City of Calgary

SW Calgary Excavation for Infill, Suburban & River Lots

Southwest Calgary holds the city's biggest belt of inner-city infill lots, the Elbow River communities where groundwater did much of the 2013 basement damage, long rows of 1950s and 1960s–70s suburbs, and communities still building out on the west edge. We demolish, dig, prepare for underpinning, drain and backfill across all of it, and the ground, the water and the house next door decide how each job is done.

A street in an established inner-city neighbourhood where a 1950s stucco bungalow stands next to a new two-storey infill with a modern flat facade, under mature elm trees.

At a Glance

Municipality: City of Calgary
From our downtown office: Minutes south and west of downtown
Typical servicing: City water, sanitary and storm mains
Postal prefixes: T2T, T3E, T2V, T2W, T3H, T2Y

(825) 475-5548

Lots, Homes and Sites in Southwest Calgary

By the City's classification, 14 inner-city communities address mainly to SW, far more than any other quadrant. In Altadore, South Calgary, Bankview, Sunalta, Scarboro, Upper and Lower Mount Royal, Cliff Bungalow and Garrison Woods, new homes replace old ones one narrow lot at a time. The neighbouring houses are close, so the dig is planned around them: a compact excavator loading trucks from the lot or the lane, spoil kept at least 1 m back from the edge of the hole, and a neighbour's foundation supported to an engineer's design before we dig beside it, where one is needed.

The mid-century suburbs are a different kind of work. Killarney/Glengarry, Richmond, Glenbrook, Glendale, Rosscarrock, Wildwood, Spruce Cliff, Haysboro, Kingsland, Chinook Park, Mayfair, Elboya, Britannia, Windsor Park and Meadowlark Park carry the City's 1950s structure class. Lakeview, Bayview, Pump Hill, Southwood, Palliser, Canyon Meadows, Oakridge, Braeside, Cedarbrae, Kelvin Grove and Eagle Ridge are largely 1960s–70s. On these streets the house on a lot may be the original or its replacement, and the job follows from that: weeping tile dug out to the footing, a basement floor broken out for lowering, a garage slab removed, or a full knock-down and rebuild.

Further out, Signal Hill, Patterson, Coach Hill, Christie Park, Strathcona Park, Woodbine, Woodlands, Millrise, Somerset, Evergreen, Bridlewood, Discovery Ridge, Cougar Ridge, Crestmont and Medicine Hill are 1980s–2000s communities, and West Springs, Aspen Woods, Springbank Hill, Currie Barracks, Garrison Green, Silverado, Yorkville, Belmont, Pine Creek and Alpine Park are still building out. There the work is new-home basements on open lots, foundation backfill, yard drainage and retaining wall bases. The SW has very little industrial land: Manchester addresses to SW, and Manchester Industrial sits along the SW–SE line.

Ground, Water and Frost

The Elbow River communities are the reason basement depth is a real decision in the SW. A University of Calgary study of the 2013 flood found that groundwater caused much of the basement damage in Elbow Park, Rideau Park and Roxboro: where the entry route was known, 88% of homes were first flooded by groundwater, and deeper basements reported more groundwater flooding. The City's regulatory flood map puts about 61% of Roxboro and about 44% of Rideau Park in the flood fringe. Mission was among the first communities flooded and evacuated. A deeper basement or lowered floor here should start with the engineer, not the excavator. The City's groundwater consultation says that risk can typically be mitigated by requiring sump pumps and backflow valves; those proposals are not yet bylaw.

Where that water goes matters as much as where it comes from. City rules say foundation drainage cannot discharge into the sanitary sewer; it has to go to the surface or the storm system, and it must not recirculate into the foundation or run onto a neighbouring property. On a narrow infill lot with houses close on both sides, that decides where the sump line exits and how the side yards are graded. Toward the west edge, West Springs, Aspen Woods and Springbank Hill lie near Rocky View County's Springbank area; west of the city limit the county, not the City, issues permits.

Neighbourhood Notes

Altadore & South Calgary

Inner-city communities the City plans for redevelopment and infill. A project here usually means demolition, a full basement dig beside close neighbours and trucks loaded from the street or lane.

Bankview, Sunalta & Scarboro

Established inner-city streets close to the core. On narrow lots with little room to stage, machine size and truck positions get settled before the demolition permit is even issued.

Mount Royal & Cliff Bungalow

Inner-city infill streets near the Elbow. Cliff Bungalow is the one to check against the flood maps: about 11% of it lies in the regulatory flood fringe and about a quarter in the overland flow zone, so a basement dig there starts with the parcel's mapping.

Elbow Park, Rideau Park & Roxboro

The three communities in the University of Calgary groundwater study. Basement lowering, underpinning prep and weeping tile work here gets an engineer's input on depth and water before we open the ground.

Mission

Among the first communities flooded and evacuated in 2013. About 95% of addresses are SW and the rest SE, and about a fifth of the community lies in the regulatory flood fringe. Dewatering and sump discharge routing are part of the plan for any excavation below the floor.

Killarney/Glengarry, Glendale & Rosscarrock

1950s-era communities by the City's classification. When an original house comes down, the job is demolition, removal of the old footings and a new basement dug to the builder's elevations.

Lakeview, Oakridge & Palliser

Largely 1960s–70s suburbs. Typical work is on homes that stay standing: exterior weeping tile replacement, basement floor breakout, garage slabs and backfill that has settled against the foundation.

West Springs, Springbank Hill & Currie Barracks

Communities the City lists as still building out. Open lots mean full-size machines, new-home basements, backfill and retaining wall bases, with the lot graded for its final certificate.

Permits and Locates in Southwest Calgary

Authority having jurisdiction: City of Calgary

Most SW infill projects start with a City of Calgary demolition permit, needed to remove a building from a site or reduce it to its foundation. Before demolition, the building must be inspected by a professional asbestos removal company, and the applicant must confirm there is no asbestos or have it professionally removed; the City's Asbestos Abatement Information Form is submitted before the permit is released. Utilities must be disconnected under a signed Service Disconnection Request, with the water service disconnected at the main by an indemnified contractor, and new connections, public and private portions, are at the lot owner's expense. The City also asks for a Tree Protection Plan when work comes within 6 m of a public tree; every demolition permit also gets a heritage review. On locates, the utility does not mark private lines such as power run from the house to a garage; those need a private locator.

The Excavation Work Southwest Calgary Calls For Most

Residential Building & Garage Demolition

House and garage teardown, foundation removal and a level lot for the next build.

Infill Lot Digging & Tight-Access Excavation

Mini and midi excavator digs on narrow infill lots beside neighbouring homes.

Underpinning & Basement Lowering Prep

Excavation and spoil removal for engineered underpinning and basement lowering.

French Drain & Weeping Tile Excavation

Digs to the footing, new perforated tile in clear stone, and yard French drains.

Deep Basement Excavation

Full and walkout basement digs for new custom homes on open lots and acreages.

Foundation Backfilling & Perimeter Grading

Compacted backfill against new foundations and a perimeter grade that sheds water.

Every service we offer

Close to Southwest Calgary

Downtown Calgary & Beltline

The core, Beltline, Eau Claire and Downtown East Village: tight sites under City streets.

Northwest Calgary

Bow River infills in Hillhurst and Sunnyside, Mount Pleasant, and the northwest suburbs.

Springbank

Two-acre country residential lots between the Bow and Elbow rivers, west of Calgary.

Southeast Calgary

Inglewood and Ramsay infills, the largest industrial belt and newer deep-south suburbs.

Excavation in Southwest Calgary: Questions

Can you lower a basement in Elbow Park or Roxboro?

The excavation part, yes, but it is not our design to make. Lowering a floor means digging beside and under existing footings, and that only happens in the sequence a structural engineer sets, usually in alternating sections. In the Elbow River communities there is a second question: the University of Calgary study found deeper basements reported more groundwater flooding in 2013. We break out the slab, remove the spoil from inside the house and dig to the engineer's sections; the engineer and your builder decide how deep is sensible and what sump, backflow and drainage the lower floor needs.

How do you dig a full basement beside a neighbour's house on a narrow SW lot?

Carefully, and in the order the rules require. Alberta's OHS Code says a foundation that may be affected by an excavation must be supported by a temporary protective structure designed by a professional engineer before the excavation starts. On a narrow lot we plan the machine size, the spoil route and the truck position first, keep spoil at least 1 m back from the edge, and dig beside the neighbouring wall only once the engineer's support is in place.

Do you work on the new lots in West Springs and Springbank Hill?

Yes. These communities are still building out, so the work is new-home basements, backfill, yard drainage and retaining wall bases on lots with room for full-size machines and tandem trucks. Just west of the city, the Springbank acreages come under Rocky View County, which handles the permits there, and lots have historically relied on wells, water co-ops and septic fields; if your project is on that side of the city limit, see our Springbank acreage page.

Digging in Southwest Calgary?

Call or send the details. Aspen Excavating works from downtown Calgary, and we will look at the site and the access before we price it.

(825) 475-5548 Send the Details