Excavation & Site Preparation · Duncan
Land Clearing, Site Clearing and Grading in Duncan
Brush, stumps, topsoil and grading — with the haul route worked out before the machine starts.
Free, no-obligation quote
Excavation quote request
The more detail about the property and the work, the closer the first number will be. We send a written quote after we visit your site.
Duncan Excavating handles land clearing, site clearing and grading, and access road grading across Duncan, North Cowichan and Cobble Hill. We strip brush, stumps and topsoil and grade to your levels. Disposal at CVRD recycling centres runs $94 a tonne for rubble and $165 a tonne for clean lumber, while stumps, sod and land-clearing debris are not accepted.
The surprises on a clearing job are almost always underground. You can see trees and brush from the road, but ground conditions underneath change over just a few kilometres in this valley.
What you pay for clearing depends on the area being cleared, how much of the material is stump and root rather than soil, the haul distance to a facility that will accept it, and whether there is room on site to turn a loaded truck.
What comes off, and where it goes
A clearing job produces three separate streams and they do not go to the same place. Clean untreated wood is accepted at the CVRD's recycling centres at $165 per tonne, and rubble — asphalt, brick, concrete, gravel and rock — at $94. Stumps, sod, dirt and general land-clearing debris are not accepted there at all, so that material goes to a private facility such as Fisher Road Recycling at Cobble Hill, which publishes no rates and quotes at the scale. That split is why two similar-looking lots can clear for very different money.
Grading to a level someone can build on
We grade your cleared lot to create a stable, level surface ready for construction. We set levels strictly from your drawings or surveyor's stakes. We shape the finished grade so water drains away without flooding your downhill neighbour. Where a building permit is involved, the Cowichan Valley Regional District requires a permit to construct or structurally repair a retaining wall, and fill slopes steeper than 1:2 need a professional engineer's certification.
What a clearing scope usually covers
Brush and undergrowth removal
Clearing standing brush and undergrowth back to workable ground.
Stump and root removal
Stumps out and separated for haul, rather than buried on site.
Topsoil stripping and stockpiling
Topsoil stripped and stockpiled where it can be reused, or loaded out.
Rough and finish grading
Site graded to drawing levels and left shedding water as designed.
How a clearing job runs
- 01
Walk the lot — Access width, slope, what is actually standing, and where a truck can turn. This is also where the rock question gets answered, because it changes the machine.
- 02
Locates before anything moves — BC 1 Call requests are free and members respond within three working days, or five for large projects. The ticket requires work to begin within 14 calendar days.
- 03
Clear, separate, haul — We separate wood, rubble and soil on site rather than at the scale, because a sorted load tips cheaper than a mixed one.
- 04
Grade and hand over — Finished levels checked against the drawings, with the site left shedding water the way it was designed to.
Local conditions
On the Cowichan Valley floor, we dig through river sand and gravel deposited by the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers down to roughly 30 metres. It digs easily. Geological Survey of Canada mapping shows silt, gravel and till below 150 metres elevation. Above 150 metres, we expect bedrock at or near the surface. That is why a lot at Mill Bay, where near-surface bedrock under a metre has been mapped across most of the area, behaves nothing like a lot outside Duncan.
People also ask
Is a permit needed to clear trees on private property?
It depends on the authority. North Cowichan states plainly that it does not have a tree protection bylaw, though Development Permit Area 3 and Development Permit Area 4 still apply. The City of Duncan does have one, Bylaw No. 3135, requiring a permit for any tree 30 centimetres or more in diameter at breast height.
Can cleared material be buried on site?
Not as a default. On land in the Agricultural Land Reserve, fill placement needs a Notice of Intent to the Agricultural Land Commission, and construction and demolition waste, asphalt, glass, treated wood and unchipped lumber are prohibited in fill outright.
What time of year is best for clearing?
Ground conditions favour the drier months. Groundwater in the lower Cowichan is shallowest from November through January and deepest from June to September. Nesting habitat is protected year-round under the federal Migratory Bird Convention Act, with the local nesting season running from late March to mid-August.
Serving nearby communities
Keep exploring
- Compare excavation costsOur hourly machine rate, typical project ranges, and the tipping and permit fees for your job.
- Permits and setbacksWhich authority governs a parcel, the setbacks and depth thresholds that apply, and the notices that have to be filed first.
- Footings and FoundationsWe handle foundation digging and footings in Duncan, cutting strictly to surveyor's levels and planning around the winter water table on every new build.
- Driveways and CulvertsDriveways, access road grading and culverts in the Cowichan Valley. We handle the access permits on provincial and municipal roads for you.
- Duncan Excavating home
Ready for a quote on excavation in Duncan?
We quote excavation across the Cowichan Valley after a site visit.