Concrete Contractor Ottawa: Documented Scanning & Cutting for Federal and Institutional Projects

A concrete contractor Ottawa project teams can document

On federal, institutional and transit work in Ottawa, the cut is rarely the hard part — the paperwork is. Building owners, engineers and project managers want proof of what’s inside the slab before anyone penetrates it. Concrete Drilling & Sawing Ltd. (CDS) was established in 1967 and is one of Ontario’s longest-running concrete cutting companies, and our work for the Ottawa market leads with the deliverable that matters most here: detailed scanning reports you can hand to a reviewer before a single core is drilled.

Scan-before-cut is standard practice on every job we run. Our GPR concrete scanning and NDT services locate rebar, post-tension cables, conduits and voids, and produce a documented client report — the kind of record federal and institutional buildings expect on file before any penetration is approved. Where a drawing-grade record of a specific area is needed, we also offer concrete x-ray imaging and utility locating for buried services.

Scanning, coring and sawing services for Ottawa

Ottawa’s mix of government, healthcare, post-secondary and transit construction calls for a contractor who can scan, cut and remove concrete cleanly inside occupied and security-sensitive buildings. Our core services for the region:

• GPR / NDT concrete scanning — non-destructive imaging that maps rebar, PT cables, conduit and voids, with a written report for the client’s records. The first step on essentially every Ottawa job.
• Core drilling — clean penetrations for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler-fitter work through floors and walls. Large condo and mixed-use towers drive steady demand for this; see our concrete coring page.
• Wall sawing — hydraulic and electric wall cutting for openings and demolition cuts, well suited to LRT and transit infrastructure where doorways, services and structural openings are added to existing concrete.
• Slab sawing — diesel for fast outdoor and well-ventilated work, electric for occupied and indoor sites. Our saw cutting page covers both.
• Wire sawing — diamond-wire cutting for very thick concrete, embedded steel and hard-to-reach work where a standard blade can’t reach.
• Concrete removal, demolition and recycling — coordinated removal, demolition and on-site crushing and recycling to keep material moving off the site.

For broader scopes that go beyond cutting, our concrete construction services cover the build side as well.

Why electric and low-emission equipment matters in Ottawa

Government offices, hospitals and university campuses are occupied environments — production and patient care don’t stop because there’s a cut to make. Our electric, low-emission slab and wall saws are built for exactly these conditions, keeping fumes and disruption down inside active buildings. For owners working to ESG commitments, low-emission cutting is a practical, defensible choice.

Industries we serve around Ottawa

We work trade-to-trade with the contractors and professionals who build the National Capital Region:

• General contractors on ICI (industrial, commercial and institutional) projects
• Engineers and project managers who need documented scan data before sign-off
• Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing & pipefitting contractors needing precise penetrations
• Precast concrete manufacturers and commercial landscapers
• Demolition companies that don’t cut or scan their own concrete

Federal and institutional buildings, LRT and transit infrastructure, large condo and mixed-use developments, and healthcare and university campuses across Ottawa all share the same requirement: know what’s in the concrete, document it, then cut. That’s the work we’re built for.

How we serve Ottawa from our Hamilton shop

CDS is family-run from a single shop at our Hamilton headquarters. We don’t keep a yard or crew based in Ottawa — instead, our crews mobilize to Ottawa and the surrounding communities, including Kanata, Nepean, Orleans and Gloucester, from Hamilton. Ottawa and Eastern Ontario fall within our Ontario-wide service range, served next-day from our Hamilton HQ.

Every crew arrives backed by $5M liability insurance, full WSIB compliance, and a current health & safety program — the documentation institutional and federal sites ask for at the gate. We hold a 5.0 rating from 7 Google reviews.

CDS also cuts anti-slip concrete grooving into ramps, loading docks and warehouse floors around Ottawa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does CDS provide a scanning report I can submit to a building owner or engineer?

Yes. Our GPR / NDT concrete scanning produces a detailed client report identifying rebar, post-tension cables, conduits and voids. This documented record is what federal and institutional buildings in Ottawa typically require on file before any penetration is approved.

Is CDS based in Ottawa?

No. CDS is family-run from a single headquarters and shop in Hamilton, Ontario. We do not have an office, yard or locally based crew in Ottawa. Our crews mobilize to Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Orleans and Gloucester from our Hamilton shop, with next-day mobilization for most of Eastern Ontario.

Can you cut concrete inside an occupied government building or hospital?

Yes. We use electric, low-emission slab and wall saws designed for occupied and indoor sites such as hospitals, university campuses and active offices, keeping emissions and disruption down. Scan-before-cut is standard practice on these jobs, so we map the slab before any cutting begins.

Which services suit LRT and transit infrastructure work?

Wall sawing is well suited to creating openings and demolition cuts in existing transit concrete, and core drilling handles penetrations for services. We scan first with GPR to locate embedded rebar, conduit and post-tension cables before cutting.

Is CDS insured and WSIB compliant for institutional sites?

Yes. CDS carries $5M liability insurance, maintains full WSIB compliance, and runs a current health and safety program — the credentials federal and institutional sites in Ottawa expect before crews are admitted.

Concrete Cutting & Scanning Guides for Ottawa

Planning a concrete project in Ottawa? These guides explain how our crews work: reading a GPR scan report; GPR vs X-ray scanning; selective concrete demolition.

CDS also serves nearby Toronto and Kitchener — see every region on our Ontario service areas page, or request a free quote for your Ottawa project.