Built to spec
Built to your engineered drawings, survey, and the real site conditions, not a one-size-fits-all approach forced to fit.
Commercial & Heavy-Civil Construction
Borehole Drilling and Soil Sampling
We advance logged boreholes and recover depth-controlled soil samples for environmental, geotechnical, municipal, commercial, industrial, and heavy civil investigations across Toronto, the GTA, and Ontario, preserving sample identity from the ground to consultant handoff.
- Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered
- 20 Years in Business
Get a Quote
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Get a Quote
Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
20 Years in Business
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered Completed to code & Ontario requirements Completed on site and built to the drawings Performed & installed on site across Ontario
Why Harrowgate Group
What to expect from borehole drilling and soil sampling
Made to last
Durable materials and methods chosen for the load, traffic, and environment on site.
Quote-ready
Send specs, drawings, or photos and get a free, no-obligation site visit and estimate with no guesswork.
Code-conscious
Installation and site work completed in accordance with Ontario requirements.
Our Process
How we plan and deliver borehole drilling and soil sampling
Borehole drilling and soil sampling recover material from measured intervals so engineers and environmental consultants can evaluate stratigraphy, strength, contamination, moisture, fill, and constructability. Harrowgate drills and samples directly across Toronto and the GTA using methods selected for the program’s required recovery and data quality.
- 01 Send your inquiry, a few photos or a description of the site.
- 02 We come out, assess the site, take measurements, and confirm the scope.
- 03 We complete the borehole drilling and soil sampling on site, to the load and finish the job needs.
- 04 We install it, finish to grade, and clean up, one accountable crew, start to finish.
Local Context
A closer look at borehole drilling and soil sampling
Scope
Understanding borehole drilling and soil sampling
How we advance, recover, and identify samples
We verify locations and utilities, establish a depth reference, advance tooling in controlled runs, measure penetration and recovery, open or extract the sampler in a clean work area, describe visible material, assign unique identifiers, preserve the required containers, and record every interval and drilling event.
Geotechnical samples are protected for moisture, classification, strength, and density testing as specified. Environmental samples are handled to reduce cross-contamination and loss of volatile constituents, with the consultant selecting laboratory jars and analytical submissions. Recovery shortfalls, slough, heave, refusal, odour, staining, debris, and added water are recorded because they affect interpretation. Sample boxes, jars, coolers, and custody records use the same borehole and depth convention so a later reviewer can trace each result to the drilling log.
Ontario documentation and sampling requirements
Borehole programs follow the engineer or qualified person’s written scope, O. Reg. 153/04 for regulated Phase Two ESA work, R. R. O. 1990 Reg. 903 where applicable, CSA Z769 and OPSS provisions where specified, plus Ontario construction safety, utility-clearance, and site-access requirements.
For Phase Two ESA work, O. Reg. 153/04 requires documentation of borehole identity, contractor, equipment, cross-contamination controls, and sample collection frequency, along with a reconstructable record of the investigation. Applicable well work requires logs and current field notes onsite. The consultant defines analytical parameters, quality-control samples, holding and temperature requirements, and the Ontario site condition criteria used later. Geotechnical sampling intervals and field tests follow design objectives and project specifications rather than a generic fixed pattern.
Sampling failures that produce misleading results
Soil data fails when depth references shift, recovered runs mix, liners smear contamination, samples warm or lose moisture, dirty tools carry material between intervals, or refusal is misidentified as bedrock. We prevent these failures with controlled run lengths, clean handling, complete records, and prompt deviation reporting.
Poor recovery is itself information. In gravel, cobbles, very soft clay, saturated sand, or rubble fill, a sampler may lose or rearrange material. We identify the limitation and change method only with the investigation lead’s direction. For volatile analysis, unnecessary handling and headspace are minimized by the consultant’s procedure. For geotechnical tests, remoulding and vibration are controlled. At the end, the borehole is sealed, converted to an approved completion, or abandoned so it does not connect groundwater zones or admit surface water.
Planning borehole drilling and soil sampling? Talk it through with our team.
Where boreholes and soil samples are used
Borehole drilling and soil sampling support foundation and pavement design, shoring, underpinning, slope and retaining-wall analysis, Phase Two ESAs, brownfield redevelopment, remediation, storage tank investigations, road and bridge work, utilities, stormwater systems, excess soil characterization, industrial expansion, and municipal capital planning.
A single program can serve multiple disciplines when the objectives are coordinated before drilling. Geotechnical logs may identify fill and bearing conditions while environmental samples target suspected contaminants at selected depths. However, equipment cleanliness, sample volumes, and well completions must satisfy both programs. Tight urban sites may need compact rigs and lane control. Large sites require accurate coordinate control and efficient moves without compromising cleaning or sample sequence. We plan these logistics around the consultant’s priority locations and laboratory schedule.
Have drawings for borehole drilling and soil sampling? Send them over and we will scope it.
FAQ
Borehole Drilling and Soil Sampling FAQ
What borehole drilling method gives the best soil samples?
There is no single best method. Direct push can provide rapid continuous liners in suitable soils, hollow-stem augers support discrete sampling and wells, and sonic drilling can improve recovery through heterogeneous fill. Geology, target depth, disturbance tolerance, analytes, sample volume, access, and waste generation determine the defensible choice.
How is soil sample depth measured?
Depth is measured from a documented ground or casing reference using tooling advances and run lengths. Borehole elevation and coordinates are surveyed where required. Recovery is compared with the interval advanced, and any gap or overlap is recorded. Sample labels use the same reference as the field log and laboratory submission.
Can one soil sample be used for both environmental and geotechnical tests?
Sometimes, if sufficient representative volume and compatible handling requirements are planned. Environmental analysis may require clean tools, specific jars, temperature control, and minimal disturbance, while geotechnical testing may need intact moisture or structure. The consultants define priorities and split procedures before the sample is opened or disturbed.
How do you sample soil beneath concrete or asphalt?
We clear embedded and buried utilities, sawcut or core the surface, contain slurry and debris, drill through the prepared opening, and protect the edge during work. After borehole completion or abandonment, the opening is restored with compatible specified materials to the owner’s pavement or slab detail.
What does poor sample recovery mean?
Poor recovery means the material returned is shorter, incomplete, or less representative than the drilled interval. Loose sand, gravel, cobbles, soft soil, rubble, groundwater, and tooling choice can cause it. We record the condition and consult the investigation lead about alternate samplers, casing, sonic methods, or relocation.
How are environmental soil samples kept clean?
Sample-contact tools are decontaminated or dedicated as specified, clean gloves and containers are used, dirty and clean zones are separated, and samples are sealed and cooled promptly under the consultant’s procedure. Cuttings and wash water are contained. Quality-control blanks help the consultant evaluate possible contamination introduced during handling.
What happens to the borehole after sampling?
It is either completed as a designed monitoring point or plugged and sealed under the applicable program and Reg. 903 requirements. Surface pavement, concrete, soil, or landscaping is restored to the agreed detail. An open or loosely backfilled hole is not left to move water or contaminants between zones.
Still have a question about borehole drilling and soil sampling? Ask our team directly.
Explore
Related Harrowgate services
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Engineering-focused drilling and testing, engineering-focused drilling and testing
Groundwater monitoring completions, groundwater monitoring completions
Shallow direct-exposure investigation, shallow direct-exposure investigation
Remediation informed by analytical results, remediation informed by analytical results
Our Work
View Our Projects See real projects across Toronto & Ontario
Commercial and heavy-civil construction delivered for developers, contractors, property managers, and municipalities.
Get a quote for borehole drilling and soil sampling
Send drawings, a site plan, or a description of the scope. Harrowgate Group is licensed, insured, and WSIB-covered.
Licensed, Insured & WSIB-Covered, work managed and documented on every job
Send your project details
Tell us what you need and we’ll get you a quote. Licensed, insured & WSIB-covered · Free, no-obligation quote & on-site assessment.
Borehole Drilling and Soil Sampling Across the GTA
View all service areas →Harrowgate Group provides borehole drilling and soil sampling, delivered and installed with quote-ready support across Toronto and surrounding Ontario communities.
