Heavy Civil Operations Excavation DSM specializes in works involving excavation and shoring, regardless of the size of the project. With a fleet of over 50 machines and equipment paired with our skilled teams, DSM is able to output results in very little time.
Machine Guidance GPS Guided
Structural Range Deep Shoring
Equipment Fleet 50+ Machines
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Ground Preparation Site & Slab Prep We provide all the pre-requisites for setting up the foundation for a new project. This includes clearance of lots, general excavation & ground preparation, and building haul roads for the transportation of material.
Site Clearing Lot + Vegetation
Grading Rough + Subgrade
Drainage Swales + Erosion Control
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Material Logistics Trucking Reliable material transport and bulk haulage seamlessly supporting our integrated earthworks operations. We operate a versatile in-house dump truck fleet with tandem, transfer, t-tri, and end dump setups.
Fleet Owned + Operated
Configurations Tandem to End Dump
Dispatch In-House
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Structural Concrete Concrete Formwork DSM delivers concrete formwork and structural concrete scopes as part of an integrated civil construction sequence. From excavation and subgrade preparation through forming, reinforcing, concrete placement and finishing, our crews can carry foundation and site-concrete work through multiple stages without unnecessary handoffs between contractors.
Formwork Scope Civil + Structural
Concrete Work Form + Reinforce + Pour
Site Integration Excavation to Finish
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Earth Retention Retaining Walls DSM constructs engineered retaining wall systems for civil, commercial and development sites requiring permanent grade separation and earth retention. Our crews coordinate excavation, base preparation, drainage, wall construction, backfill, compaction and final grading as one integrated scope.
Wall Systems MSE + Structural
Groundwork Excavation + Base Prep
Site Integration Drainage + Backfill
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Earthworks / 01

Excavation & Shoring

DSM delivers high-output excavation for complex residential, commercial, and civil projects, combining experienced operators, modern machine control, and a large heavy-equipment fleet.

Built for difficult soil conditions and demanding schedules — from deep parkade digs to large-scale civil earthmoving, with shoring coordinated at every stage.

Complete structural earthworks

We handle bulk and detailed excavation for high-stakes builds — from deep underground parkades to wide commercial foundations. Crews work to engineered grades and coordinate shoring so the dig stays safe, stable, and on schedule, even in tight or challenging ground.

Capabilities
  • Bulk excavation
  • Parkades and foundations
  • Cut and fill balancing
  • Shoring coordination
  • GPS-guided grading
  • Contaminated material handling
  • High-volume export
Equipment Fleet 50+ Heavy machines & attachments
Field Experience 35+ Years moving ground in BC
Machine Control GPS Guided grading & cut / fill
Dig Scope Bulk Through to structural excavation
01

Bulk & structural dig

Large-volume excavation and precise structural digs for foundations, parkades, and below-grade works.

02

Deep excavation support

Coordinated shoring and retention for deep, tight, or load-sensitive excavations next to existing structures.

03

Cut & fill management

Balancing material on-site to reduce import and export, controlling cost and keeping production moving.

How the work flows
1
Survey & plan

Confirm grades, soil conditions, and shoring needs against the engineered drawings.

2
Strip & bulk dig

Remove overburden and move primary volume with GPS-guided machines.

3
Shore & support

Install retention and stabilize as depth increases to keep the dig safe.

4
Trim & hand-off

Fine-grade to spec and hand a clean, builder-ready base to the next trade.

Earthworks / 02

Site & Slab Preparation

Before construction begins, DSM prepares the site for safe access, clean staging, proper drainage, and efficient production.

We turn raw or congested land into a clean, well-graded, builder-ready pad — handling clearing, grading, drainage, and access in one coordinated scope.

Builder-ready groundwork

We deliver the full first phase of a project: clearing the lot, shaping the ground to grade, building access for heavy logistics, and putting drainage and erosion control in place. One coordinated crew gets the site from untouched to ready.

Capabilities
  • Lot clearing
  • Rough grading
  • Subgrade preparation
  • Temporary access roads
  • Drainage and swales
  • Erosion control
  • Material import / export
  • Staging and laydown preparation
Scope 1 Coordinated crew, phase one
Access Haul Roads built for heavy logistics
Drainage Swales Temporary drainage & erosion control
Hand-off Graded Clear, drained & builder-ready pad
01

Clearing & grading

Strip vegetation, debris, and obstacles, then shape the ground to a clean, accurate working grade.

02

Drainage & erosion control

Swales and temporary drainage protect the pad and keep the site compliant through wet weather.

03

Access & staging

Haul roads, laydown, and staging areas built so the rest of the build runs efficiently and safely.

How the work flows
1
Clear

Remove timber, brush, and debris to open up the working area.

2
Grade

Shape ground and prepare subgrade to the engineered levels.

3
Drain & protect

Install swales, temporary drainage, and erosion control.

4
Site ready

Access roads and staging in place for a smooth build start.

Logistics / 03

Trucking & Haulage

DSM supports excavation and civil work with integrated trucking capacity, moving soil, aggregates, and construction materials with reliable coordination.

Our in-house dump truck fleet keeps material moving in step with the dig — so excavators keep working and sites keep producing.

Integrated material logistics

We run a versatile in-house dump truck fleet — tandem, transfer, t-tri, and end dump — matched to the road conditions and access of each site. Because the trucks are dispatched in-house, loading and hauling stay in sync with the excavation instead of waiting on outside haulers.

Capabilities
  • Soil export
  • Gravel and aggregate import
  • Tandem trucking
  • Transfer trucking
  • T-tri trucking
  • End dump hauling
  • Dump site coordination
  • Fleet-supported production
Dump Trucks Fleet Owned and operated in-house
Configurations 4 Tandem · transfer · t-tri · end dump
Dispatch In-house Hauling synced to the dig
Material Flow Both Ways Soil export and aggregate import
01

In-house fleet

Company trucks in multiple configurations, ready to scale haulage up or down with the job.

02

Material movement

Soil export and aggregate import handled directly, keeping spoil and supply flowing on site.

03

Coordinated production

Trucking dispatched alongside excavation so machines stay loaded and crews keep moving.

How the work flows
1
Load

Trucks loaded on site directly from our excavation crews.

2
Haul

Soil and aggregate moved with the right truck for the route.

3
Dump coordination

Disposal and supply sites managed to keep cycles tight.

4
Return cycle

Trucks cycle back in step with the dig to avoid idle time.

Concrete / 04

Concrete Formwork

DSM forms, reinforces, places and finishes structural and civil concrete as a continuous part of the earthworks sequence — footings, foundation walls, grade beams, pads and site concrete.

Because the same contractor excavates, prepares subgrade, forms, reinforces and pours, foundation work moves from dig to finished concrete without handing the site between trades.

Integrated structural concrete execution

Our crews carry foundation and site-concrete scopes from excavation and subgrade preparation through forming, rebar installation, concrete placement, finishing, and form stripping. Sequencing the dig and the pour under one contractor removes the gaps where schedules usually slip — grades are prepared to the requirements of the concrete that follows them.

Capabilities
  • Footings
  • Grade beams
  • Foundation and structural walls
  • Reinforced concrete retaining walls
  • Equipment and structural pads
  • Curbs, site concrete and slab-edge forming
  • Rebar installation
  • Concrete placement and finishing
Site Sequence Continuous Excavation through finishing
Concrete Scope Form + Pour Forming, reinforcing, placement
Reinforcing Rebar Installed by DSM crews
Completion In-House Finishing, stripping & cleanup
01

Foundations & structural forming

Footings, grade beams, foundation walls, structural walls, and reinforced concrete retaining walls formed to the engineered drawings.

02

Reinforcing & placement

Rebar installation, concrete placement, and finishing handled by our own crews on the same schedule as the forming.

03

Pads & site concrete

Equipment and structural pads, curbs, site concrete, and slab-edge forming completed alongside the surrounding earthworks.

How the work flows
1
Excavate & prepare

Dig and prepare subgrade to the levels the concrete scope requires.

2
Form & reinforce

Set formwork to the drawings, then install rebar ready for inspection.

3
Place

Concrete placed with the forming crew already on site and on schedule.

4
Finish & strip

Finish the concrete, strip forms, and clean up for the next stage of work.

Structures / 05

Retaining Walls

DSM builds MSE, Lock Block, Allan Block and segmental, gabion, reinforced concrete, and shotcrete retaining walls for sites that need permanent grade separation.

The wall is one part of the work. We excavate, prepare the base, install drainage, build the wall, then backfill, compact and finish grade as a single continuous scope.

Engineered earth-retention systems

Retaining wall performance is decided by everything around it — the excavation behind it, the base under it, the drainage through it, and the compaction of the fill against it. DSM carries all of that work, so the wall system is built into a properly prepared and drained site rather than installed onto someone else’s groundwork.

Capabilities
  • Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls
  • Lock Block retaining walls
  • Allan Block / segmental retaining walls
  • Gabion retaining walls
  • Reinforced concrete retaining walls
  • Shotcrete retaining walls
  • Drainage and subdrainage
  • Backfill, compaction and final grading
Wall Systems 6 MSE · block · gabion · concrete · shotcrete
Groundwork In-House Excavation and base preparation
Drainage Coordinated Subdrainage built into the wall
Site Sequence Continuous Base through to final grading
01

Wall systems

MSE, Lock Block, Allan Block and segmental, gabion, reinforced concrete, and shotcrete walls built to the engineered design.

02

Excavation & drainage

Wall excavation, base preparation, and drainage installed before the wall goes up, not corrected afterwards.

03

Backfill & final grade

Controlled backfill, compaction, and final grading tie the wall into the surrounding site.

How the work flows
1
Excavate & base

Cut the wall line and prepare the base to the engineered design.

2
Drainage

Install drainage and subdrainage behind and beneath the wall.

3
Build the wall

Construct the specified system — MSE, block, gabion, concrete, or shotcrete.

4
Backfill & grade

Backfill in controlled lifts, compact, and finish grade around the structure.

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