Estimates
How an Excavation Estimate Works in Chelan, WA
What changes a number, what doesn’t, and why you get a written scope before anything gets dug. No prices here, because the ground decides them, and we’d rather tell you that than guess.
From first call to final walkthrough
How it goes
Step 1
You call or text
Tell us what you want to end up with and where the site is. Photos of the way in and the work area help more than anything.
Step 2
We look at the site
Access, ground conditions and where water goes tell us more in ten minutes than a description does in an hour.
Step 3
You get it in writing
A clear scope and a price, with anything uncertain named as uncertain rather than buried.
Step 4
We agree on timing
You know what needs to be sorted on your side before we roll in: access, approvals, materials. Locates get called before we dig.
Step 5
The work gets done
You hear from us if anything changes. Nothing new appears on the invoice that you haven’t already been told about.
Step 6
We walk it with you
We walk the site together at the end, tidy up what needs tidying, and leave the ground the way we said we would.
What moves the number
What changes a price
Two jobs that sound the same on the phone can come out very different on paper. This is why.
Access
How far the machine travels on your property, what it crosses, and whether it fits the gate. Tight or steep access takes longer.
Volume
How many yards of material have to move. A few yards and a full building pad are different jobs.
What’s under the surface
Loose fill digs fast. Hardpan, caliche, cobble and rock take longer and wear more on the machine.
Where the dirt goes
Reusing spoils on site is cheapest. Haul off and import fill add trucking and material.
Material brought in
Base rock, drain rock, pipe, fabric and structural fill are real costs that show up as their own lines.
Restoration
Leaving the ground rough graded, or finish graded and ready for landscaping, is a different amount of work.
Season and weather
Frozen or saturated ground changes what’s worth starting and how long it takes.
What stays put
What doesn’t change it
The price we wrote down
If the scope doesn’t change, the price doesn’t change.
Surprises you haven’t heard about
If something turns up, you hear about it and agree to it before it’s done.
Who does the work
The owners who looked at your site are the ones running the machine.
Faster, sharper numbers
Photos get you a better estimate
A photo of your driveway entrance usually answers the access question in seconds. Add the work area, anything you know is buried (irrigation, septic, power to a shop) and any plans or survey you have.
You can attach up to four photos to the estimate form, or text them to (509) 881-1848.
Questions
Estimate questions
How much does excavation cost around Chelan?
It depends on access, how much material has to move, what’s under the surface and whether spoils stay on site or get hauled off. We don’t publish prices because two jobs that sound the same on the phone can be very different on the ground. After a site visit you get a written scope and price.
Can you give me a number over the phone?
Sometimes a rough range, if the job is simple and you send photos. It’s only a rough number until we have seen the ground, and we’ll say so.
What makes a price go up after the job starts?
Something nobody could see: rock where the plan assumed dirt, soft ground under a pad, a buried line nobody knew about. If that happens we stop, show you, and agree the change before we carry on. Nothing new appears on the invoice that you haven’t already been told about.
Why do two excavation quotes differ so much?
Usually one of them has left something out: haul off, import fill, compaction, restoration, or the time to get a machine in and out. Compare what each one includes as well as the total.
Why does a small job cost more than people expect?
Moving equipment costs the same whether the job is big or small. Getting a machine loaded, hauled and set up is part of every job, so a half day job carries the same trip as a week long one.
Call or text the owners
Get a written estimate
Tell us what you’re building and where. A photo of the way in helps more than anything else.
(509) 881-1848