Excavation is the part of a slab job that happens before anyone sees concrete: site cuts, levelling, trimming and compaction so the slab has uniform support, correct falls and cover over services. We strip unsuitable fill rather than compacting the uncompactable, and use narrow-access machines for courtyards and side boundaries.
Excavation in South East Queensland
Site cuts, levelling and preparation — the part of a slab job that happens before anyone sees concrete.
A slab is only as good as what it sits on. We cut, level, trim and compact the base so the concrete has uniform support, correct falls and enough cover over services.
That covers new driveways and shed slabs, patio and pool surround cuts, drainage trenches, and stripping unsuitable fill back to something that can actually be compacted. Where a level change is involved, the retaining and the drainage get designed with the cut rather than after it.
Access decides the machine. Most residential work is a mini excavator and a bobcat; acreage and commercial work gets bigger gear and a proper cart-away.
- Site cuts for driveways, sheds, patios and pool surrounds
- Levelling, trimming and compaction to design levels
- Drainage and service trenching
- Unsuitable fill stripped and replaced with compactable material
- Narrow-access machines for courtyards and side boundaries
Photographed on our own jobs.
Every photo on this site is a slab we prepared and finished ourselves. No stock library, no supplier brochures.
Four days, in the same order, every job.
Preparation is most of the work and all of the warranty. The decorative part is the last day.
01 — Grind and test
Diamond grind back to sound concrete, then moisture and bond test. If the slab fails, you get told before you pay for an overlay that will lift.
02 — Repair and prime
Cracks cut, filled and bridged. Falls corrected so water leaves the slab instead of sitting on it. Primer coat the same day.
03 — Lay the finish
Overlay, stencil, aggregate or flake, laid to the build-up quoted. One crew, no subcontracted finishers.
04 — Seal and cure
Two coats of UV-stable sealer. Foot traffic at 24 hours, vehicles at 72 on most finishes.
The questions we get asked
Do you handle the spoil?
Yes — carted off site and disposed of or recycled, or relocated on site if there is somewhere sensible for it to go.
Can you work around services?
We locate before digging. Anything marked stays intact, and hand digging is used where the plans put a service close to the cut.
Which suburbs do you cover?
Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, the western corridor and both coasts. Anything further out we quote case by case.
Are you licensed?
QBCC licence 1109935, and fully insured. The licence number is on every quote and can be checked on the QBCC register.
Guides on this work
Other services
Send a photo of the slab.
We will tell you whether it can be resurfaced, what finish suits it, and what it costs — before anyone turns up with a grinder.