07917 678382Mon–Sat from 7:30am Free quote

Family-run · Over 20 years · Greater Manchester & Cheshire

Excavation & groundwork in Manchester, done with care.

A family-run business with more than 20 years’ experience in excavation and groundwork, working for homeowners, builders and developers across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Get a free quote 07917 678382Mon–Sat from 7:30am
  • Fully insured
  • Free written quotes
  • Family-run
  • Over 20 years
Sandstone patio laid in a sweep around a curved conservatory
Kubota mini excavator digging out beside a new-build house

Free site visit & written quote.You receive the work, materials and timescale in writing before anything starts.

Domestic and commercial

Nine services, for homes and for sites.

Choose the section that fits your project: work at home for homeowners, or groundwork packages for builders and developers.

Serving Greater Manchester

Excavation & groundwork specialists.

Mark Leigh has worked in excavation and groundwork for more than 20 years. He holds the training and certificates for the machines he operates, and he has worked for clients across the North West, from homeowners to large organisations.

Mark Leigh Excavations is a family-run business based at Spring Bank Farm in Gorton. We cover Manchester, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford and Cheshire; see the areas we cover for distances and travel times.

We work for homeowners and for the trade. See domestic groundwork for work at home, or commercial groundwork for packages priced from drawings. Finished jobs are in the gallery, and common questions are answered on our FAQ page.

Kubota mini excavator clearing a spoil heap on a commercial site in Manchester

Our services

Excavation, groundwork and civil engineering.

Choose a service to see the work, then go to the page for homes or for sites.

Mini excavator digging out beside a residential road

Excavations

Excavation for extensions, garden levels, trenches and building sites, with the spoil taken away.

For homesExcavations→For sitesBulk excavation & muck away→

Why choose us

Why choose Mark Leigh Excavations?

A local, family-run team, clear written quotes, careful work and good time keeping.

20+ years’ experience

More than 20 years of excavation and groundwork across Greater Manchester, for homeowners, builders and large organisations.

  • Family-run business
  • Trained, certificated operators
  • Yard at Spring Bank Farm, Gorton

Our own machines

All of our plant is our own, from small diggers for tight access to 13-tonne excavators, so work is not held up waiting for hire.

  • Diggers up to 13 tonnes
  • Our own tippers and grab lorries
  • Delivered on our own low loader

Clear, fair prices

You receive the work, the materials and the timescale in writing before anything starts.

  • Free, no-obligation quotes
  • Fixed price or day rate
  • Any extra cost agreed with you first

Attention to detail

Careful work, good time keeping and a tidy site at the end of every day.

  • We arrive when we say we will
  • Fully insured
  • Site left clean and tidy

From the ground up

Most of what we build, you will never see.

This is where our work sits on a typical property. Select a label to see the service.

1Driveways2Excavations3Footings & foundations4Drainage5Landscaping

Not to scale: depths depend on your ground and on what building control requires.How the groundwork stage works →

After: the finished tarmac drive with red brick edging around the bay
Before: the front garden dug out and edged in brick, ready for the sub-base
BeforeAfter

A recent job

A front garden, opened up.

A front garden dug out, edged in red brick around the bay window and finished in tarmac. Drag the handle to compare.

Brick step and curved edging with compactor outside patio doors
Step 1Dug out and edged
Groundworker compacting a driveway sub base with a plate compactor
Step 2Base laid
Driveway groundwork in progress between new brick pillars
Step 3Pillars built
Car parked on a completed tarmac driveway beside a brick pillar
Step 4Tarmac laid
More about driveways

Recent work

Have a look round some recent jobs.

Homes and sites across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. Each one links to the service behind it.

Sandstone patio laid across the full width of a houseLandscaping & patiosSandstone patio laid across the full width of a house→
Poured concrete strip footings marked out across a new build plotCommercial foundationsPoured concrete strip footings marked out across a new build plot→
Block paved driveway with a low brick front wallDrivewaysBlock paved driveway with a low brick front wall→
Swimming pool excavation in a back garden, ready for the pool shellExcavationsSwimming pool excavation in a back garden, ready for the pool shell→
Lawn and curved block paved path in a rear gardenLandscaping & patiosLawn and curved block paved path in a rear garden→
Steel formwork shuttering assembled for a concrete foundation pourCivil engineeringSteel formwork shuttering assembled for a concrete foundation pour→
Tarmac driveway edged in red brick in front of a houseDrivewaysTarmac driveway edged in red brick in front of a house→
Slate steps built up to a front doorLandscaping & patiosSlate steps built up to a front door→
Skip, excavator and completed driveway groundwork at a new build houseGroundwork packagesSkip, excavator and completed driveway groundwork at a new build house→

See the full gallery

How it works

Four steps, no surprises.

Whether it is a shed base or a whole site, you will always know what happens next and what it costs.

  1. 1

    We visit

    A free visit to see the job and the access before we price anything.

  2. 2

    You receive a written quote

    The work, the materials and the timescale in writing, at a fixed price or a day rate.

  3. 3

    We carry out the work

    Machines sized for your access, drives and lawns protected, and the spoil taken away as we go.

  4. 4

    We leave it tidy

    The site tidied at the end of every day, and any extra work agreed with you before it starts.

Reviews

What our customers say.

A few words from homeowners and contractors we have worked for.

★★★★★

“Mark and his team did an outstanding job on our driveway. Professional, punctual, and the quality is exceptional. Highly recommended!”
Sarah ThompsonHomeowner, Stockport

★★★★★

“We’ve used Mark Leigh Excavations on multiple commercial projects. Their reliability and expertise make them our go-to contractor.”
David WilsonConstruction Manager, Manchester

★★★★★

“Fantastic drainage work that solved our persistent flooding issues. Great communication throughout and finished ahead of schedule.”
Emma RobertsHomeowner, Bolton

Areas we cover

Serving all of Greater Manchester.

We work from our yard at Spring Bank Farm in Gorton and cover Manchester, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford and Cheshire. Every town below has its own page.

Map of the 42 towns we cover, with rings at 5, 10 and 15 miles from our yard in Gorton 5 mi 10 mi 15 mi City centre Openshaw: 1 mile, 5 minutes Reddish: 2 miles, under 10 minutes Clayton: 2 miles, 10 minutes Droylsden: 2 miles, under 10 minutes Denton: 3 miles, 10 minutes Longsight: 2.5 miles, 10 minutes Levenshulme: 3 miles, 10 minutes Audenshaw: 3 miles, 10 minutes Fallowfield: 4 miles, 15 minutes Ashton-under-Lyne: 5 miles, 15 minutesAshton-under-Lyne Bredbury: 4.5 miles, 15 minutes Dukinfield: 5 miles, 15 minutes Burnage: 5.5 miles, 20 minutes Woodley: 5.5 miles, 15 minutes Romiley: 6 miles, 20 minutes Stockport: 6 miles, 15 minutesStockport Stalybridge: 6.5 miles, 20 minutesStalybridge Marple: 8 miles, 25 minutesMarple Cheadle: 8 miles, 25 minutesCheadle Hazel Grove: 8.5 miles, 25 minutesHazel Grove Bramhall: 9.5 miles, 30 minutesBramhall Cheadle Hulme: 9 miles, 27 minutes Gatley: 8.5 miles, 25 minutes Heald Green: 9 miles, 28 minutes Woodford: 10 miles, 30 minutes Poynton: 10.5 miles, 30 minutesPoynton Disley: 12 miles, 35 minutesDisley Handforth: 12 miles, 30 minutes Wilmslow: 13 miles, 32 minutesWilmslow Alderley Edge: 14 miles, 35 minutes Knutsford: 16 miles, 35 minutesKnutsford Prestbury: 16 miles, 38 minutes Macclesfield: 17 miles, 40 minutesMacclesfield Bollington: 18 miles, 40 minutes Stretford: 7 miles, 22 minutesStretford Sale: 9 miles, 25 minutesSale Urmston: 9.5 miles, 27 minutes Altrincham: 11 miles, 28 minutesAltrincham Timperley: 10 miles, 28 minutes Hale: 12 miles, 30 minutes Partington: 13 miles, 32 minutesPartington Eccles: 10 miles, 28 minutesEccles Our yard, Gorton

Manchester

Tameside

Stockport

Trafford & Salford

Cheshire

All areas covered →

Common questions

Things people ask us first.

Do you offer free quotes?

Yes. We visit your site, discuss what you need and send you a written, itemised quote. There is no obligation to go ahead.

Are you insured?

Yes. We carry public liability and employer’s liability insurance, and we can send you the certificates on request.

Will the price change once you start?

We work to a fixed price or a day rate, agreed before we start. If something unexpected is found in the ground, we explain it and agree any extra cost with you before carrying on.

How long will my project take?

That depends on the size of the job, the ground and the weather. We give you a timescale with your quote and keep you informed as the work progresses.

More questions and answers →

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