The price, of course, depends on how wide, long and deep your trench needs to be. The cost will also vary based on the soil condition. Soft and loose soil will cost less whereas hard dirt like clay or rocky soil will cost more. When trees are nearby then roots may be present in the digging area, which will also raise the total price. Digging on a steep slope or hilly terrain will lead to unstable footing so the diggers will go slower to limit the risk of twisting their ankle. Because of these variables, most digging services prefer to charge an hourly rate, which usually ranges from $50 – $60 per hour per person. Most trenches will take 2 workers 3-4 hours so the average cost to dig a trench by hand is between $300 to $480.

One of the main causes of water damage in the basement is due to improper grading around your house. The dirt should slope away from the house, not toward the house. Water can flow toward the foundation even on a flat surface. If your basement flooded, then you likely need to regrade around the foundation. To fix the grading issue, you should add soil next to the foundation and slope away from the house. Don’t add too much dirt though because at least three inches of your foundation should show above the soil. The dirt should never be in contact with the siding or any wood. If improving the grade around your home doesn’t work, then digging a ditch or trench may be needed to install a water drainage system.

Landscapers typically offer a wide variety of yard services including digging trenches. Bigger landscaping companies have access to heavy machinery like a bobcat or backhoe. Equipment like this will make the job get done fast but you’ll likely need to pay a premium. For a more cost-efficient approach, try contacting a small landscape company where they manually dig trenches by hand with spade shovels. At the end of the day, the digging service you need really depends on the specifications of your task. Big jobs like home demolition and new foundations require a bobcat or backhoe so a construction or excavation company is best. Small jobs like french drains or window wells can be dug by hand so a landscaper will offer the best bank for your buck.

If you need dirt relocated, there are two different ways to accomplish this task. The first is with good ole fashioned elbow grease, namely digging with your hands using shovels and a pickaxe. This approach is usually compared with mechanical excavation. The contrast is transparent: digging by hand is manual whereas digging with machines is mechanical. The second approach clears soil with heavy equipment like a trencher, backhoe or an excavator. For bigger excavation projects you should use heavy machinery for the sake of speed and efficiency. For smaller digging tasks, it’s best to do it by hand since you get more accuracy and won’t run the risk of damaging other parts of your yard.

Before you begin digging you should call 811 which is the number for your local digging hotline. You should make this call at least three business days before you dig. Ask the operator to have someone come out and mark all the utilities with spray paint and/or colored safety flags. When the locator arrives you should make sure they know where you’re digging so they can mark the utilities in your yard appropriately. They will locate the underground gas, electric, water, and communications pipes and cables in the area. Once marked, you should dig very carefully around those areas. The flags and spray paint are supposed to prevent any accidents from happening while digging, such as underground cords getting pierced through with a shovel.

While it may seem like digging a trench is a straightforward task, there is actually a science to it. Digging can go quite wrong if you don’t tackle the project in a disciplined way. So here are three (of seven) strategies to follow: First, choose your weapon wisely. Having the appropriate hand tools is essential. You’ll need the following: long nosed shovel, trenching shovel, spade shovel and a lightweight pickaxe. Second, be on the lookout for obstructions such as tree roots, rocky soil and hard clay. Third, save your back the ache by using your foot on the shovel to leverage your body weight. To read about the final four trench digging tips and get more details on the first three pointers, then check out my popular blog 7 Strategies for Trench Digging.

Spade shovels won’t be too helpful with hard rocky soil. A trench shovel would be a little more helpful since it’s long and narrow. However, the best choice for a hand-held tool would be a pickaxe. Being able to swing a pickaxe, which has a sharp and pointed end, will allow you to break through hard ground and rocky soil. Another option would be to rent a gas powered tiller from a local hardware store. These tillers often have rotating blades that slice right through tough dirt, and breaks it into softer soil. Some tillers can even cut through small roots, though a loppers tend to be the best tool for that task.

The dimensions of your trench depend on the purpose of the trench. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the width, depth, and length of a trench. That said, most digging projects don’t require you to dig deeper than a few feet. Here are my trench dimension recommendations for five different types of digging tasks. First, if you need to bury a cable, then your trench should be around 6 inches deep. Second, an electric dog fence only needs to be 3 inches deep. Third, water pipes should be buried at least 2 feet underground. Fourth, if you plan to install an egress window, then you will need to dig down at least 6 feet. Fifth, if you want to install a french drain, then you should dig 18 inches deep and 10-12 inches wide.

Digging fence post holes is easiest with a power earth auger. A digging bar works well for loosening dirt from each side. When you are digging post holes, the hole should be half the post height above the ground. For instance, if your fence posts are 6 feet tall, then your holes should be about 3 feet deep. If the posts are 8 feet high, then your holes should be 4 feet deep. It’s best to use a post hole digger or a gas powered auger drill for this. Once your post holes are dug, set the posts on a 6 inch base of half inch crushed stone to ensure proper water drainage. Brace the post to keep it straight by using two stakes and some scrap lumber. Then you should pour fast setting concrete inside to secure your post.

Most digging projects result in leftover dirt since you usually bury something under the ground. Below I propose some options of how you can repurpose leftover dirt. First, if the dirt is in good condition and you have a garden that’s low on soil, then that should be the most obvious choice. Second, depending on the amount of dirt and unused space on your property, you could build up a berm in your yard. Third, you can post a listing on Facebook marketplace or NextDoor that offers free dirt for pickup. Tip: be sure to include a picture of the dirt pile in your post. Fourth, if you have no other use for the excess soil then you can load it in a truck or trailer and proceed to dump it at a local landfill or yard waste site.

Digging companies are a dime a dozen, so you will have plenty of options to choose from as long as you search deep enough. Given the variety of offers you will likely receive, it’s imperative to have some sort of criteria for sifting through the bad quotes and identifying the good ones. Here are three not so obvious ways to select a reputable digging company. First, determine a timeline for your project and make sure the digging service can complete (not start) the project by then. Second, ask for a high-end and low-end quote range so that you know you won’t pay more than X or less than X. Third, explain what problem your digging project will solve and then ask the contractor how many times they’ve done projects like yours. Click here to get a digging quote from His Workmanship.