What excavation actually costs in this region, and, more usefully, what makes the number move.
The figures below are general market ranges for Hampton Roads intended to help you budget. They are not a quote. Every site is different, and access, soil, disposal and utilities can move a number substantially in either direction. We give free on-site estimates.
What Drives the Price
Two identical-sounding jobs can differ by a factor of three. These are the variables that do it:
- Access. The single biggest factor on residential work. If a full-size machine and a tandem dump can reach the work area, the job is efficient. If everything has to come through a four-foot gate with a mini excavator and get carried out, expect to pay considerably more for the same volume.
- Volume and depth. Cubic yards moved, and how deep. Depth matters disproportionately. Past a certain point you need shoring or benching, which is a different job.
- Water. The shallow water table here means many excavations need dewatering. Pumps, time and sometimes shoring get added.
- Soil. Sand digs fast but sloughs. Heavy clay in southern Chesapeake and Suffolk is slow. Buried debris, old fill, rock or an unrecorded septic field turns a routine dig into a discovery.
- Haul-off and disposal. Whether spoil stays on site or leaves, how far the landfill or pit is, and the tipping fee for what you are disposing of.
- Utilities. Locating is free and mandatory. Working carefully around what the locate finds is not free.
- Permits and erosion control. Land disturbance permits, silt fence, inlet protection and stabilization, which vary by city.
Typical Ranges
Broad ranges for common residential and light commercial work in this market:
- Foundation or footing excavation, typical single-family home: driven mostly by size, depth and whether dewatering is needed
- Utility trenching: priced per linear foot, varying with depth, surface restoration and what else is in the ground
- Small backyard excavation with limited access: day-rate territory; access dictates the number more than volume does
- Cut and fill / site grading: priced by volume moved and whether fill is imported or balanced on site
- Backfill and compaction: usually quoted with the excavation rather than separately
How to Get an Accurate Number
Photographs and a description get you a rough range. A site visit gets you a price. We would rather spend twenty minutes walking your property than give you a number over the phone that changes the moment we arrive.
Ways to Reduce the Cost
- Improve access if you can, a section of fence removed can save more than it costs
- Balance cut and fill on site rather than importing or exporting material
- Combine jobs. If you need clearing, a driveway and drainage, one mobilization is cheaper than three
- Schedule outside the wettest part of the year where the work allows it
- Be flexible on timing so the work can slot into an efficient route
Get a real number for your project. Call (757) 239-0707 or request a free estimate.