Site Cut and Levelling
Cutting a block to the level the design actually needs
Cut and fill, benching and building platform preparation. Taking a sloping or uneven block and leaving a platform at the level your engineer specified, compacted where that is in scope, with the material balanced on site where it can be and carted where it cannot.
Carried out under demolition licence AD214737
Before anything starts
Six things have to be settled first, and not all of them are ours
Most jobs that run late run late on this list rather than on the work itself. Each line says who owns it.
- 01
Levels and design platform
Who You, through your surveyor or engineer
The level we cut to comes from the design. Without it there is nothing to cut to.
- 02
Cut and fill balance
Who You, with your engineer
Whether the material taken from the high side can be used on the low side, which decides how much leaves and how much is imported.
- 03
Fill suitability
Who You, through your consultant where it matters
Not all excavated material is suitable as engineered fill. Which is which is a geotechnical question.
- 04
Compaction requirement
Who You, through your engineer
What density, in what layer thickness, and who tests it.
- 05
Retaining design
Who You, through your engineer
A cut that creates a face usually needs retaining, designed by others before the cut is made.
- 06
Service location
Who Max, with a locator
Before anything goes in the ground.
Scope
What the quote does and does not cover
Stated side by side so there is nothing to discover later. Anything in the right hand column can be added, it is simply priced separately.
Included as standard
| Item | What that means |
|---|---|
| Strip | Topsoil off and stockpiled or carted |
| Cut | To the design platform level |
| Fill placement | In layers where material is being used on site |
| Benching | Into the slope where the design requires it |
| Compaction | In layers, where that is in scope |
| Trim | Platform trimmed to the level nominated |
Quoted separately
| Item | Why it is separate |
|---|---|
| Compaction testing | Geotechnical work, by your consultant |
| Retaining walls | Engineered and built by others |
| Imported fill | Supplied and placed as a separate line |
| Rock as a fixed figure | Priced on an agreed rate |
| Drainage behind retaining | Trade and engineering work |
| Survey and set out | From your surveyor |
The detail
Why a site cut is more than pushing dirt around
- The level comes from the design. Not from what looks right. Cutting to the wrong level is a mistake that gets concreted over.
- Fill has to be placed, not tipped. Material pushed into a low spot and left is where a slab finds a soft area two years later. Engineered fill goes in layers and is compacted.
- Not everything excavated is suitable to reuse. Topsoil, organic material and some clays are not engineered fill, whatever they look like.
- A cut face usually needs holding. Which is engineering work by others, and it has to be designed before the cut rather than after it.
- The balance decides the cartage. A site that balances carts almost nothing. One that does not carts in both directions.
- Rock changes the method mid cut. Particularly on the coastal side of Sydney, where a shelf can appear partway through.
What we need to quote it
- The address
- So we can look at access and what is around it
- Photographs
- One from the street and one of the work itself
- Any reports you hold
- Hazardous materials, structural, survey or levels
- Your dates
- What has to be finished by when, and what is waiting on it
We attend the site before quoting anything substantial.
If the block has to come up rather than down
Clean fill, VENM and road base supplied and placed in layers, which is a different line from cutting and carting.
Before you book
What people ask about this one
What level do you cut to?
Can the material from the cut be used as fill?
Do you compact it?
What about the cut face?
How do I know if my block balances?
Get a quote
Send the levels and the design platform
Levels and the platform level from your engineer. A site cut quoted without them is a guess about how much material moves.
- Cut to the level your engineer specified
- Fill placed in layers rather than tipped
- Material balanced on site where the design allows it
Special demolition offer
Get your free demolition quote
Demolition and removal services from $15,999*. Tell us about your project and we'll help you understand the costs.
*Starting price applies to eligible demolition and removal projects only. Final pricing depends on structure size, materials, site access, location, waste disposal requirements, hazardous materials and any necessary approvals. A final quote will be provided following project assessment.