Surrey Contracting Limited · Groundworks, Earthworks & Demolition across Surrey & the Home Counties

Groundworks Contractor in Epsom

Foundations, drainage, excavation and site preparation across Epsom, Ewell and the surrounding villages.

Surrey Contracting is a groundworks contractor covering Epsom from a yard at Send, about fifteen miles west. We dig and pour foundations, lay foul and surface water drainage, run service trenches and take sites to damp proof course with our own plant and operators.

The below-ground package is set out in full on our groundworks page. This page covers what is different about working in Epsom: the run from the yard, the ground we tend to find and the access we have to plan around.

Groundworks contractor excavating a foundation trench on a site near Epsom

Getting to Epsom from our yard

Epsom is the far side of our patch rather than the near side. It is around fifteen miles from the yard, usually across through Leatherhead. That is worth saying plainly: for a half day repair it is a long run, and for a foundation package or a drainage job with a proper programme it makes no practical difference, because the plant goes out and stays out.

Ground conditions and access in Epsom

Epsom sits at the foot of the North Downs, and the ground changes as you move up the slope. The town and the ground north towards Ewell are largely London Clay, which shrinks and swells with the seasons and does not drain. South and up onto the Downs the chalk comes through. Clay matters for two reasons: foundation depth has to allow for seasonal movement, particularly near mature trees, and surface water rarely soaks away, so drainage usually has to go somewhere rather than into a soakaway.

Close to the town centre the stock is Victorian and Edwardian terraces with no side access, so plant and spoil go through the house or not at all. The interwar semis further out usually have a side gate and a proper run for a dumper. Around the Downs and the conservation areas there are restrictions on what can be parked and when, which is worth establishing before a delivery is booked rather than on the morning.

Groundworks services in Epsom

We self-deliver the below-ground package with our own plant and operators, working directly for homeowners and as a groundworks subcontractor to builders, developers and main contractors.

  • Foundations and build to DPC
  • Foul and surface water drainage
  • Soakaways, manholes and inspection chambers
  • Service trenches and ducting
  • Excavation and muck-away
  • Site clearance and preparation

Larger reshaping and muck-away sits under bulk earthworks and excavation, and clearing structures before the dig starts under demolition and site clearance.

Common questions

Groundworks in Epsom: FAQs

Do you cover Epsom from Send?

Yes, though it is the far side of our area rather than the near side. Epsom is around fifteen miles from the yard, usually across through Leatherhead. For a foundation or drainage package that makes no practical difference, because the plant goes out and stays out. For a half hour call-out it is a long run and we will say so.

What ground conditions do you find on Epsom sites?

Largely London Clay through the town and north towards Ewell, with chalk coming through as the ground rises south onto the Downs. Clay shrinks and swells with the seasons, so foundation depth has to allow for it, particularly near mature trees. It also does not drain, so surface water usually needs somewhere to go rather than a soakaway.

Who handles building control for groundworks in Epsom?

Either Epsom and Ewell Borough Council building control or a Registered Building Control Approver, depending on what the project uses. Below ground work has to be inspected before it is covered over, so the excavation, any reinforcement and the drainage each need signing off at the right stage. We work from the approved drawings and book the inspections around them.

Got a site in Epsom to price?

Send us the postcode, any drawings and how the machine gets in, and we will come back with a written quotation.