Excavation Contractors in Grand Rapids, MI

Excavation contractors in Grand Rapids split their time between two very different kinds of property. In the city and inner suburbs, it is basements, sewer and water services, drainage and teardowns on lots with neighbors close by. Out in the townships of Kent and Ottawa counties, it is septic systems, long gravel driveways, culverts, well and power trenches, and clearing for new homes. We handle both, for homeowners, landowners and small builders.

Two kinds of glacial ground

The glaciers left West Michigan a patchwork. The Spinks soil series, common across southern Michigan, formed in sandy outwash or wind-blown sand; it is well drained, with thin loamy bands starting 15 to 40 inches down. The Marlette series formed in loamy till with 25 to 35 percent clay in the subsoil and a seasonal high water table 2 to 6 feet down from October to May. On sand, trench walls collapse easily and septic fields drain fast. On till, trenches stand better but water seeps in and drains slowly. We check which you have at the site visit.

Rivers that flood

Grand Rapids grew up at the rapids of the Grand River, about 25 miles from Lake Michigan. The river has flooded the city more than once: in March 1904 it crested at 19.6 feet and flooded more than 2,500 houses, and in April 2013 it crested at 21.85 feet, forcing thousands to evacuate. The Rogue, Thornapple, Flat and Buck Creek valleys carry their own floodplains. Grading and fill near any of them get checked against local rules first.

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Lakes, streams and erosion permits

In Kent County, the Road Commission requires a soil erosion and sedimentation control permit for any earth change within 500 feet of a lake or stream, and it enforces those rules for the county and for East Grand Rapids, Grandville and Wyoming. Many West Michigan lots are within that distance of something. We check before we dig and install silt fence and stabilization as required.

Locates before every dig

We place a MISS DIG 811 locate request for every project. MISS DIG is clear that excavation cannot start before the start time on the request, even if every utility has already been marked.

Winter and frost

Grand Rapids is one of the snowiest major cities in the country, averaging about 75 inches a season, with January lows near 19 degrees. Frost makes digging slower and backfill harder to compact. We schedule septic fields, grading and driveways for the thawed months and handle urgent repairs year-round.

What a typical project includes

• Site visit and soil check
• Written, itemized quote
• MISS DIG ticket and any city, township or county permits
• Excavation with trench protection and dewatering as needed
• Stone, pipe or tank set to plan
• Compacted backfill, grading, and seed or straw

Call (616) 952-4420 or use the quote form to set up a free visit. Tell us whether you are in a city or a township, and we will come ready for the right kind of job.

We work in Grand Rapids and its ring of cities, including Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, Grandville and East Grand Rapids, and out into the Kent County townships of Ada, Cascade, Plainfield, Alpine, Cannon, Byron, Gaines, Caledonia and Grand Rapids Township. In Ottawa County we cover Jenison, Hudsonville and Allendale. River towns like Rockford, Lowell and Sparta round it out. Cities usually have sewer, water and tighter lots; townships often have septic, wells and acreage. Each town page covers the local details.