Excavation and Site Work
We run the machine ourselves. Trenching for utilities, digging for foundations and additions, cutting and shaping a site before anything gets built on it.
When you need a machine
Most people do not go looking for an excavating contractor. Something forces it. A pipe fails under the yard. An addition needs a footer. A slope has to come down before a patio can go in. The driveway washes out every spring and the gravel keeps ending up in the road.
The common thread is that all of it happens below grade, where you cannot see the problem and cannot easily check the work afterward. That is exactly why it is worth knowing who is running the machine and how they decided where to dig.
How we do it
Every job runs the same sequence. If something changes it, you hear about it the day we find it.
We walk it first
No quote goes out on a photo. We come look at the ground, the access, and where the water is going. Access matters more than people expect and it is the thing that changes a price most.
Utilities get marked
Every job gets a PA One Call before a bucket goes in the ground. That is not optional and it is not a step we skip to move faster.
We dig to the condition, not the plan
Soil around here changes fast. Clay, shale, fill from the original build. If what is down there is different from what we expected, you hear about it that day, not in an invoice at the end.
Backfill and compaction
The part nobody photographs and the part that fails. Loose backfill settles, and settled backfill is how a fixed grade turns back into a wet basement two years later. It gets compacted in lifts.
The site gets put back
Topsoil, grade, seed and straw. A finished excavation job should not look like an excavation job.
What it costs
What moves the number
Excavation pricing depends on access, depth, soil, and how much of the spoil has to leave the site. Here is what we look at on the residential work we do most.
| Work | What changes the price |
|---|---|
| Utility trench, standard residential run | Length, depth, and whether we are cutting through concrete or lawn |
| Foundation or addition dig | Depth, soil, shoring, and haul off volume |
| Driveway excavation and stone base | Length, width, existing base, and drainage |
| Small site prep, shed or pad | Access, grade change, and base material |
Rock, high water table, and bad access are the three things that move a number the most. If we hit one, you hear about it before we keep going.
We price off a site visit, not off a photograph, so you will not find a number on this page. You will get a written scope with a fixed price in it, and it will say what is included and what is not before you are asked for anything.
The work
Photographs from our own jobs.
Questions
Before you call anyone
Worth reading first
Do you call in utility locates?
Yes, on every job. PA One Call gets contacted before we dig, and we wait out the mark period. It is free, it is the law, and it is the only sensible way to avoid hitting a gas line.
Will your equipment wreck my lawn?
It will leave marks. We run compact tracked machines that spread weight better than wheeled equipment, and we plan the access route to limit the damage. Restoration of the route is part of the job and it should be in your quote.
How deep can you dig?
For normal residential work, deep enough. Utility and drainage runs typically sit between two and six feet depending on frost depth and fall. Anything that needs shoring or a much deeper cut we will tell you about at the walkthrough.
What happens to all the dirt?
Depends on the job. If the grade works, we use it on site, which is cheaper for you. If it has to leave, haul off is a line item and we tell you before we start.
Do you work in winter?
Yes. Frozen ground is slower and it costs more, and there are days it is simply not sensible. For an emergency like a failed lateral we will be there. For a planned patio, we will usually tell you to wait for spring.
Need excavation & site work in the North Hills?
Send a few photos and what you have in mind. You get a straight answer about scope and what the job involves before anyone asks you for money.