So, you’re planning on a new commercial or residential construction project and are searching for an excavation contractor to fulfill your needs. Like with any company, it’s probably a good idea to do some more thorough research and read reviews before acquiring their services.
However, asking questions can be just as effective of a vetting process. By putting the contractor and/or team on the spot, you should get a feel for how knowledgeable they are on the service you’re looking to acquire and how they treat their customers.
That said, here are a handful of questions you should ask an excavation contractor in Calgary before signing any contract or agreeing to a service commitment.
1 – Are You Licensed & Insured?
The first question you should ask an excavator contractor is if they are fully licensed and insured to do the job at hand. If they say “yes,” and something feels off, trust your gut and ask them for proof of documentation; any professional contractor should have these documents at hand and provide them to you without issue.
Excavation work – despite all of its ruggedness – can be very delicate work. Precision digging according to the site plans can make the difference between completing the job on time or prolonging it by days – maybe weeks.
Therefore, having an experienced excavator behind the wheel can be incredibly important for the successful excavation of your commercial or residential build. Additionally, knowing that the excavation company is fully insured will also provide you with peace of mind in case something accidentally does happen during the dig.
Tops Excavation is fully licensed and insured, and has all the experience you could hope for.
2 – How Long Have You Been Operating For?
Every company has to start somewhere. However, you’ll want to find an excavator company in Calgary with the know-how and experience to make your project go smoothly and without delay.
Asking a contractor about how long they have been in operation speaks to their experience. It also speaks to their company’s longevity, which would not have been so if they weren’t adept at their job and satisfied the needs of their clientele.
For example, Tops Excavations (our sub-company) has been in business for nearly as long as we’ve been a home builder since 2008. With hundreds and hundreds of excavation jobs under our belt, you can trust that we will do your commercial or residential renovation project in Calgary right the first time, all for a very competitive price.
3 – Will You Pull Permits for My Job?
The City of Calgary has a stringent set of bylaws surrounding demolitions and excavations that must be followed by all contractors. Part of that process involves applying for permits, and having those permits reviewed and approved by the authorities at the city.
Hence, knowing if your excavation contractor will pull permits for your project is a must. It’s important to ask this question so that everyone is on the same page and there are no misunderstandings or miscommunications.
Tops Excavations is committed to providing you with an all-inclusive in-house service that includes pulling city permits, providing a hassle-free process when using us for your commercial or residential build.
4 – Do You Provide Demolition & Haul?
Typically, excavator contracts provide demolition and haul (to the dump) services in their pricing. However, not all do; therefore, ask if these are included – or not.
Any professional excavation company will provide you with costs that are fully transparent and indicative of what is and what isn’t included in their price.
Straight-forward and honest communication is a key part of hunting for the right contractor for your job. So, do your due diligence and ask your excavation contractor as many questions as you need to be trustworthy and comfortable with acquiring their services.
5 – Do You Acquire Additional Services?
Hiring an excavation company that also provides additional services such as foundations, home construction, utility connections and others of the sort can make your project go smoother by having everything you need “under one roof.”
A great example of this is the fact that we provide excavation services to our clients who purchase an infill or backyard suite with us. By using Tops Excavations (our in-house sub-contractor), we keep things organized and also save our clients thousands of dollars by having all the services associated with new builds happen in the same office.
Other services provided by Gold Homes and our set of sub-companies:
- Residential & commercial builds
- Backyard suite construction
- Plumbing and Electrical
- Framing and concrete
- Decks and patios
- Exterior cladding
- Custom projects of all sorts
Questions about Excavations in Calgary?
Don’t settle for less than with your next excavation project! Contact Gold Homes or Tops Excavations today for your next residential or commercial excavation in Calgary and we will be happy to provide you with a quote!
