Three reasons we keep getting called back.
Why people pick Doucet Excavation & Stone Work
One crew, concept to keys.
We handle design, excavation, build, and finish landscape in house. One contract, one schedule, one accountable owner. No subs, no handoffs, no finger pointing when something needs fixing. Looking for an excavation company in Halifax? Same crew, same quote.
1,000+ builds across the HRM.
8+ years building in Halifax. 60+ five star Google reviews. Project budgets from $3,000 repairs to $500,000 custom homes. From Tantallon to Lawrencetown, Bedford to Chester and more.
Real rates, in writing.
$75/hour labor. $150/hour for excavator and operator. Pavers from $30/sq ft. Retaining walls from $75/sq ft. Every quote flat-priced and written. What we quote is what you pay.
Select Your Service
Six services. One in house crew.
Our process
Every Doucet job follows the same path from first call to final walkthrough. You always know where things are at and what's coming next.
What we install
Halifax landscaping, done by one local crew
In Halifax most of what we are called for is making a small space work properly. Patios and walkways in back yards you can only reach through a gate. Retaining walls and steps replacing ones that have shifted. Drainage where there is nowhere obvious for water to go. Garden beds and sod on lots where every square foot is spoken for.
Price depends on size and, more than anywhere else, access. If material has to come through a gate by wheelbarrow instead of off a machine, that is the difference between two days and five. We walk the property before quoting so the number accounts for it, then send one flat written quote within 24 hours.
✓ Paver patios and walkways in back yards reached through a gate, from $30/sq ft.
✓ Retaining walls and steps replacing ones that have shifted, walls from $75/sq ft.
✓ Drainage where there is nowhere obvious for the water to go.
✓ Sod from $2.50/sq ft on small lots where every square foot counts.
✓ Garden beds, planting and edging.
✓ Hand work at $75/hour where a machine cannot get in.
✓ Full-season property maintenance from $1,000 a season.
Halifax soil, weather, and freeze-thaw cycles are tough on landscapes. Every Doucet install starts with the base, not the finish. Proper grading for drainage away from the home. Topsoil where the native soil cannot support healthy plants. Pavers laid on 6 to 10 inches of compacted crushed stone. Polymeric joint sand that does not wash out. The base is what makes the work last, not the finish.
What Halifax homeowners ask us.
✓ Paver patios and walkways: $30 to $45/sq ft installed
✓ Retaining walls: from $75/sq ft
✓ Sod: from $2.50/sq ft installed
✓ Labour: $75/hour. Excavator and operator: $150/hour
✓ Design and build: from $20,000, with the $500 to $1,500 design fee credited back if we build it
We work right across Halifax, peninsula and mainland, and we will tell you honestly when a job needs access we cannot get.
How much does landscaping cost in Halifax?
Most jobs start at $3,000. On the peninsula, access is what moves the price: material that comes through a gate by wheelbarrow takes longer than material dropped off a machine. We walk it first and send one flat written quote within 24 hours.
Can you work in a back yard with no machine access?
Yes. Where a machine cannot get in, the work is done by hand at $75 an hour, and that is built into the quote after the site visit.
Do you handle drainage problems?
Yes. On small city lots the water often has nowhere obvious to go, so we regrade, trench French drains and run downspout lines to get it away from the foundation.
Do you offer landscape design?
Yes. Design and build projects start at $20,000. The design is done with an outside designer after a site visit with you, costs $500 to $1,500, and is credited back in full if we build it. You keep the design either way.
Do you do lawn care in Halifax?
Yes, on a full-season contract from $1,000 a season: mowing, trimming, spring and fall cleanups, bed and shrub care, fertilizer, lime and aeration.
See everything a lawn care contract includes.
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Halifax?
If the wall is over 1 metre, about 3.3 feet, on a serviced residential lot, yes. HRM requires a Lot Grading Permit. Shorter walls usually do not, with some exceptions near property lines and where drainage is affected. We handle the permit for you.
Which parts of Halifax do you cover?
All of it. We have clients on the peninsula in the North End, South End and West End, and on the mainland in Armdale, Fairview, Clayton Park, Rockingham, Spryfield and out along Purcells Cove Road. Dartmouth, Bedford and Sackville each have their own page.
Across the city
Landscaping across Halifax, street by street
The peninsula: North, South and West End
Small lots, back yards behind a gate, and nowhere to park a machine. We work out access and where the material gets dropped before we quote, then send one flat written quote. Patios, walkways, steps and garden beds make up most of the work here.
Clayton Park, Fairview and Rockingham
More yard to work with and more slope. Sod from $2.50/sq ft goes down on a graded base, paver patios from $30/sq ft go in off the back of the house, and we fix lots where water runs toward the foundation instead of away from it.
Armdale, Spryfield and Purcells Cove
Rock and steep grades are common in this part of the city. Retaining walls in segmental block or armour stone start at $75/sq ft, and when the ground has to move first, the excavator and operator is $150/hour. Walls over 1 metre on a serviced lot need an HRM Lot Grading Permit, and we handle it.
Services
Landscaping services in Halifax
Design
Installation
Maintenance
A finished yard is more than sod and plants. Before the green goes down, we handle the excavation and grading that sets your drainage right, so water runs away from the house instead of toward it. Where a lot slopes, we build retaining walls that turn wasted grade into flat, usable yard. And when winter comes, the same crew keeps your driveway and walks clear with snow removal in Halifax, so you have one contractor for the property year round.
Our Past Work
Gallery
Questions?
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Serving Areas
Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville, Tantallon, Chester, Hubbards, and surrounding HRM communities
Opening Hours
Mon - Friday: 6am-6pm