Groundworks Contractor in Liskeard & Across Cornwall
Cleared, dug, drained and poured to the engineer's drawings so the trades behind us start on time and building control signs off first visit. Free site visit, fixed price or cost-plus, no deposit normally required.
Groundworks done once, properly, by the people who own the plant
Groundworks is everything that happens between a bare plot and a structure that can be built on: clearing what's there, stripping topsoil, digging to reduced level, excavating and pouring foundations, running foul and surface water drainage, ducting the utilities, then forming and finishing the concrete slabs and hard standings. It is the least visible part of a build and the part that decides whether the rest of the programme runs to plan.
We take it on as a standalone package or as the opening stage of a full build. Either way, the same team that sets out the levels pours the concrete, which removes the usual gap between a groundworker who has finished and a bricklayer who cannot start. We own our machines and our operators are CPCS-carded, so a wet week or an awkward dig does not turn into a hire delay.
On notifiable work we deal with building control ourselves, booking the foundation and drainage inspections, having the engineer's details on site, and getting each stage signed off before it is covered. You are not left chasing an inspector while a trench sits open.
What's included
Site clearance and preparation
Excavation and earthworks
Foundations and footings
Drainage and utility connections
Concrete bases and slabs
Access roads and hard standings
Who it's for
Self-builders starting on a plot and needing the ground stage handled end to end
Homeowners adding an extension, garage, annexe or outbuilding
Main contractors and builders subcontracting the groundworks package
Developers and landowners preparing plots for sale or build
Farmers and commercial sites needing yards, bases and access
When it's needed
Planning has been granted and you need the site cleared and dug
Foundations need to go in to an engineer's design
New drainage runs, soakaways or utility ducting are required
Ground levels, access or drainage are wrong and need reworking
A previous contractor has left the ground stage unfinished
Why It Matters
What poor groundworks costs you later
Foundations that fail building control
A trench dug to the wrong depth, on unsuitable bearing, or without the engineer's reinforcement is a stop on site. Concrete that has already gone in has to be broken out and carted away, and every trade behind you is stood down while it happens.
Drainage that has to be dug back up
Wrong fall, missing rodding access, or a soakaway sited too close to the building means opening ground you have already backfilled, usually after the slab is down and the scaffold is up, which is the most expensive possible moment.
Water arriving where the building is
Cornish sites shed a lot of surface water. Levels set without thinking about run-off push water towards the structure, saturating the ground around new foundations and leaving you with damp, standing water and remedial drainage.
Slabs that move, crack or pond
Insufficient compaction, no membrane, thin cover to reinforcement or a badly finished level all show up within a year or two: cracked bases, water sitting in the middle of a yard, floor finishes lifting.
Programme drift that costs more than the groundworks
Groundworks sits at the front of the critical path. Every week lost here is a week of scaffold, plant and site costs at the far end, and it is the stage where a cheap price most often turns into the highest final bill.
Common mistakes we're asked to put right
Pricing the dig on a drawing alone, without anyone looking at the actual ground
Assuming rock, running water or made ground will not be there, in Cornwall it often is
Splitting groundworks and drainage between two contractors, so neither owns the levels
Backfilling or covering work before building control has inspected it
Leaving muck away and material handling out of the price, then paying it as an extra
Choosing the lowest figure without checking insurance, plant or who is actually operating it
Our Process
How the job runs, step by step
Every job follows the same order, so you always know what has happened and what comes next.
Step 1
Free site visit and survey
Calum comes out, walks the ground, checks access for plant, looks at levels, existing drainage and where the muck can go. Free of charge, with a fast turnaround on the quote.
Step 2
Quote and scope agreed
You get a written scope covering clearance, dig, foundations, drainage, ducting and slabs, priced as a fixed price, cost-plus, or labour-only if you are supplying materials. No deposit is normally required.
Step 3
Set out and site set-up
Levels and profiles set out from the drawings, access established, storage and stockpile areas agreed, and site protection in place before a bucket goes in the ground.
Step 4
Excavation, foundations and drainage
Reduced level dig, foundation trenches to the engineer's depth and width, reinforcement placed, concrete poured, then foul and surface water drainage and utility ducting run at the correct depth and fall.
Step 5
Inspection and sign-off
Building control inspects the foundations and drainage, drainage is air tested where required, and each stage is signed off before it is covered. We book and attend the visits.
Step 6
Slabs, hard standings and handover
Membranes and insulation laid, reinforcement fixed, slab poured and finished, hard standings and access formed, site left clean and ready for the next trade, with staged payment against work completed.
What You Get
The difference this makes on your groundworks job
The next trade starts on the date you told them
One team from set out to slab means no handover gap between groundworker and bricklayer, and no argument about whose levels were wrong.
Building control satisfied before anything is buried
We book and attend the inspections and hold the engineer's details on site, so foundations and drainage are signed off at the right moment rather than opened back up.
Our own plant, our own operators
Machines are ours and operators are CPCS-carded, so awkward digs, rock and tight access are handled without waiting on a hire company or an outside driver.
Ground that stays dry and stable
Levels, falls, compaction and drainage are set out together, so surface water leaves the site instead of collecting against your new foundations.
Money spent once
Correct depth, bearing, reinforcement and cover the first time avoids the single most expensive category of building work: breaking out and redoing concrete that is already down.
Priced the way that suits the job
Fixed price where the scope is clear, cost-plus where the ground genuinely cannot be predicted, labour-only if you are buying materials. Stage payments, no deposit normally required.
Fully insured work
£5m public liability and £10m employers' liability, plus Contractors' All Risks cover for the works, our own and hired-in plant and employees' tools.
One number for the whole ground stage
Clearance, muck away, dig, foundations, drainage, ducting and slabs sit with one contractor and one point of contact, Calum.
In Detail
Groundworks in detail
Site clearance, stripping and muck away
Work starts with removing vegetation, slabs, old structures and obstructions, then stripping topsoil to expose the subsoil. Topsoil is stockpiled for reuse in landscaping where the site allows it, which saves both disposal and import costs. Arisings are graded on site: clean material is retained for backfill and levelling, and the rest is carted away. On tight or rural sites we plan the muck away route and vehicle sizes before we start, because access dictates the machine and the machine dictates the price.
Excavation, reduced levels and difficult ground
Excavation covers reduced level digs, foundation and service trenches, cut and fill to balance levels, and dig-outs for basements, tanks and bases. Cornish sites regularly throw up shillet, granite, running sand, springs and made ground from previous buildings. Where rock appears we break it out rather than reduce the depth, and where soft or variable bearing shows up we get the engineer to look at it before pouring. Excavations are battered or supported, kept safe and, where water is present, dewatered so concrete is not poured into a wet trench.
Foundation types we build
The foundation follows the engineer's design and the ground, not habit. Common types on our sites:
Strip foundations, mass concrete strips under load-bearing walls, the standard solution on good, consistent bearing
Trench fill, trench excavated and filled with concrete close to ground level, fast to build off and often used where deeper digs are needed
Reinforced footings and ground beams: where loads are concentrated, ground is variable, or trees and shrinkable clay are a factor
Wide strip and stepped foundations, for sloping Cornish plots where depth changes across the building
Pad foundations: for columns, steel frames, agricultural buildings and portal frames
Raft and ground bearing slabs, where a spread load suits the ground better than trenches
Concrete: mixes, reinforcement and finishes
Concrete is specified for the job: mix design, slump and reinforcement to the engineer's details, with correct cover maintained by spacers rather than guesswork. Steel is fixed and tied before the pour, not pushed in after. Slabs are built up in order: compacted sub-base, sand blinding, damp proof membrane taped and dressed into the wall, insulation, then the slab itself. Finishes are matched to use: power floated for garages, workshops and where a floor covering follows; tamped or brushed for external hard standings and ramps where grip matters.
Drainage and utility ducting
Foul and surface water are kept separate. Runs are laid to the correct gradient on a proper bed and surround, with rodding access at bends and junctions, inspection chambers and manholes to depth, and connections made to the existing system or treatment plant. Surface water is taken to soakaways sized and sited to the ground conditions and clear of foundations, or into attenuation where discharge has to be controlled. Utility ducting for electricity, water, gas and telecoms is laid at the depths and separations the providers require, with draw cords and marker tape, so connections later do not mean digging up a finished drive.
Access roads, hard standings and finishing
Site access built at the start becomes the permanent drive or yard at the end when it is designed that way, sub-base depth to suit the traffic, edge restraint, crossfall and drainage. We form driveways, turning areas, farm and commercial yards, plant and container bases, and the aprons between building and ground. Levels are tied back into the surrounding site so water runs to where it is supposed to go.
Domestic, self-build, developer and commercial work
Domestic groundworks tends to be about protecting a house people are living in: access, dust, existing drainage and getting the trench in without wrecking the garden. Self-build work needs the ground stage to line up with a fixed timber frame or kit delivery date. Developer and commercial work is driven by sequencing across plots, engineer's details, and evidence for inspections and warranties. We work across all four, from a single garage base to plots for landowners and small housing developments.
FAQs
Groundworks questions we get asked most
If your question isn't here, ring Calum and ask, a straight answer costs nothing.
Do you take on groundworks on its own, without the rest of the build?
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Yes. Groundworks is a standalone service with us: clearance, excavation, foundations, drainage, ducting and concrete bases. Plenty of our work is a groundworks package for self-builders, developers and other contractors who are handling the build themselves.
How much do groundworks cost in Cornwall?
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It depends on the dig, the ground and the access, which is why we look at the site before pricing. We work on a fixed price where the scope can be pinned down, cost-plus where the ground genuinely cannot be predicted, or labour-only if you are supplying materials. Site visits and quotes are free with a fast turnaround.
How long does the groundworks stage take?
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A garage or extension base is usually a matter of days; a full house plot from clearance through foundations, drainage and slab is normally a few weeks. Weather, rock and drainage connections are the usual variables, and we give you a realistic programme at quote stage rather than an optimistic one.
Do you need a deposit before starting?
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Normally no deposit is required. We work on stage payments as the job progresses, and we accept any payment method: bank transfer, card or otherwise.
What happens if you hit rock or running water?
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It is common here and we plan for it. Rock is broken out rather than the foundation depth reduced, and where water or soft ground appears we get the engineer to review the bearing before concrete goes in. If we are on a fixed price we tell you what has changed and why before doing the work, not afterwards.
Do you handle building control inspections?
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Yes. On notifiable work we book and attend the building control visits, keep the engineer's details on site, and get foundations and drainage signed off before they are covered. On extensions and new builds we can also submit the planning application on your behalf.
Are you insured to work on my site?
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Fully insured, £5 million public liability and £10 million employers' liability, plus products liability and Contractors' All Risks cover for the contract works, our own and hired-in plant, and employees' tools. Calum holds CPCS for plant operation and SMSTS for site management safety.
Do you supply the plant and take the spoil away?
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Yes. The machines are ours and our operators are CPCS-carded, so we are not waiting on hire. Muck away and material handling are priced into the job, with clean material kept on site for backfill and levelling where it is usable.
Which areas do you cover for groundworks?
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All of Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter. Liskeard, Menheniot, Dobwalls, St Ive, Callington, Looe, Saltash, Torpoint, Bodmin, Launceston, Fowey, St Austell and Tavistock are regular working areas, our yard is at Horningtops just outside Liskeard.
Can you start at short notice?
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Sometimes, depending on where our machines are. Ring Calum on 07770 946179 and he will tell you honestly what the lead time looks like rather than booking work we cannot get to. We are on site Monday to Saturday, 7:30am to 6:00pm.
Related Work
Services that usually go with this one
Most jobs cross more than one trade. Taking them together keeps the programme and the price tighter.
Get a free groundworks quote from someone who's walked the ground
Calum will come out, look at the site and give you a straight price: fixed, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job. No deposit normally required, and stage payments as work is completed.
Send us the details and Calum will come out, look at the ground and give you a straight, free quote: fixed price, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job.
