Excavation & Grading in Coquitlam

The City of Coquitlam requires a building permit for retaining walls over 1.2 metres. Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau have hillside development permit areas with additional slope, tree, and drainage requirements. Coquitlam has a tree protection bylaw that covers any tree with a DBH over 20 cm on residential lots. Streamside protection zones apply to many lots near Scott Creek, Como Creek, and the Coquitlam River.

Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau are glacial till with rocky substrate and occasional bedrock exposures. Maillardville, Austin Heights, and Como Lake are silty loam over glacial till, which is better for excavation but with many mature trees that restrict dig zones. River Springs and Scott Creek have creek adjacent considerations. This is why every Trueform excavation & Grading project in Coquitlam starts with an onsite soil assessment before we finalize base depth, drainage, and reinforcement.

Coquitlam receives 1,800 to 2,000 mm of annual rainfall, with upland neighborhoods (Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau) seeing more than the Coquitlam River valley. Winter freeze thaw is more pronounced on Burke Mountain than in Maillardville. Mountain runoff events during atmospheric rivers are significant on upland lots. 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 Coquitlam project.

We complete excavation & Grading projects across all of Coquitlam, including Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Maillardville, Austin Heights, Como Lake, River Springs, and also Eagle Ridge, Coquitlam West, Ranch Park, Harbour Chines, Scott Creek, Chineside. If your Coquitlam address isn't on this list, we still serve it. Call (604) 217-8966 to confirm.

On Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau, assume engineering is part of the project, because it almost always is. In older neighborhoods like Maillardville and Austin Heights, plan around the trees, not through them. If you are near any creek in Coquitlam, verify setback requirements before designing.

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 Coquitlam specifically, the cost driver to watch is the soil and access combination. On Burke Mountain and Westwood Plateau, assume engineering is part of the project, because it almost always is. In older neighborhoods like Maillardville and Austin Heights, plan around the trees, not through them. If you are near any creek in Coquitlam, verify setback requirements before designing. We give you a transparent itemized estimate after the onsite visit so there are no surprises once the excavation & Grading build starts.