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Canberra ACT & Southern NSW 0408 362 590 — Call James Direct

Compact hydro excavation & non-destructive digging

NDT — Non-Destructive
Trenching

Big-project methods.
Built for your backyard.

NDT (Non-Destructive Trenching) is compact hydro excavation for a full trench — not only a hole to expose a pipe. High-pressure water and vacuum cut the route for new electrical, plumbing and service runs, including under pathways and through tight access, without always bringing in a large vac truck. We also pothole, locate services, and clean pits and drains.

Get a trenching estimate Call James

Canberra, Queanbeyan & surrounding areas · Based in Braidwood

GreenVac trenching around a fountain and established trees, with the compact trailer parked nearby
A complete trench around established landscaping, with our compact rig nearby.
Veteran owned & operatedSpeak directly with James5.0 on Google · 12 customer reviews
What we do

Hydro excavation.
Less disruption.

Hydro excavation uses high-pressure water to loosen soil and a powerful vacuum to remove it. It gives us a controlled way to dig around underground pipes, cables and tree roots, reducing the risk of damage and leaving less ground disturbed.

We use it for potholing, exposing services and digging complete trenches, including through tight spaces. Our compact equipment also handles drain, pit and grid cleaning.

James operating GreenVac's water lance and vacuum hose beside exposed underground pipework
James on the tools, carefully exposing underground services.
A GreenVac trench running along a narrow passage between a house and established planting
A complete trench down a narrow side passage beside a house and established planting.
The compact advantage

You don’t always need a big truck.

Hydro excavation has a place on major construction sites—and beside your house. GreenVac brings that approach to smaller projects with a compact trailer setup and hoses that reach the work area.

Up to 35 metres from the trailer

On suitable sites, we can work up to 35 metres from the trailer, reaching around buildings and into spaces where machine access is difficult.

The trailer doesn’t have to enter your backyard: the hose runs from the setup to the dig.

  • Access down narrow side passages and around established landscaping.
  • Careful excavation around existing underground services.
  • Equipment suited to smaller residential and trade projects.
The benefits of hydro excavation

Safer digging.
Less disruption.

Water and vacuum excavation help reduce the risk of damage to underground pipes and cables, with less disturbance to surrounding gardens and paths. Our hoses reach tight spaces where machine access is difficult, so we can dig complete trenches and work around existing structures.

View more of our work ↗
A narrow trench across established lawn beneath mature trees
01 / Established groundsA narrow trench through established lawn.
Excavation beside a building under scaffolding
02 / Around structuresCareful excavation beside existing structures.
Exposed underground pipework in a small excavation
03 / Service exposureExposing buried services for a closer look.
GreenVac compact vacuum trailer set up beside a house
04 / Compact setupThe trailer stays outside while the hose reaches the work.
A narrow trench beside a house and garden area
05 / Beside the houseA precise trench route beside the home.
Blue underground pipes exposed in a narrow excavation
06 / Existing servicesUnderground pipework exposed without a large excavation.
A long narrow trench extending across a lawn
07 / Lawn trenchingTrenching through open lawn with minimal disturbance.
A shallow trench through a landscaped garden area
08 / Garden routeA controlled route through established landscaping.
A curved trench running around a house garden
09 / Curved accessFollowing the service route around existing landscaping.
Vacuum and water hoses running along a trench
10 / Hydro excavationWater and vacuum equipment at work on site.
A long narrow trench through grounds with mature trees
11 / Open groundsLong trench runs through established grounds.
A vacuum hose beside exposed utility services in a trench
12 / Utility workWorking carefully around exposed utility services.
GreenVac vacuum trailer set up in a narrow residential driveway
13 / Tight accessCompact equipment suited to residential access.
Vacuum hose routed through a narrow side passage beside a house
14 / Side passageHoses reach tight spaces beside the home.
Excavation work beside a residential street with the vacuum trailer
15 / On-site workTargeted excavation on a residential service job.

Owner operated

Speak to the bloke who does the digging.

GreenVac is owned and operated by James. Send through a few photos and tell us what you need—we’ll talk through access, the trench route and whether NDT suits your job.

Veteran owned & operated
Call James — 0408 362 590
Customer reviews

From GreenVac customers.

5.0 ★★★★★
12 Reviews Google Business
★★★★★

"James's Greenvac service has proved invaluable on multiple occasions where excavation was required in trying circumstances; where final presentation was key and preservation of existing heritage trees was paramount. Working across show lawns, and ensuring the protection of root systems 200 years old, Greenvac does what traditional excavation cannot; it leaves no trace.

We simply could not have hand dug the trenches required for a new electrical fit out, and mechanical intervention would have left the area trashed and in need of slow, expensive and labour intensive remediation.

James is knowledgeable, responsive to challenging timelines, and always friendly to work with. Couldn't recommend more highly."

BR
Benjamin Robins
★★★★★

"James at GreenVac is always great to deal with. He provides a professional, reliable service and makes the job easy from start to finish. The equipment is great, he knows what he’s doing, and he always gets the job done efficiently and safely.

We use GreenVac for our business and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend James to anyone needing hydro excavation work. Top bloke and top service!"

HB
Hayden Brown
★★★★★

"Awesome experience with the guys from Greenvac. Very professional with great care and attention to the site and surrounding garden. Great communication throughout with a successful result."

MC
Myles Chandler
Read all 12 customer reviews
★★★★★

"James was very professional, turned up on time, explained everything that was involved and cleaned up afterwards. Would highly recommend and will use again in the future."

MP
Michael Parkinson
★★★★★

"Had a great experience with James from GreenVac. He was friendly, professional, punctual, and did an excellent job. He took the time to make sure everything was done properly and left everything looking fantastic. Really impressed with the quality of service and would happily recommend James and GreenVac to anyone. Thanks again, James!"

RC
Ryley Campbell
★★★★★

"Highly recommend James from Greenvac. I organised James to hydrovac around 2 water meter pits that were in highly compacted ground. James cleaned out the area perfectly and made my job 10 times easier. James was professional and does a professional job. I will be using James for all my future hydrovac projects."

NK
Ned Klopf
Ned's Plumbing and Gas
★★★★★

"James is professional and communicative. The work he has done has been quality and an absolute must if you are working around old and not well recorded utilities."

M
Marshall
★★★★★

"I recently had Green Vac assist with a tricky plumbing issue, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. The team tackled a hard-to-reach plumbing fitting with incredible skill and precision. Their professionalism and expertise were outstanding."

GG
Gavin Gillin
Local Guide
★★★★★

"James was timely, efficient, professional and did a great job. Would highly recommend."

MJ
Magdalena Juric
★★★★★

"Very professional from start to finish."

BB
Bailey Boljkovac
★★★★★

"Great people excellent work! Very helpful and quick response. Reasonable priced!"

RC
Rulin Chang
★★★★★

5-star Google rating

CS
Callum Simpson
See all reviews on Google More reviews on Facebook

Need a different kind of dig?

View all services ↗

Utility potholing

Small, targeted excavations to check where underground services are.

Service exposure

Careful access to existing pipes and cables for inspection or repairs.

Pit cleaning

Vacuum removal of sediment and debris from service pits and drains.

Got a trench to dig?

Tell us where it needs to go. Get an initial estimate online, or speak directly with James about your site.

Get a trenching estimate Call James — 0408 362 590

Protecting people, services and project budgets.

Call James