7 Strategies for Trench Digging [Comprehensive Guide]
Eric Pfeffer
February 17, 2023
His Workmanship offers hole digging and trenching labor. You call the utility company to make sure the cable lines are marked. We’ll bring trench shovels and come ready to get dirty. Our rates start at $100 per hour for 2 ditch diggers. New customers can read Ephesians 2:1-10 to receive a $20 discount. Details are on the final step of the contact form.
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Do you need a trench dug to bury wire underground? What about grading dirt away from the house for water drainage? No problem! Our network of contractors can accomplish any of these digging projects for you. Just tell us where to dig and how deep to dig and we’ll get it done for you. Watch the video below for a closer look at how our digging process works.
His Workmanship is a landscaping company in Sartell
We’ve got your landscaping project taken care of anywhere in Sartell. Check out the map below to view our service area in Sartell. We dispose of the debris at Maple Grove Yard Waste Site which is slightly north of 610 and south of highway 81.
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1. Get a free estimate in just a couple minutes
Select the services that best align with your needs and describe the details of your project to help us get a better idea of the scope of work. Feel free to upload pictures so your crew can visualize your specific needs.
2. Receive great customer support along the way
Our staff guarantees a reply to all emails within 24 hours. Once you get scheduled, you'll get a confirmation email with your service provider names as well as a text notification 1 hour before your project starts.
3. Relax while we speedily complete your project
Equipment in hand, your crew will arrive a few minutes early so they can collaborate with you about the work that needs to be done. Once they finish, you can pay the total bill directly to the crew leader. It's as simple as that!
Hear what a customer says
“This is the third time I have used His Workmanship. What made them catch my eye is their Christian mission. I’ve had their crews out here to do a fairly large project for a new rosebed and they’ve been very hard workers and made the job a breeze. I would definitely recommend His Workmanship for landscaping projects.” – Mark
My family has hired His Workmanship twice—once for moving and then most recently for landscaping rock removal. The staff have been on time, professional, hardworking, and courteous. Communication via their website form (to submit a job request) and email (to confirm job details) has been very prompt. Great experiences with this business!
These guys are fantastic! They showed up on time, worked pretty much non-stop, were polite and respectful, and finished the job completely. I highly recommend them.
The guys were fantastic. It was a very hot day, out AC wasn't working and they just kept chugging along. They encouraged us to use them for whatever we needed for the entire time we paid for. Very impressed with their hard work and it was very reasonable compared to other moving companies.
Simply put, excellent. I cannot speak highly enough about His Workmanship. Professional from my first contact. Eric responded immediately. I was able to schedule my requested job very quickly. And the two young men who were sent to my location were on time, polite, enthusiastic, and fast. They did a better job than all the other landscape companies with whom I have worked. I highly recommend them.
Needed manual labor/landscaping crew in a hurry. The 3 gents that did the job were on time, worked exceptionally hard, and were true professionals. I’ll absolutely use this company again. Great experience and great value. Hire them. You will be pleased.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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 will cost less whereas hard dirt like clay or rocky soil will cost more. Because of these variables, most digging services prefer to charge an hourly rate, which usually ranges from $45 – $55 per hour per person.
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. Digging a ditch or trench may be needed to install a water drainage system.
Yes, landscapers typically offer a wide variety of 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 and trench shovels.
Hand excavation is often contrasted with mechanical excavation. The former does the digging manually, with shovels and pickaxes. The latter clears the dirt with heavy machinery like a trencher backhoe or an excavator. For smaller digging projects, it’s best to do it by hand since you get more precision and won’t make a big mess. For bigger excavation needs, you’ll need to use heavy machinery because that’ll get the job done much faster.
It’s important to call your local digging hotline to have them come out and mark all the utilities with spray paint and colored safety flags. They will locate the underground gas, electric, water, and communications pipes and cables in the area. The flags and spray paint should prevent any accidents from happening while digging, like underground cords getting pierced through with a shovel.
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.
Technically, you can dig as deep as you want. However, most digging projects don’t require you to dig deeper than a few feet. If you need to bury a cable, your trench should be around 6 inches deep. An electric dog fence only needs to be 3 inches deep. Water pipes should be buried at least 2 feet underground. If you plan to install an egress window, then you will need to dig down at least 6 feet.
If 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. It’s best to use a post hole digger or an auger drill for this. Once your post holes are dug, you should pour fast setting concrete inside to secure your post.
Most digging projects leave you with leftover dirt since you usually bury something under the ground. If the dirt is in good condition and you have a garden that’s low on soil, then that should be your first choice. Beside that, depending on the amount of dirt, you could build a berm in your yard. If you want to dispose of it, then you can dump it at a local landfill or yard waste site.
You should try to get a ballpark estimate on the total cost for digging help. Be prepared to answer questions about the width and depth of your trench as well as the firmness of the soil. Ask the digging service how long they’ve been doing it and what their process is like. Google their company name to make sure they have good reviews online. Click here to get a digging quote from His Workmanship.
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His Workmanship is a Christian company
Our mission is to glorify God as we embody the gospel through our hard labor and our honest behavior. Our desire is to bring satisfaction to the customer as they seek to improve their property. We also desire to facilitate growth for students as they experience the business world from a Christian perspective.
Hear what a worker says
“Hi, my name is Daniel and this is my first summer with His Workmanship. I attend the same church as Eric so that is how I learned about this opportunity. I enjoy working with a company that so clearly shows the Christian faith in their business model. I mean, what other company gives a $20 discount for reading the Bible!”
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Fun facts about Sartell
The first known Native American tribe in the area now known as Sartell were the Dakota. Sartell’s largest employers have been the paper mill that started in 1907 as Watab Pulp & Paper, became St. Regis Paper Company in 1947. Sartell’s proximity to St. Cloud allows for convenient access to St. Cloud Regional Airport. Sartell’s location on the river facilitated the construction of the Old Sartell Bridge in 1914, which was replaced by the current Sartell Bridge in 1984. Learn more about Sartell schools, utilities and parks.
