Excavation

• Foundation excavation: Full basements, daylight basements, crawlspaces for new homes and additions
• Footing trenches: Continuous footings, isolated piers, grade beams for structural support
• Over-excavation: Removing soft or organic soils and replacing with engineered fill
• Utility access: Service trenches for septic, water, power, and communications
• Demolition & removal: Tearing out old foundations, buried tanks, or contaminated soils
• Rock excavation: Breaking through bedrock using rippers, hammers, or controlled blasting
• Retaining wall footings: Embedment trenches and drainage layers for wall systems

Step 1: Site Assessment & Quote – We walk the site, review foundation plans, check for underground utilities, assess soil conditions, and provide a detailed excavation estimate. Rock, groundwater, and access constraints are identified upfront.

Step 2: Utility Locates & Permits – We coordinate with 811 for public utility marking and private locators for wells, septic, propane. Excavation permits are pulled when required.

Step 3: Layout & Staking – Foundation corners are staked per engineering drawings. Offset stakes are placed outside the dig zone so corners remain visible after excavation. Setbacks and easements are verified and flagged.

Step 4: Excavation – We dig to specified depths with track excavators, maintaining proper slope angles (typically 1.5:1 for safety). Laser levels and GPS ensure elevation accuracy. Spoils are stockpiled for backfill or loaded for export.

Step 5: Shoring & Safety – Trenches deeper than 5 feet or unstable soils require trench boxes or shoring systems per OSHA. We provide all necessary safety equipment and traffic control.

Step 6: Inspection Ready – The excavation is cleaned, squared, and ready for your foundation contractor. We document depths, provide photos, and coordinate with inspectors as needed. Final grade stakes remain in place for footing layout.

• Excavation to engineered depths and dimensions
• Clean, squared corners ready for formwork
• Proper slope angles for safety and code compliance
• Stockpiled backfill material (if suitable) or export documentation
• Photos and measurements for permit records
• Coordination with foundation crew and inspectors
• As-built notes documenting rock, groundwater, or soil changes encountered

• Wrong depths: Digging too shallow fails inspections; too deep wastes concrete and money
• Utility strikes: Cutting underground power, gas, or water lines causes costly repairs and project delays
• Cave-ins: Improper slope angles or lack of shoring creates life-threatening trench collapses
• Poor drainage: Excavations that pond water delay concrete pours and compromise curing
• Damaged property: Uncontrolled digging undermines adjacent structures, driveways, or landscaping

Excavation in Spokane County, Bonner County, Pend Oreille County, and Kootenai County presents unique challenges. Glacial till and cobbles require heavy equipment and careful digging. Shallow bedrock (common near Newman Lake and parts of Sandpoint) needs rock hammers or blasting. Spring groundwater requires pumping and dewatering. Frost penetration to 4 feet means footings must go deep. Steep terrain requires benching and retaining walls. We've excavated thousands of foundations across the Inland Northwest and know how to handle these conditions efficiently and safely.

Full basement excavation for a 2,400 sq ft home encountered fractured basalt at 6 feet—2 feet shallower than anticipated. We rented a hydraulic hammer attachment and broke through 18 inches of rock to reach design depth. The excavation was squared to within 2 inches, pumped dry, and inspected in 4 days despite the rock. Foundation crew poured walls the following week with no delays. Total rock removal: 40 cubic yards hauled off-site.