross the same few feet — so we locate everything before digging and hand-expose near marked lines.

Water between the houses

The borough sits on generally firm ground sloping toward the Cooper River, so water has a direction to run. The trouble is that with houses this close, roof water from two buildings lands in the same narrow strip and runs along a basement wall on its way to the street. We regrade those strips, excavate for drain lines, and carry the water forward to the street or another legal outlet.

Digging near shared walls and close foundations

On a twin, the excavation may run beside a party wall. Between detached houses, it may run within a few feet of a neighbor's foundation. Either way, we dig in short sections, avoid leaving soil unsupported below a footing, and backfill quickly in compacted lifts.

What we excavate for

Typical Collingswood projects:

• Water service and sewer lateral replacement, curb to house
• Street and sidewalk openings with borough permits
• Drain lines and regrading in narrow side yards
• Removal and base prep for front stoops, steps and walks
• Small rear additions and pool removal on tight lots

Stoops, steps and walks

Concrete stoops and walks from the borough's early decades crack and settle. Replacing them starts with breaking out the old concrete, excavating below the failed base, and building a compacted base, with the new work sized to fit the established streetscape.

Pool removal in small yards

Collingswood has fewer pools than the suburbs, but the ones it has sit in tight yards. Removal relies on small equipment and frequent hauling, with compacted fill so the yard stays level.

Old fill and buried debris

Lots in older boroughs often contain old fill: ash, brick, broken concrete and abandoned pipe. It doesn't compact well and isn't suitable as structural backfill, so we haul it away and bring in proper fill where it matters.

Keeping neighbors in the loop

A dig on one lot affects the house next door. We keep shared driveways passable when possible, contain spoil, protect neighboring walks, and clean up at the end of each day.

Trench safety

Service trenches can be deep at the curb. We slope or shore them for depth and soil and keep them covered or fenced whenever they're left open.

Restoration

We restore lawns, walks and paving disturbed by the work, and street patches are finished to the borough's requirements.

Emergency sewer work

When a sewer line backs up, our crews respond around the clock.