How you pay: we charge by the hour meter, so you pay for the time the machine runs. The minimum is $100 delivery plus 2 hours of machine hire, and after that it goes in quarter-hour steps. We’re local, and we work for homeowners, landscapers and builders all over the region.
Our Digger & Earthworks Services
Backyard Levelling & Section Clearing
We level ground for lawns and new builds. The mini digger fits into tight Wellington backyards where bigger machines can’t go.
More about levelling →Retaining Wall Prep & Post Hole Drilling
We drill retaining wall post holes with an auger and dig out the ground behind the wall. Deck and fence footings are no problem either.
More about post holes →Agapanthus & Blackberry Removal
The digger pulls out agapanthus and blackberry, roots and all, so you can replant from scratch.
More about garden clearing →Tight Access Mini Digger Hire
Our smallest excavator narrows down to 800mm wide, so it fits down side paths and through gates. On some longer jobs we can leave it on site between work days. You pay for the hours it runs.
More about tight access →Trenching & Drain Ditches
We dig trenches for drains and cables. Old drain ditches get cleared and reshaped so the water goes where it should.
More about trenching →2.5 Tonne Excavator & Dump Truck
Bigger jobs get the 2.5 tonne digger, with a tipper truck to take the spoil away. We use it on landscaping and building sites across Wellington and Kapiti.
More about the 2.5 tonne →Before We Dig: Underground Services
Pipes and cables are often laid metres away from where the plans show them. So we check whatever records suit the job, and we dig carefully around anything that might be live.
- We check the records. Depending on the job, we’ll start with a beforeUdig request for your address. It pulls in plans from the network companies that belong to it. Some of those companies charge a fee to send a locator out, so we’ll talk to you before anyone books one. Water and drainage sit on the council maps, and we look at those too. Plans can be well out, and some service owners never reply.
- You tell us what’s on your side of the boundary. Private pipes and cables stay off every plan. Think of the water and power lines running from the street to your house, gas to the BBQ or califont, irrigation, garden lights, stormwater and septic pipes, and cables out to the shed or sleepout. Please point out anything you know about. If your property file has as-built drawings, send them through.
- We take a gander at the site. Meter boxes, the water toby, covers, pits and old trench lines all give clues. Services usually run from these to the house, and we treat that ground as live.
- We dig as if something could be lurking below. Near a marked service or a likely path, we hand-dig a test hole first. The bucket goes in once we’ve seen what’s underneath.
- We stop if something unexpected turns up, e.g. a dead body 😱 If we find an unmarked pipe, cable, old foundations or anything suspicious, we stop and talk to you before carrying on.
Private service locators. For a long trench, or a section crowded with services, it pays to get a locator out first. They trace the pipes and cables on your property and spray-paint where each one runs. It costs extra. Ask us for a name.
Please note: we can’t be held responsible for damage to services that were left off the plans or never pointed out to us. The same goes for services laid in the wrong spot or too shallow. Repairs to those fall to the property owner. Full details are in our Terms & Conditions.
How Our Digger Hire Works (FAQ)
By the hour meter on the digger, which only counts while the machine is running. The minimum charge is $100 to deliver the digger plus 2 hours of machine hire. Past those 2 hours, we charge the extra time in quarter-hour steps.
Sometimes. On a longer job, if it makes sense, we can leave it parked at your place between work days. We’ll sort that out with you when we book the job.
Yes, that’s most of what we do. Homeowners make up a lot of our work, along with landscapers and builders. A typical job might be levelling a backyard, clearing a garden, digging a trench or drilling post holes for a deck.
Yes. Depending on the job, we’ll lodge a beforeUdig request and check the council’s water and drainage maps. Those drawings can be well out, and pipes on your own property never show up on them. So we walk the site with you and hand-dig near anywhere a service is likely to run. If you’d like exact positions marked, you can book a private service locator. See Before We Dig.
Text us a couple of photos of the area, plus your suburb and what you want done. You can also call us or fill in the online quote request.
We work across Wellington, Porirua, the Hutt Valley (Lower and Upper), the Kapiti Coast, and the suburbs around them.
Recent Digger Jobs
Reviews
Areas We Cover
Each area page lists the suburbs we work in: