Excavation that fits in a backyard

What we dig

Most excavation around a home is the digging that comes before a builder, a landscaper or a hardscape crew can start.

Trenches for water, gas, sewer, drains and electrical conduit, dug to the depth the plans call for and backfilled after the line is in.

Footings for walls, sheds, patio covers and additions.

Dig-outs for patios, slabs, driveways and walkways, taken down to the depth the base and the concrete or pavers need.

Pads and pits: flat pads cut into a slope, pits for drywells, and holes filled back in.

Every bucket of spoil has to go somewhere, so we load it straight into the dump truck or a trailer and haul it off, or spread it on the property where you want it.

The machines

The Bobcat E45 is a compact excavator, small enough to go through a side gate and work between a house and a fence, and strong enough for footings and trenches. Our photos show it in narrow backyards and driveways, which is where most of this work happens.

For moving dirt around once it is out, the Bobcat T770 track loader carries it to the truck or spreads it, and a rammer and a plate compactor pack backfill in layers so the trench doesn’t sink later.

811, permits and soil

California law requires anyone digging to call 811 at least two working days, and no more than 14 days, before starting, so the utility companies mark their lines (DigAlert, the Southern California 811 center). We don’t dig until the marks are in.

Moving a lot of dirt can need a grading permit. Ventura County’s guidelines for homeowners say a grading permit from the Public Works Agency is needed when earth moving goes over 50 cubic yards, or a cut or fill goes deeper than 3 feet (Ventura County guidelines). Cities have their own limits. Our grading page goes into what that means.

Soil changes the job. Clay is slow to dig and slow to pack, and rocky ground in the hills and creek beds can stop a small machine. We look at the ground before we price it.