Groundworks across West Cornwall
A Nevitt Construction carries out groundworks across West Cornwall from our base in Hayle. A family firm since 1975, we handle site clearance, foundations, drainage and site preparation. It is the part of a build nobody ever sees, and everything above it depends on getting it right.
Groundworks goes in first and matters most. Get the foundations, levels and drainage right and the rest of the build has something solid under it; get them wrong and no amount of finish will hide it later. West Cornwall throws up varied ground, from estuary sites around Hayle to rock and slope elsewhere and rural plots out toward the Lizard, so knowing it is worth a good deal.
We do groundworks as part of our own design and build and extension jobs, and as a standalone service for other builders, self-builders and plot owners who want the base done by a team that has been reading Cornish ground for fifty years.
What does a groundworks package include?
Everything between a bare site and a base that is ready to build on. That means clearing the site and setting out to the drawings, excavation and muck-away, the foundations the ground actually calls for, drainage, soakaways and connections, ground-floor slabs and hardstanding, and any retaining structures a sloping site needs.
- Site clearance and setting out to the drawings
- Excavation and muck-away
- Foundations: strip, trench-fill and rafts as the site and design require
- Drainage, soakaways and connections
- Ground-floor slabs and hardstanding
- Retaining structures and level changes on sloping sites
How does a groundworks job run?
We read the site and the drawings and set out exactly where the building goes before a bucket touches the ground. Then we excavate, cart away and put in the foundation the ground and the load actually call for. Drainage and the slab follow, and we hand over a level, drained, properly prepared base.
- 01
Survey and setting out
We read the site and the drawings, check levels and set out exactly where the building goes before a bucket touches the ground.
- 02
Dig and foundations
We excavate, cart away and put in the foundation that the ground and the load actually call for.
- 03
Drainage and slab
Drainage, soakaways and the ground-floor slab go in, ready for the structure to follow.
- 04
Ready to build
We hand over a level, drained, properly prepared base, whether we are building on it next or another team is.
How much do groundworks cost in Cornwall?
Groundworks cost is driven almost entirely by the ground itself: what has to be dug out and carted away, how deep the foundations need to go, whether the site slopes or holds water, and how far services have to run. Two plots a mile apart can price very differently.
We quote groundworks in writing once we have seen the site and the drawings. As with all our work it sits within the public £30,000 to £3,000,000 range for whole projects, and we explain what is driving the figure rather than offering a rate that ignores your actual ground.
A review about our groundworks work will sit here once we have chosen from A Nevitt Construction’s Google reviews.