Auckland Excavation for Retaining Walls

We build retaining walls ourselves, so we excavate knowing exactly what the wall crew needs. That sounds obvious, but the most common problem we see on jobs where excavation was a separate contract is a trench that's the right length and completely the wrong shape.

We allow properly for drainage and backfill behind the wall. If the dig stops at the back of the blocks, there's nowhere to put the drainage metal, and that's how walls end up with soil packed straight against them.

We also check the founding level rather than assuming it. Clay can look identical and behave completely differently a spade deeper, and finding a soft layer before the footing goes in is much cheaper than finding it afterwards.

We keep the excavated face safe. An unsupported cut in wet clay can let go without much warning, and that's a genuine hazard for whoever is working in front of it. Battering back or supporting the face is part of how we plan the dig.

We work to the engineering rather than to what looks about right. Footing depth and width are specified for a reason, and digging shallow to save an hour undermines the whole structure you're about to pay for.

And we sequence the work so the trench isn't sitting open through a week of rain. An open excavation in Auckland clay turns into a soft, sloppy mess quickly, so we coordinate the dig and the build to run back to back.