Excavation & Grading in Burnaby

The City of Burnaby requires a building permit for retaining walls over 1.2 metres. The tree protection bylaw is strictly enforced, and any tree with a DBH over 20 cm cannot be removed or significantly disturbed without a permit. Burnaby also has streamside protection zones around several urban creeks. We verify all protection zones and tree bylaw impacts before quoting.

North Burnaby (Burnaby Heights, Capitol Hill, Lochdale) is glacial till with rocky substrate, similar in feel to West Vancouver. Central Burnaby (Brentwood, Deer Lake, Cascade Heights) is silty loam over glacial till. Big Bend is Fraser River alluvium with a high water table. Excavation conditions vary significantly by neighborhood. This is why every Trueform excavation & Grading project in Burnaby starts with an onsite soil assessment before we finalize base depth, drainage, and reinforcement.

Burnaby receives approximately 1,400 to 1,500 mm of annual rainfall, less than Coquitlam or Maple Ridge but still significant. Urban heat island effects mean summers can be warm, and winter freeze thaw is mild but frequent. Capitol Hill and Westridge see slightly more precipitation than south Burnaby. Our excavation & Grading installations are designed for these specific conditions. Drainage capacity, freeze thaw movement, and seasonal load are all factored into the spec for every Burnaby project.

We complete excavation & Grading projects across all of Burnaby, including Burnaby Heights, Capitol Hill, Lochdale, Westridge, Brentwood, Willingdon Heights, and also Deer Lake, Metrotown, South Slope, Big Bend, Government Road, Cascade Heights, Buckingham Heights. If your Burnaby address isn't on this list, we still serve it. Call (604) 217-8966 to confirm.

Never skip the tree protection plan in Burnaby, because the city actively enforces it. In Big Bend, budget for dewatering during deep excavation. In Metrotown strata projects, verify building envelope warranty constraints before starting. And on every Burnaby project, start with a site access plan.

Excavation costs depend on volume, material type, site access, and disposal requirements. Small scale excavation (patio prep, planting beds) costs $50 to $100 per cubic yard. Large scale excavation with machine work and hauling runs $30 to $60 per cubic yard. Full yard regrading for a typical residential lot costs $3,000 to $10,000 depending on the extent of work. Compaction is included in all our excavation services. In Burnaby specifically, the cost driver to watch is the soil and access combination. Never skip the tree protection plan in Burnaby, because the city actively enforces it. In Big Bend, budget for dewatering during deep excavation. In Metrotown strata projects, verify building envelope warranty constraints before starting. And on every Burnaby project, start with a site access plan. We give you a transparent itemized estimate after the onsite visit so there are no surprises once the excavation & Grading build starts.