Working to CROW 500
KLIC utility enquiry, locating the existing infrastructure, and careful excavation inside the risk zone. The full process documented and verifiable.
Hand excavation for cables and pipes
Trenches dug by hand, where the machine may not go.
Experienced crews digging cable trenches with the spade inside the risk zone around existing cables and pipes. A fixed rate per linear metre, per soil class.
Inside the risk zone around a cable or pipe, the Dutch CROW 500 guideline requires careful excavation. That is not an optional extra — it is what the law asks of the party disturbing the ground.
Rates per linear metre
Class 1Sand, sandy ground, loose garden soil, unpaved€ 18per m¹
Class 2Sandy clay, clay, peat, wet or compacted ground€ 33per m¹
Class 3Rubble, stones, tree roots, old foundations, cable bundles€ 67per m¹
Trench 0.60 m deep × 0.30 m wide, including backfill and compaction. Excluding VAT. Other dimensions and surcharges: see soil classes and rates.
Why by hand
An excavator may not go there. We may.
A risk zone applies around existing cables and pipes. Whoever disturbs the ground has to locate them and dig carefully — which in practice means by hand. This is not work that automates away; the regulations require it.
No damage, no standstill
A struck cable costs thousands of euros on average, plus a route brought to a halt. Digging by hand reduces that chance to almost nothing.
Where no machine fits
Narrow back paths, courtyards, established planting, crawl spaces and routes along tree roots. Wherever a digger cannot reach or is not allowed to stand.
What it costs
We publish our prices. The rest of the market does not.
Most excavation firms say “contact us for a quotation”. We work with three soil classes at a fixed rate per linear metre, so you can calculate up front instead of being surprised afterwards.
| Class | Soil type | Recognisable by | Per m¹ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — Light | Sand, sandy ground, loose garden soil, unpaved | Dry, loose, falls off the spade | € 18 |
| 2 — Heavy | Sandy clay, clay, peat, wet or compacted ground | Sticks to the spade, has to be cut loose | € 33 |
| 3 — Obstructed | Rubble, stones, tree roots, old foundations, cable bundles | Every metre costs tool changes and muscle | € 67 |
What if the ground turns out worse?
That is the question every trenching contract founders on, so we settle it in advance. The class is set during the survey. If the ground turns out different on site, we report it with a photograph and a measurement before we dig on, and we reclassify by agreement. No approval within the agreed window? Then we revert to an hourly rate rather than standing still.
So you never receive an after-the-fact variation invoice you had no way of seeing coming.
How it runs
From route to finished trench in four steps
Send the route
Send us your drawing, or a description with the length and location. Within one working day you will know whether we can take it on, and when.
Survey and classification
We come and look, determine the soil class per section and record it. That fixes your price, not your risk.
KLIC and locating
KLIC utility enquiry, setting out the existing cables and pipes, and the precautions CROW 500 requires.
Dig and hand over
Trench dug, cable or duct laid, backfilled and compacted. Handed over with measured metres per class and photographs.
What we dig for
Four kinds of work, the same tools
Fibre optic
Home connections, back paths and rural routes. From the street to the meter cupboard.
EV charging
Supply cables to charge points on car parks, at business premises and on private land.
Grid reinforcement
Work for and with grid operators and their contractors, where hand digging inside the risk zone is mandatory.
Grounds and gardens
Power, water or data to a shed, gate or outdoor lighting, without tearing the garden open.
Safe excavation
What you can hold us to
If you engage us as main contractor, our paperwork travels into your chain. That is why it is listed here.
KLIC enquiry
For every excavation site, with the returned data available on the job.
CROW 500
A careful excavation process: locating, trial trenches where needed, careful digging inside the risk zone.
VCA certified
Our diggers hold VCA safety certification, which gets them onto a grid operator's site.
CAR insurance
Contractors' all risks cover with a KLIC clause for underground damage. Policy available on request.
Request a price
Send us your route and you will know the price within one working day
Fill in what you know. Leave open what you do not — we settle that at the survey.
Frequently asked
What work planners usually ask us
What does digging a trench cost per metre?
With us € 18, € 33 or € 67 per linear metre depending on the soil class, for a trench of 0.60 by 0.30 metres including backfill and compaction. Sand is cheapest, clay sits well above it, and ground with rubble, stones or tree roots is the most expensive because every metre simply takes more muscle.
Why not just use a machine?
Outside the risk zone around existing cables and pipes, machine excavation is faster and cheaper, and we will say so. Inside that zone the CROW 500 guideline requires careful excavation, which in practice means by hand. There are also places where a digger simply cannot reach or is not allowed to stand.
Who files the KLIC enquiry?
We do, when we take on the excavation. That makes us the party disturbing the ground, carrying the duty of care: locating, trial trenches where needed, and the precautions the guideline requires. If you work from your own KLIC enquiry, we align with it.
What happens if the ground is heavier than agreed?
We stop work at that point, take a photograph with a measurement and report it before digging on. Reclassification happens by agreement. If there is no approval within the agreed window, we continue at an hourly rate rather than leaving the route idle. What we do not do is send an after-the-fact variation invoice for metres that are already closed.
Do you work for private clients?
Yes, for work on your own grounds or garden — power to a shed, a charge point on the drive, outdoor lighting. A minimum order applies to shorter routes; it is listed on the rates page.
Got a route that has to be dug by hand?
Send the drawing and you will have a price per metre within one working day.