Chelan County, Washington
Excavation in Chelan, WA
Chelan is home. It’s also where a lot of the hardest ground in the valley is, and most of what makes a job here difficult shows up before the first bucket of dirt moves.
Core sample
What’s under Chelan
- 1TopsoilThin on the steep benches
- 2Loose glacial materialDigs easy, won’t hold a steep wall
- 3RockCan turn up on the same parcel
- Frost depth 24 inFootings and water lines go below it
Illustration based on the ground notes for Chelan, Chelan Falls and the south shore. Not to scale and not a soil test.
Working ground in Chelan
What the ground is like
- Lots above the lake sit on steep benches, so how a machine gets on and off the site often decides the whole approach.
- Ground through the valley runs from loose glacial material to rock, and the two can turn up on the same parcel.
- Long private driveways off the county roads take the brunt of the runoff, which is why so many of them need reshaping rather than more gravel.
- Winter access and frozen ground change what’s worth starting and when.
Getting a machine onto a lake lot
The approach to a lot above the lake is usually short, steep and tight at the bottom where it meets the road. That’s where machine size gets decided. Our Kubota U55-5 is 6 ft 5 in wide on rubber tracks, so it fits a lot of driveways a bigger machine wouldn’t, and it’s gentler on the pavement getting there. Send a photo of the entrance and the pitch and we’ll tell you before anyone books a day.
Where the water goes on a slope
On benched ground every cut changes where water runs. A pad cut into the hill needs the water above it caught and sent around, or it ends up against the back wall of the house. We plan the swale or drain at the same time as the pad.
Permits in and around Chelan
Inside city limits the City of Chelan handles permits. Outside them it’s Chelan County Community Development. Work close to the lake shoreline can bring in shoreline rules, and in Chelan County any excavation of 1,000 cubic yards or more needs SEPA review. We talk through where you stand before anything gets dug. More on the permits and locates page.
Backcountry Excavation LLC is a registered Washington contractor, licensed, bonded and insured. You can check all of it before you hire us.
Services in Chelan
What we do in Chelan
Site Preparation in Chelan
Raw ground turned into a pad you can build on: cleared, stripped, cut to grade and compacted.
See the detailExcavation and Earthwork in Chelan
Digging, moving and placing dirt. Foundation holes, bulk earthwork, backfill and haul off.
See the detailGrading and Drainage in Chelan
Shaping ground so water leaves the property the way it should, instead of sitting against a building.
See the detailLand Clearing in Chelan
Overgrown or wooded ground opened up. Brush, stumps, slash and debris out, site left workable.
See the detailDriveways and Access Roads in Chelan
Gravel driveways and access roads built or rebuilt to hold up to weather, grade and loaded trucks.
See the detailUtility Trenching in Chelan
Trenching and backfill for water, power and other underground lines, dug to depth and bedded properly.
See the detailFoundation Excavation in Chelan
Foundation holes, footings and cutting to concrete grade, ready for the concrete crew.
See the detailStorm Drainage Systems in Chelan
Catch basins, storm pipe, culverts and drywells that carry storm water off the property.
See the detailRetaining Walls in Chelan
Vertical block and large retaining walls that hold a grade change where dirt alone won’t.
See the detailAsphalt Prep in Chelan
Subgrade cut, base rock placed and compacted, grades held so the paving crew can do their job.
See the detailDemolition in Chelan
Structures, slabs and hardscape taken down, material hauled off and the ground left clean.
See the detailEmergency work in Chelan
Washouts, broken lines, plugged culverts and storm damage. Call or text the owners.
What to do right nowSomething else in Chelan?
Most jobs are a combination. Describe what you want to end up with and we’ll work out the pieces.
Tell us about the jobQuestions
Chelan questions
Do you work on the steep lots above the lake?
Often, but access has to be looked at first. Send us a photo of the way in and the pitch of the ground and we’ll tell you what will fit before anyone commits to a date.
How soon can you look at a job in Chelan?
Call or text and we’ll tell you where we’re at. Being local, a look at the site is usually a short drive.
Can you fix a driveway that washes out every spring?
Usually. On Chelan hillsides the fix is almost always shape and ditching. More rock rarely helps. We regrade it with a crown, cut the ditches and set a culvert where water crosses.
Do you work in winter?
When the ground and the access allow it. Frozen ground and snow change what’s worth starting, and we’ll tell you if a job is better left until spring.
Nearby
Other ground we work
Chelan County
Manson, WA
Manson sits on the benchland along the north shore, and a lot of the ground there has been orchard at some point. That changes what’s under the surface.
See the groundChelan County
Entiat, WA
Entiat runs from the Columbia back up a narrow river valley, and properties up that valley tend to be long on ground and short on easy access.
See the groundChelan County
Wenatchee, WA
Wenatchee mixes town lots with orchard and acreage on the edges, and the two need very different approaches on the ground.
See the groundWhat our machine fits through · How an estimate works · Permits and locates
Call or text the owners
Got a job in Chelan?
Tell us where the site is and what you’re trying to get done. We’ll let you know whether we can take it on and roughly when.
(509) 421-1539