“Jono is reliable and dependable. He communicates so we are not kept guessing. Recommend him to anyone.” - Hon Young (East Gosford) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Hi, I'm Jono. If the only way into your backyard is a side gate, a set of steps or a path that runs past the aircon unit, that's the work I do most weeks. I run a 1.7T mini excavator that fits where the big gear can't, and I've been doing it across the Central Coast for over 15 years.
Will a machine actually fit down my side?
Nine times out of ten, yes. My 1.7T excavator runs retractable tracks, so it narrows to roughly 950mm to squeeze through, then widens back out for stability once it’s on the job. Most standard side gates on the Coast measure between 900mm and 1100mm, which is why the 1.7T is the machine I bought.
What that means for you: no fence panels lifted off, no gate posts cut out, no pavers pulled up and relaid. The machine walks in, does the work, and walks back out.
If your access is tighter than that, or there’s a step, a retaining wall or a dogleg turn in the way, send me a photo with a tape measure across the narrowest point. I’ll tell you straight away whether it goes through, and if it doesn’t, what the alternative looks like.
What tight access looks like on the Central Coast
Homes through Gosford, Woy Woy, Long Jetty and Toukley were built long before anyone thought about getting a machine into the yard. Side access is often under a metre, and the gap gets tighter again where the water meter, tap or aircon unit sits. I measure to the narrowest point, not the widest.
Yards through Terrigal, Avoca, Copacabana, Saratoga and Green Point fall away at the back, and the side path is often a set of steps. The 1.7T can be walked down most falls, and where it can't, the machine goes in over the top with a crane or the job gets rethought before you're committed.
Umina, Ettalong and Bateau Bay are full of battleaxe blocks with a long driveway and a blind turn at the end. The dig might be simple, but shifting spoil 40 metres back to the truck is what decides the hours. I quote for the haul, not just the hole.
Peninsula sand moves under tracks, and new turf, pavers and stamped concrete all mark up if you drive straight over them. I run ground protection where it's needed and clean up behind me. Rubber tracks help, but care does more.
Digging out the hole for a fibreglass or concrete pool where the only way in is the side gate. Common through Erina, Kincumber and Terrigal.
Plumbing, stormwater, electrical and comms trenches that start at the street and end at the back of the house. Dial Before You Dig plans first, hand dig where the plans call for it.
Laser-levelled pads in the back corner of the block, including the cut, the fall and the compaction.
Old paths, slabs and pool surrounds broken up with the hammer attachment and carted out. Usually the messiest part of a tight access job, so it's worth having a machine rather than a jackhammer and a wheelbarrow.
Timber, sleeper or sandstone, built to what your engineer or certifier has specified. Anything over 600mm generally needs approval through Central Coast Council or a private certifier.
Much of the Coast sits on Hawkesbury sandstone and it turns up at half a metre or three. The rock hammer goes on and you hear about it before the extra hours are booked.
Fence posts, decks and pergolas in yards a post hole borer can reach but a truck can't.
Tipper truck takes the dirt, rubble and green waste away, so you're not left with a mountain on the nature strip. Excavation always makes more material than people expect.
Not sure your job fits down the side?
Send a photo and I'll tell you.
Who I Work For Around The Central Coast
Homeowners putting in a pool, a shed or a deck, who’ve been told by two other operators that the machine won’t fit.
Pool builders and landscapers who need a subbie with a small machine and the patience for a fiddly site.
Plumbers, electricians and fencers who need a machine and an operator for a day instead of owning one.
Builders and owner-builders working on infill blocks, duplexes and renovations where the house is already up and the yard is boxed in.
Five minutes with a tape measure saves a wasted call-out.
15+ years running mini excavators on tight Central Coast blocks
1.7T machine that fits a standard side gate, plus larger gear to 8T when the job opens up
Owner-operator, so you deal with the person doing the work
Rock hammer and augers on hand
Available 7 days by appointment
FAQs About Tight Access Excavation
Think your backyard is too tight? Send a photo.
Text or email one photo with a tape measure across the narrowest point and you'll get an honest answer, not a call-out fee.
Gosford, East Gosford, West Gosford, Erina, Terrigal, Wamberal, Avoca Beach, Copacabana, Kincumber, Green Point, Saratoga, Davistown, Empire Bay, Woy Woy, Umina Beach, Ettalong Beach, Blackwall, Kariong, Narara, Wyoming, Lisarow, Ourimbah, Tuggerah, Wyong, Berkeley Vale, Bateau Bay, Long Jetty, The Entrance, Toukley, Budgewoi and surrounds.