Earthworks and Site Preparation on Limestone and Sascab
Every project here starts on the same ground: thin topsoil, hard limestone, pockets of sascab and, sometimes, caverns. Getting the platform right decides whether floors crack, pools leak and roads sink. We handle clearing, stripping, rock excavation, compacted fills, building platforms and levels, and investigate and treat cavities before anything is built on top.
What We Do
Clearing & Stripping
Removal of jungle and organic soil, preserving trees marked for protection and chipping vegetation on site.
Rock Excavation
Hydraulic breakers and rock saws for foundations, pools, cisterns, utility trenches and basements.
Compacted Fills & Platforms
Sascab and crushed stone in controlled layers, compacted and lab-tested, for buildings and roads.
Cavity Detection
Probing and geophysical surveys where karst voids are suspected, followed by filling or bridging.
Levels & Drainage
Grading so rain moves away from buildings, toward planned infiltration points.
Haulage & Disposal
Spoil removed to authorised sites and reuse of excavated rock as fill where it meets specification.
Karst: why site preparation matters more here
The Yucatán Peninsula is a slab of limestone dissolved by water into fissures, caverns and cenotes. Most sites are solid, but a hidden void under a footing or a road can cause settlement years later. Where the geology or the neighbours' experience suggest it, we probe with the drill, use ground-penetrating radar or geophysics, and treat what we find with concrete, rock fill or a bridging slab designed by the structural engineer. On every site the platform is built in compacted layers and tested, not just dumped and levelled.
Permits and environmental rules
- Clearing jungle on forest land requires a land-use change authorisation (CUSTF) from SEMARNAT and often an environmental impact statement.
- Municipal licences for earthworks and the construction itself, plus local rules on protected trees.
- Spoil and debris must go to authorised disposal sites, with receipts.
- Cenotes and caves on or near the site carry extra protection and setbacks, which we flag early.
Earthworks Prices (2026)
| Work | Detail | Price (MXN) |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing and stripping | Vegetation + 15–30 cm organic soil | $18–$45 / m² |
| Excavation in limestone | Hydraulic breaker, load and stockpile | $280–$650 / m³ |
| Compacted sascab fill | Supplied, 20 cm layers, 95% Proctor | $320–$520 / m³ |
| Spoil haulage | To authorised site, up to 20 km | $90–$180 / m³ |
Useful pages: Road Construction · Asphalt Paving · Concrete & Pavers · Warehouse construction · Structural steel
Why Clients Choose Recrea for Earthworks
- 18+ years and 196 projects in the Riviera Maya, written warranty
- Designed for karst and sascab: soil and cavity checks before the first truck of base arrives
- Compaction tested by an accredited lab: Proctor and field density reports on every layer
- Drainage first: grades, kerbs and infiltration wells engineered so water never sits on the pavement
- Fixed price per m², layer by layer, with thicknesses written in the contract
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Frequently Asked Questions
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