Excavation contractors cost and hiring guide

Project guide

Hiring excavation contractors

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 45,569 excavation contractors.Compare their work and equipment, then confirm availability and service area before requesting a quote.

Listed businesses are based in Mars Hill, Sale Creek, Lonsdale, Madison, Richwood, Ann Arbor, though most crews travel well beyond their home city.

What excavation work costs

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.