Guelph Excavation Pros breaks out and hauls away concrete for homeowners, renovators and contractors across Guelph and Wellington County. We remove driveways, patios, garage floors, footings and basement slabs, then send clean concrete to be crushed and recycled. More than 10 years and 500+ jobs have taught us that the cut line matters as much as the break.
Most of our concrete demolition calls come from owners replacing a cracked driveway or a tired patio, renovators clearing a basement floor, and builders who need old footings gone before new forms go in. Every slab removal starts with a diamond saw cut at the edge of whatever stays, so the break stops exactly where it should.
Concrete breaking looks simple until a breaker cracks the neighbour's walkway or rattles a foundation wall. We size the machine to the slab, control vibration near structures, and leave a graded, swept site ready for the next trade. Quotes are free, and the written price is fixed after a site visit.
10+ years digging
500+ jobs completed
Licensed and insured
WSIB coveredWe remove residential and light commercial concrete of almost any thickness, from 75 mm (3 in) walkways to 300 mm (12 in) reinforced footings. Each job type below calls for a different machine, cut plan and disposal route.
We remove whole driveways or just the damaged part, such as a cracked apron at the street or a sunken strip by the garage. A saw cut separates the piece coming out from the piece staying, and a mini excavator with a hydraulic breaker lifts the slab in manageable chunks.
If the whole surface is being replaced, we can also dig out the old gravel and build new granular as part of our driveway excavation and base preparation service.
Patios and shed pads are usually 100 mm (4 in) thick with wire mesh, while garage floors and hot tub pads often run 125 to 150 mm (5 to 6 in) with rebar. Thicker reinforced slabs need a heavier breaker and more time to cut and separate the steel.
Garage floors are broken from the back wall toward the door, so debris loads straight into the truck waiting on the driveway.
Structural concrete is the heaviest work we do: strip footings, frost walls, old foundation walls and basement floor slabs. These pieces are thick, heavily reinforced and often sit next to walls that must stay standing.
Inside a house, basement floors come out with electric demolition hammers and compact machines, often ahead of a basement excavation or dig-down. Footings left behind by a removed garage or addition are broken out with an excavator once the walls are gone.
Poured and precast steps, air conditioner pads, low concrete walls and fence post footings are small but awkward. They tend to sit tight against siding, gas meters or foundation walls, so we often cut them free and lift them out whole instead of breaking them in place.
Bigger tear-outs that include a shed, deck or garage are handled through our demolition service, so one crew takes care of both the structure and its slab.
The right breaking method depends on slab thickness, how close the concrete sits to things that must stay, and how much noise and vibration the site can handle. Most jobs combine two methods: a saw to cut clean lines and a breaker to do the bulk of the work.
| Method | Best for | Noise and vibration | Finish edge | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic breaker on an excavator | Driveways, footings and slabs over about 20 m² (215 sq ft) | High noise, moderate ground vibration | Rough; needs a saw cut first for a clean line | Lowest per square metre on large areas |
| Breaker on a mini excavator or skid steer | Backyard patios, side yards and tight lots | Moderate noise, lower vibration | Rough without a saw cut | Low to moderate |
| Diamond saw cutting (walk-behind or handheld, wet cut) | Partial removals, edges against slabs that stay, new openings | Loud while cutting, almost no vibration | Straight and square, ready for new concrete, asphalt or pavers | Priced per linear metre and depth; added to the job |
| Electric demolition hammer and hand tools | Basements, garages, steps against siding and areas near fragile finishes | Moderate noise, very low vibration | Controlled; can work right to a line | Highest per square metre, because it is slow |
Wet cutting keeps respirable crystalline silica dust down, which matters indoors and next to neighbours. Silica is a designated substance under Ontario's O. Reg. 490/09, so we cut wet or use dust extraction whenever a saw or hammer is running.
Four things decide how long a concrete removal takes and what it costs: thickness, reinforcement, access and what is underneath. A look at an exposed edge, a crack or a few photos usually tells us most of it.
Hidden surprises are usually one of three things: a second slab poured over an old one, a thickened edge under a driveway apron, or abandoned pipes cast into the concrete. When a slab's history is unclear, we cut a test line before quoting the full job.
We protect what stays by cutting before we break, keeping heavy breaking away from foundations, and covering the lawns and finished surfaces our machines cross. Most damage on concrete jobs comes from cracks that run past the work area, and a full-depth saw cut stops them.
Before we start, we photograph neighbouring slabs, foundation walls and nearby windows. That record protects you and your neighbours if a question comes up later.
Clean concrete from your job goes to a recycling yard, where it is crushed into recycled aggregate instead of being buried in a landfill. Rebar and wire mesh are pulled out and recycled as scrap steel.
Crushed concrete is screened into products such as recycled Granular A and clear stone, which end up under new driveways, parking lots and pipe bedding. Ontario's aggregate specification, OPSS 1010, allows recycled concrete in granular base unless a project's contract excludes it.
Recycling also keeps your price down. Tipping fees for clean concrete at a recycler are usually lower than landfill rates for mixed construction waste, so we keep concrete separate from wood, soil and garbage on every job.
Concrete with tile, asphalt, paint or oily soil stuck to it cannot always go to a recycler. We sort it on site and tell you up front if any of it has to go to landfill.
A typical residential concrete removal follows four steps and finishes in a day for most driveways and patios. Footings and basement floors take longer, but the sequence is the same.
We request free utility locates through Ontario One Call before the start date, since a standard request takes 5 business days. Gas, hydro, cable and water services are marked on the ground before anything is cut.
Next, we chalk the removal line with you and run a full-depth diamond saw cut along every edge that stays. Private lines such as irrigation, landscape lighting and buried propane are traced with you, because public locates do not cover them.
A hydraulic breaker on the excavator fractures the slab into pieces about 300 to 600 mm (1 to 2 ft) across. The same machine pulls the pieces apart, frees the steel and loads them straight into a dump truck.
On driveways the truck backs up to the work, so the concrete never crosses your lawn. Backyard jobs use a compact track loader or tracked dumper to shuttle loads out to the street.
With the concrete gone, we check what is underneath. If new concrete, asphalt or interlock is coming, we dig out soft or contaminated base and replace it with compacted Granular A to the depth that surface needs.
If the area is going back to lawn or garden, we remove the base gravel and bring in topsoil instead, so grass is not struggling over stone.
We scrape and sweep the remaining slabs, clear mud and chips off the street and driveway, and rough grade the area so water drains away from the house. Track marks across the lawn are raked out and seeded where needed.
You are left with a site that is ready for the next trade or for planting, not a pile of rubble to deal with.
Concrete removal in Guelph typically costs $4 to $8 per square foot for a 100 mm (4 in) residential slab and $7 to $12 per square foot for thick or heavily reinforced concrete, including hauling and recycling. Most jobs carry a minimum charge of about $900 to $1,500 to cover the machine, saw and trucking.
A standard double driveway of about 55 m² (600 sq ft) usually lands between $2,500 and $4,800. Your written quote is fixed after a site visit, so the price does not change if the slab turns out tougher than it looked.
| Cost driver | Why it matters | Typical effect on price |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | Thicker concrete takes longer to break and weighs more to haul | 150 mm (6 in) costs about 30 to 50% more per square foot than 100 mm (4 in) |
| Rebar or wire mesh | Steel must be cut and separated before loading | Adds roughly $1 to $3 per square foot |
| Area | Setup and trucking are spread over more square feet | Large jobs cost less per square foot than small ones |
| Access | Backyards, narrow side yards and basements need compact machines or hand tools | Can add 20 to 60% compared with open driveway access |
| Disposal | Clean concrete recycles at lower tipping fees than mixed waste | Mixed or contaminated loads add landfill fees |
| Saw cutting | Charged by length and depth of cut | About $15 to $35 per linear metre ($5 to $10 per linear foot) |
| Base removal | Digging out gravel or clay adds excavation and trucking | Quoted per cubic metre or as part of a new base |
Bundling concrete removal with new base preparation, a swimming pool removal or a full demolition usually lowers the total, since the crew and trucks are already on site.
These are the questions Guelph homeowners and contractors ask most before booking concrete breaking. If yours is not here, send it with your photos and we will answer it in the quote.
Most residential concrete removal in Guelph costs $4 to $12 per square foot, with a minimum charge of about $900 to $1,500. Thickness, rebar, access and whether the base comes out too are what move the price within that range.
We fix the price in writing after a free site visit.
Yes. We saw-cut a straight, full-depth line where the old concrete will end, break out only the damaged section and leave the rest intact.
Partial removals are common for sunken aprons at the street, heaved sections near the garage, and strips taken out for a new walkway or a utility trench.
Yes, clean concrete goes to a recycling yard where it is crushed into aggregate for new base and fill. Rebar and mesh are separated and recycled as scrap steel.
Only concrete with contaminants, such as tile adhesive, asphalt or oil-soaked soil, may have to go to landfill, and we tell you before the job starts.
Yes, we break basement floors and interior footings with electric demolition hammers, compact machines and wet cutting to keep dust down. In an occupied house, the work area is sealed with poly sheeting and an air scrubber runs throughout.
Broken concrete leaves through a walkout, a window opening or a conveyor. When a floor is coming out for a dig-down, the footings must be protected first with underpinning or bench footings designed by an engineer.
Most driveways and patios are removed in one day, including saw cutting and loading. A small walkway or pad takes 2 to 4 hours, and a single-car driveway about 4 to 6 hours.
Basement floors usually take 2 to 4 days, and old footings or foundation walls 1 to 3 days, depending on length and reinforcement.
We take on concrete breaking and removal anywhere within about a 30 minute drive of Guelph, from Waterloo in the west to Milton in the east. Each town page covers the local permits, soils and jobs we see most there.
Concrete Removal in GuelphDriveway aprons, backyard patios and garage floors are our most common jobs in Guelph, where any work that touches a curb, boulevard or city sidewalk needs City approval first.
Concrete Removal in KitchenerIn Kitchener, we cut and lift out decades-old patios, steps and garage slabs ahead of new hardscape and renovations.
Concrete Removal in WaterlooFor Waterloo homeowners and renovation contractors, we remove slabs, steps and pads with compact machines suited to small lots and narrow side yards.
Concrete Removal in CambridgeOur Cambridge jobs often include breaking out old concrete steps and walkways around homes in Galt, Preston and Hespeler before new landscaping goes in.
Concrete Removal in PuslinchRural properties in Puslinch bring larger pieces: old barn floors, shop slabs and equipment pads that call for a full-size excavator and breaker.
Concrete Removal in MiltonIn Milton, we break out driveways and patios on subdivision lots and remove old foundations on rural properties toward the Niagara Escarpment.
Send us a few photos and the rough size of the concrete, and we will book a free site visit and send a fixed written quote. Prefer to talk it through? Call 548-918-0387, 7 days a week.
Open Monday to Saturday 6:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday 9:00am to 9:00pm.
