Excavator forming strip foundations with drainage laid on a South Wales plot

03 — Groundworks & Civils

Groundworks contractors in South Wales. Our team, our plant.

Excavation, site clearance, foundations, drainage, muck away, surfacing and retaining structures — as a standalone package for developers and other contractors, or beneath our own builds.

Plenty of builders say groundworks is in-house. For us it means our own managers, our own operators and our own machines, from a 1.5-tonne excavator working a tight garden to an 8-tonne machine on an open plot, with dumpers to match. It is where our family came from, and it is still the part of a build we will not hand to someone else. We work across Cardiff, Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Site set-up and excavation

Site clearance, muck shift, reduced dig, cut and fill, and access roads — set out properly so the rest of the programme is not fighting the ground.

Foundations and concrete

Strip, trench-fill and raft foundations, reinforced slabs, pads and power-floated finishes, poured to the engineer's design and tested against it.

Drainage and external works

Foul and surface water drainage, attenuation, SAB-approved SuDS schemes, inspection chambers, kerbing, driveways and hard landscaping.

Retaining and difficult sites

Sloping, tight and access-restricted plots. Engineered retaining walls, temporary works planning and plant sized to the site rather than the schedule.

Packages

Priced and delivered on their own.

Six things developers, main contractors and self-builders come to us for. Each can be taken as a standalone package.

Foundations

Strip, trench-fill and raft foundations, reinforced slabs and pads — poured to the engineer's design by our own team and plant.

Excavation & site clearance

Bulk excavation, reduced dig, cut and fill, site strip and clearance — on our own excavators and dumpers, with operators who have done it for years.

Drainage & SuDS

Foul and surface water drainage, SuDS schemes built to SAB approval, attenuation, inspection chambers, septic tanks and adoptable connections.

Muck away & aggregates

Spoil removed with full duty-of-care documentation, and stone, type 1, sand and concrete delivered to site.

Driveways & surfacing

Tarmac, block paving, resin-bound and concrete surfacing, kerbing and external works — built on a base that will not sink in two winters.

Retaining walls & external works

Engineered retaining structures, terracing, gabions and reinforced concrete walls on the sloping plots the valleys are made of.

Plant hire with or without an operator

Scope

Available as a standalone package.

Excavators from approximately 1.5 to 8 tonnes
Dumpers up to approximately 6 tonnes
Foul, surface water and attenuation drainage
Reinforced slabs, foundations and concrete works
Engineered retaining structures and terracing
Driveways, kerbing and external works

Working on your own scheme and need a groundworks contractor you can rely on? We take on packages for developers and main contractors across South Wales, and hire our plant with an operator through our plant hire service.

Development under construction with groundworks complete and structures rising

Questions

Groundworks — common questions.

Do you price groundworks packages for other contractors?

Yes — that is a large part of what we do. Send us drawings, a specification or even a site plan and we will price the package: site clearance, dig, foundations, drainage, slabs and external works.

What plant do you run?

Excavators from around 1.5 tonnes for tight garden access up to 8 tonnes for open plots, with dumpers to match. Machines are available with or without an operator through our plant hire service.

Which foundation types do you build?

Strip, trench-fill and raft foundations, reinforced slabs, pads and pile caps, poured to the structural engineer's design and checked against it. On difficult ground we will tell you early if the design needs revisiting.

Can you handle drainage connections and SAB approval?

Yes. Foul and surface water drainage, attenuation and SuDS-compliant schemes built to SAB approval, inspection chambers and connections including Section 104 and Section 106 arrangements with the water authority.

Do you take on muck away and aggregate supply?

Yes. Muck away with proper duty-of-care documentation, and delivery of stone, type 1, sand and concrete to site.

Will you work on sloping or access-restricted sites?

Regularly. Sloping and tight plots are common across the South Wales valleys. We plan temporary works, size the plant to the access rather than the schedule, and build engineered retaining structures where they are needed.

How far will you travel for groundworks?

Across South Wales as standard — Cardiff, Newport, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Monmouthshire, Bridgend and the Vale. Further afield by arrangement.

Architect, engineer, quantity surveyor or developer? Foundations, RC, retaining, drainage and SuDS delivered to the engineer's design, priced from developed information.

For architects & professionals

Federation of Master Builders

Member no. 77299 · since November 2016 · last inspected May 2024

Company No.: 08620378
VAT Reg. No.: 219648775
FMB member no.: 77299
TrustMark: Registered
Public liability: £10m
Employers' liability: £5m

Jac Jones Construction Limited, registered in England & Wales no. 08620378. VAT registration no. 219648775. Jac Jones Construction Ltd holds £10m public liability cover (£5m primary with Aviva plus a £5m excess layer) and £5m employers' liability cover with Aviva. Certificates available on request. Federation of Master Builders member and TrustMark registered. Trading since 2013.

Related work

Projects like this.

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A substantial bespoke home on a technically constrained site, requiring significant retaining and groundworks alongside the main build.

Detached stone and render family home illuminated at night with landscaped front garden

Castle Street, Fleur-de-Lys

A new-build development at Castle Street in Fleur-de-Lys, delivered from the underlying construction through to the completed homes and external works.

Guides

Useful reading before you start.

Raft foundation guide

When a raft slab is the right foundation for a South Wales plot, how we build one step by step, and what it costs.

SABS drainage in Wales explained

Sustainable drainage has been a legal requirement in Wales since 2019. What approval involves and how we build to it.

Next step

Tell us what you have in mind.

A plot, a drawing, or an idea. Pick the closest option and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right team for it.

Bespoke homeNew build, design and build, or an individual home.

Swimming poolIndoor, outdoor or part of a wider project.

Groundworks and civilsGroundworks package, civils or enabling works.

Something elseA project that does not fit neatly in a box.

Would rather talk it through? Call 07446 832296