For a typical project of 100 m² (1,076 sq ft) of reshaped ground (all of Quebec): $2,798 doing it yourself, $2,000 to $2,900 by a contractor, before tax.
Materials at retail prices, rentals, delivery and disposal, plus your time as a beginner (*).
* Includes your time: 45.5 h × $35.05/h (beginner). Money spent only: $1,201
Tools to buy, on top: $180
Labour, equipment, materials, overhead and margin.
Crew pace: 12 person-hours
Stacked extremes (everything low, everything high): $1,484 to $4,172
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
At $35/h: hiring costs less.
Break-even = (the contractor's typical price minus the money spent doing it yourself) divided by your person-hours. Before tax on both sides: GST and QST apply to both.
| Measure | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|
| Money spent | $1,201 | $1,201 |
| Person-hours | 46 h | 31 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 3 days | 2 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $1,596 | $1,085 |
| True cost | $2,798 | $2,287 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $1,201 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $2,798 |
| True cost, intermediate | $2,287 |
| Contractor | $2,000 to $2,900 ($2,400) |
| Materials | 1% | $19 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 23% | $553 |
| Equipment and rentals | 34% | $792 |
| Delivery and disposal | 5% | $125 |
| Overhead | 27% | $638 |
| Margin | 10% | $236 |
The range shows the effect of documented price and productivity spreads. It is not a probability.
Intermediate
Hours for the typical project: the work calculation (a crew's pace times the level's factor, with rework, learning and unloading) plus the guide's planning and checks.
The goal is positive drainage: the ground falls away from the foundation on every side, then the water keeps going to a place that can take it (lawn, planting bed, swale, street) without crossing the neighbour's lot.
Info-Excavation is free. The RBQ asks contractors to file at least 4 business days before digging; Hydro-Québec advises homeowners to allow 72 hours, or 3 business days when a pipeline is involved. Even shallow grading disturbs the ground: file the request.
Keep the topsoil apart from the start: it will become the finished surface again. Then lower the high spots and move the soil to the hollows marked on the sketch.
Fill goes down in thin layers, each one compacted before the next; the engine uses layers of 200 mm at most. One thick layer settles for months and makes a new hollow that sends water back toward the house.
Shape the surface, put the topsoil back, then cover it quickly with sod, seed or mulch: bare soil erodes in the first heavy rain (see the sod guide).
Lower land receives the water that flows naturally from higher land. The lower owner may not block that flow, and the higher owner may not make the lower land's situation worse (Civil Code of Québec, art. 979). Do not send water toward your neighbour.
Gouvernement du QuébecLégisQuébec, Éditeur officiel du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Before digging, file a free request with Info-Excavation. The RBQ asks contractors to file at least 4 business days before work; it stays valid for up to 180 days. Keep machines at least 1 m from the marks.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecHydro-QuébecAPSAM (Association paritaire pour la santé et la sécurité du travail, secteur affaires municipales)Info-ExcavationChecked October 10, 2026
Landscaping on private land does not need an RBQ licence. A contractor doing excavation and earthwork as construction work (pool, foundation) must hold subcategory 2.5 or a licence that includes it.
Régie du bâtiment du QuébecRégie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Sherbrooke publishes a technical sheet on fill: check whether bringing in soil needs a certificate before the work.
Ville de SherbrookeChecked October 10, 2026
Quebec City regulates the height and slope of banks, alone or combined with a wall, and applies special rules near watercourses and steep slopes.
Ville de QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Never step into a trench deeper than 1.2 m unless its walls are shored or sloped back. Keep soil and materials at least 1.2 m from the edge, and machines at least 3 m back.
Gouvernement du Québec (LégisQuébec)Checked October 10, 2026
If you hire a contractor, ask for a written contract that describes the work, materials, total price, payment terms and warranty. A contract signed at your home after a sales visit can be cancelled within 10 days.
Office de la protection du consommateurRégie du bâtiment du QuébecChecked October 10, 2026
Locating underground networks is free and requested before digging. The requester's name and the ticket number should be on file.
The slope, the outlet and what happens at the property line. You may not make runoff onto the neighbour worse.
The quantity in cubic metres or tonnes, and whether hauling and disposal are in the price.
Clear stone, topsoil, fill: the material's name and the thickness in millimetres.
Lawn, driveway, beds damaged by machinery: included or not.
For sod take, the drain working, or fill settling.
In every case: an RBQ licence when the work requires one, a business number (NEQ), civil liability insurance and a written contract.
Guide: choosing a contractorDraft: this content has not yet been reviewed by an installer or an engineer. The numbers come from the engine; the explanations may still change.