Mobile Soil Sampling for Building Projects

Small builders, excavation and landscaping contractors, home builders, developers, and engineering firms that need extra field help.

A fee per site visit or per sample point, plus a handling charge for lab coordination. Some work comes as day-rate subcontracting to engineering firms.

• Careful, accurate record keeping
• Comfortable with outdoor physical work
• Basic understanding of soil types and site safety

• Interpreting results or writing geotechnical reports may need a licensed professional engineer or geoscientist, check your provincial regulator
• Utility locates before digging, check your provincial one-call service
• Commercial general liability and professional liability insurance
• Contaminated land work is regulated by province, check what you can do without extra qualifications
• Frozen ground and snow limit winter work in many areas
• Nuclear density gauges need a federal licence, so skip these unless you plan the training and licensing

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your sampling equipment, vehicle and insurance. Treat this as an estimate and price your own kit before you commit.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on how many sites you take on. Frozen ground and snow limit winter work in many areas, so plan for seasonal changes in income.

Check whether interpreting results or writing geotechnical reports needs a licensed professional engineer or geoscientist with your provincial regulator. Also check utility locates before digging, liability insurance, contaminated land rules in your province, and federal licensing if you consider nuclear density gauges.