Excavation in New York
Foundation digs, utility trenches, pool holes and bulk earthmoving, priced by the yard or by the hour.
Project guide
Excavation contractors dig and move earth for foundations, basements, utilities, pools and site cuts. Most residential jobs run on a mini or mid-size excavator paired with a skid steer and a dump truck; larger cuts bring in a dozer or scraper. The price depends less on the size of the hole than on what is in the ground: clay, ledge rock, high groundwater and buried utilities all slow the machine down and change the hauling math. Before the bucket touches dirt the site needs an 811 utility locate, and any trench deeper than five feet needs a protective system under OSHA rules.
GradeLine lists 1,948 excavation contractors that serve New York.Compare their work and equipment, then confirm availability and service area before requesting a quote.
Listed businesses are based in Williamson, Pine Bush, Marcy, Warwick, Schroon Lake, Rensselaer, though most crews travel well beyond their home city.
Bulk excavation is usually priced per cubic yard, roughly $2 to $8 for ordinary soil and $40 to $100 or more where rock has to be hammered or blasted. Hourly work with an operator typically runs $100 to $250 for a mid-size excavator, often with a half-day minimum. A basement dig for a typical house lands in the $3,000 to $15,000 range before hauling; a short utility trench can be a few hundred dollars.
Ranges are national and approximate; regional labor rates, material prices and site conditions move them in both directions.
Bulk excavation is usually priced per cubic yard, roughly $2 to $8 for ordinary soil and $40 to $100 or more where rock has to be hammered or blasted. Hourly work with an operator typically runs $100 to $250 for a mid-size excavator, often with a half-day minimum. A basement dig for a typical house lands in the $3,000 to $15,000 range before hauling; a short utility trench can be a few hundred dollars.
Send the site plan or a sketch with dimensions, the target depth, gate and driveway width for equipment access, and anything you know about the soil, the water table or where old lines run.
The main cost items are soil type and rock: clay, caliche and ledge cost several times more per yard than loam; depth, cubic yards and whether a machine can reach the work without matting or a long carry; where the spoil goes: haul-off and dump fees versus stockpiling on site, plus any import fill. A site visit helps the crew see which ones apply.
Call 811 at least two to three business days before digging; it is free and required in every state. Foundation and pool excavation typically falls under the building permit, and trenches in the public right-of-way need a separate road opening or encroachment permit.
Directory
1948 contractors found
Williamson, NYWayne County
demolition, driveways, excavation, grading, land clearing, pond water management
35 years in business
No reviews yet
demolition, driveways, excavation, foundations, grading, land clearing
38 years in business
Marcy, NYOneida County
excavation, grading, land clearing, septic systems
50 years in business
Warwick, NYOrange County
excavation, foundations, grading, land clearing, paving prep, pond water management
Rensselaer, NYRensselaer County
excavation, foundations, land clearing, septic systems, site prep
Grand Island, NYErie County
erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, retaining walls, septic systems
56 years in business
West Seneca, NYErie County
demolition, excavation, grading, site prep
40 years in business
Poughkeepsie, NYDutchess County
demolition, driveways, erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading
30 years in business
Newburgh, NYOrange County
erosion control, excavation, foundations, grading, land clearing, paving prep
Bullville, NYOrange County
excavation, land clearing, pond water management, septic systems, site prep
Altmar, NYOswego County
driveways, excavation, grading, retaining walls, septic systems, site prep
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