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Excavation Austin handles excavation and site work for homeowners, builders, and general contractors across Austin and the surrounding Travis County communities. We do four things: site excavation and dirt work, grading and site prep, drainage and trenching, and land clearing and lot prep. Every job is licensed, insured, and quoted free on site, so you know the scope, the access plan, and the price before any dirt moves.
Digging in Central Texas is its own challenge. Much of the Austin area sits on rocky caliche and limestone, so what looks like a quick dig can mean breaking rock, and getting the depth and compaction right matters more here than almost anywhere. On top of that, Travis County requires a development permit for grading and excavation, and once a job disturbs enough ground it triggers erosion control and stormwater rules. We bring the right equipment for rock, handle the permits and erosion control, and grade the site so it drains and holds, whether it's a backyard project or a builder's pad.
Permits, erosion control, and the right equipment, so the dirt work is done right.
Bad dirt work shows up later as a cracked slab, a settling driveway, or a yard that floods. We dig to the right depth, break rock where the ground calls for it, and compact the fill so what you build on stays put. Getting the base right the first time is cheaper than fixing it after.
Grading and excavation in the Austin area usually need a Travis County development permit, and larger jobs require erosion control and a stormwater plan. We handle the permitting and set the silt fencing and controls, so your project is legal and you're not dealing with a stop-work order or a fine.
Every dig produces spoil, and every fill needs material. We balance cut and fill on site where we can to save you money, haul off the excess rock and dirt, and bring in clean fill where it's needed, so you're left with a clean, graded site and no piles.
Most excavation outfits make you call around for a number. We walk the site, factor in the dirt volume, the rock, the access, and the haul-off, and give you a firm price before we start, so there are no surprises when the work is done.
Site excavation and dirt work, grading and site prep, drainage and trenching, and land clearing across the Austin area.
Site excavation is the core of what we do: digging, cutting, and moving dirt to shape a site for whatever comes next. We excavate foundation and building pads, basements and stem walls, pool and pond holes, and we cut and fill to the grades your plans call for. On most Austin lots that also means breaking through caliche and limestone, so we bring the machines and the breakers to get through rock without stalling the job.
Dirt work is as much about what goes back as what comes out. We balance cut and fill on the site where we can to keep hauling costs down, compact the fill in lifts so it carries load without settling, and haul off the excess rock and spoil. The goal is a stable, correctly graded base, not just a hole in the ground.
Whether you're a homeowner putting in an addition or a builder prepping a slab, we dig to the right depth and lines, keep the site clean, and hand it off ready for footings, forms, or the next trade.
Grading turns raw or rough ground into a level, build-ready site. We rough-grade to establish the pad and the drainage pattern, then finish-grade to the tolerances your slab, driveway, or landscaping needs. Done right, grading sets the slope so water runs away from the structure instead of pooling against it.
Site prep is everything that gets a lot ready to build: stripping topsoil, cutting the pad, compacting the subgrade, and shaping the lot so it drains. On rocky Central Texas ground, getting the pad flat and compacted often means dealing with rock and importing select fill, which we handle as part of the scope.
We prep pads and sites to the elevations and specs your builder or engineer calls for, so when the crew shows up to pour or build, the ground is ready and square.
Poor drainage is one of the most common and most expensive problems on Austin properties, and it's fixable. We install the systems that move water away from your home: French drains, area and channel drains, downspout tie-ins, culverts, and swales graded to carry runoff where it belongs.
We also handle the trenching that new construction and utilities require, digging clean, straight trenches for water, sewer, electrical, and gas lines, and backfilling and compacting them properly. In rocky ground, trenching often means cutting through limestone, and we have the equipment to do it without tearing up the rest of the yard.
On larger jobs, drainage ties into the erosion and stormwater controls the county requires, and we build it in from the start so the site stays compliant and the water is managed for good.
Before you can grade or build, the lot often has to be cleared. We remove cedar, brush, scrub, and small trees, grub out roots, and haul off the debris, opening up a raw or overgrown lot into workable ground. We work around the heritage oaks and specimen trees you want to keep.
Clearing and rough grading usually go hand in hand, so we clear the footprint and access, knock down the high spots, and get the lot to a rough grade ready for site prep. On acreage and builder lots, that first pass sets up everything that follows.
You end up with a clean, cleared lot, the brush and debris gone, and the ground ready for excavation, grading, and construction.
Excavation in Central Texas comes with a few things that surprise people: the rock under the topsoil, the permits the county requires, the erosion rules on bigger jobs, and what actually sets the price. Here's what goes into moving dirt the right way around Austin.
Austin sits on the edge of the Hill Country, and under a shallow layer of topsoil much of the area is caliche and limestone. That changes everything about a dig. Soft dirt moves fast; rock has to be ripped, hammered, or broken out, which takes bigger machines and more time. Knowing when you'll hit rock, and having the equipment to get through it, is the difference between a job that finishes on schedule and one that stalls halfway down.
Most grading and excavation in the area needs a permit. Travis County requires a development permit for land disturbance in unincorporated areas and in the ETJ of nearby cities, and inside Austin city limits there are additional site, grading, and tree rules, plus stricter requirements over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. We sort out which jurisdiction and permits apply to your lot and handle the filings so the work is legal before we start.
Once a job disturbs about an acre or more, it triggers a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and state stormwater permitting, and erosion and sediment controls are required even on smaller sites when there's a steep slope, a waterway, or a sensitive feature nearby. That means silt fencing, stabilized entrances, and inspections. We build the erosion controls into the job from day one so the site stays compliant and you avoid fines and stop-work orders.
Price tracks the work, not just the lot size. The biggest factors are how much dirt and rock has to move and how hard the rock is, how far material has to be hauled or whether we can balance cut and fill on site, how tight the access is, and the grading, drainage, and permits the job needs. A flat lot in soft soil is quick; a rocky, sloped lot with haul-off and heavy rock is a different number. We price each after walking it.
None of this has to slow you down. We read the soil, pull the Travis County and city permits, set the erosion controls, bring the right machines for rock, and move the dirt, so you get a clear scope and a firm price up front and a build-ready site at the end.
From free estimate to a graded, build-ready site.
We come out, walk the site, check the soil and the rock, the access, the grades, and the drainage, and go over what you're building. You get a clear scope and a firm written price before anything is scheduled, with no obligation.
We sort out the Travis County or city permits, flag any Edwards Aquifer or sensitive-feature rules, and set up the erosion and stormwater controls the job requires, so everything is legal and in place before dirt moves.
Our crew brings the right equipment, including breakers for rock, and does the dig, the cut and fill, the trenching, and the grading to your plans, balancing dirt on site where we can and keeping the job clean.
We haul off the excess rock and spoil, bring in and compact any fill that's needed, finish-grade the site, and leave you with level, stable, build-ready ground for footings, forms, or the next trade.
Honest per-yard pricing, permits handled, and a build-ready site when we leave.
Every job starts with a free on-site estimate. We walk the site, check the soil, the access, and the grades, and give you a firm written price with no obligation and no pressure to sign on the spot.
Most excavation outfits won't put a number anywhere near their website, so you end up calling around. We price by the work, the cubic yards of dirt and rock, the haul-off, and the grading, and tell you the cost before we start.
We know the Travis County development permit, the Austin city and Edwards Aquifer rules, and when a job needs a SWPPP and erosion controls. We handle the permitting and the controls so your project is legal and you're not dealing with the county mid-job.
We're a local, licensed, and insured Central Texas excavation crew that homeowners, builders, and GCs rely on. You deal with the same people from the estimate through the final grade, and we show up when we say we will.
Nobody likes calling around just to get a ballpark. Excavation is priced by the work, the dirt and rock moved, so here are honest ranges to plan around. Your exact number comes after a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
Or $125 to $300 per hour. Rock, haul-off, and tight access push it up.
Home-lot grading; larger pads and builder sites quoted per scope.
Priced after we see the site and the scope.
What moves the price: how much dirt and rock has to move and how hard the rock is, whether we can balance cut and fill or have to haul material off, how tight the access is, and the grading, drainage, erosion control, and permits the job needs. A flat lot in soft soil and a rocky, sloped lot are very different numbers.
These are planning ranges for the Austin area, not a quote. Every site is different, so we give you a firm price after a free on-site estimate.
Straight answers from our free on-site estimates across Austin and Travis County.
It depends on the job, but residential excavation generally runs about $50 to $200 per cubic yard, or $125 to $300 per hour for the machine and operator, and a typical home site lands somewhere between a few thousand and $15,000. What moves the number most around here is rock: breaking caliche and limestone takes longer than digging soft dirt. We give you a firm price after a free on-site estimate, not a guess over the phone.
Grading a home lot usually runs about $1,000 to $5,000, depending on how much the ground has to move and how rough it starts. Rough-grading a pad is at the lower end; finish-grading to tight tolerances, importing fill, or working a sloped, rocky lot costs more. Builder pads and larger sites are quoted per scope after we see the plans and the ground.
Usually, yes. Travis County requires a development permit for land disturbance in unincorporated areas and in the ETJ of nearby cities, and inside Austin city limits there are site, grading, and tree rules, with stricter requirements over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. We sort out which jurisdiction and permits apply to your lot and handle the filings so the work is legal before we start.
A Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and state stormwater permitting generally kick in once a job disturbs about an acre or more, or when it's part of a larger common development. Erosion and sediment controls, like silt fencing, are often required even on smaller sites near a slope, a waterway, or a sensitive feature. We flag what your job needs and set up the controls as part of the work.
It varies with the length, the depth, and how much rock is in the way. Utility and drainage trenching commonly runs from several hundred dollars for a short run up to several thousand for longer or deeper work, and a full drainage system like French drains is priced by the scope. Rock slows trenching down, so a line through limestone costs more than one through soft dirt. We price it after seeing the run.
Both are common, and we'll quote whichever fits your job. Cubic-yard pricing works when the volume of dirt to move is clear, and hourly pricing, usually $125 to $300 per hour including the machine and operator, works for smaller or less predictable work. Most of the time we give you a firm total for the scope so you're not watching the clock.
Yes, more than almost anything else. Much of the Austin area is caliche and limestone under a thin layer of topsoil, and rock has to be ripped, hammered, or broken out rather than simply dug. That takes bigger machines and more time, so a rocky lot costs more to excavate than soft ground. We size up the rock on site and bring the right equipment so it doesn't stall the job.
Yes. A lot of our work is site work for builders and general contractors: clearing and rough-grading lots, cutting building pads, trenching utilities, and prepping sites to the engineer's specs and schedule. We also work directly with homeowners on additions, driveways, drainage, and pool or pond excavation. Either way, we hit the grades and the timeline.
Smaller residential jobs, like a pad, a drainage fix, or a trench, are often a day or a few days. A full lot clearing, grading, and site prep takes longer, and rock, weather, and permitting can add time. We give you a realistic timeline with the estimate and keep you posted, because on a build the schedule matters as much as the price.
Yes. We balance cut and fill on site where we can to cut down on trucking, then haul off the excess rock, dirt, and cleared brush and debris. If a job needs fill brought in, we handle that too, bringing in and compacting clean material. You're left with a clean, graded site and no piles to deal with.
We handle excavation and site work across Austin and the surrounding Central Texas communities.