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Excavation Fort Worth is a local excavation and site prep contractor serving Fort Worth and the surrounding Tarrant County communities, not a crew mobilizing in from an hour away. We handle site preparation and building pads, excavation and grading, drainage and erosion control, and dirt work, fill, and driveways, for homeowners, builders, and acreage owners. Every job starts with a site visit and a straight written price, and the work is done by a licensed, insured crew that does it right the first time.
Getting the dirt right matters more here than most people think, because the DFW area sits on expansive clay soil that swells and shrinks with the weather and moves foundations when it is not handled correctly. We cut, fill, and compact to spec so the ground is solid before anything is built on it, grade so water drains away instead of pooling, and plan around the clay and the rock. Fort Worth also requires a grading permit for land disturbance of an acre or more, along with a stormwater plan, and we build the job around those requirements so it stays compliant.
The dirt work under a build is what makes or breaks it, and a few things separate a clean job from a callback.
A lot of the crews that show up in Fort Worth are based an hour away in Collin, Denton, or Hunt County and drive in for the job. We are local, which means faster response, lower mobilization cost, and a crew that actually knows Fort Worth and Tarrant County soil, rules, and sites.
North Texas clay is not like dirt anywhere else. It swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry, which is what cracks slabs and driveways when a site is not prepped right. We cut, fill, and compact for the clay, set the drainage to keep water off it, and build ground that holds.
A building pad, a foundation dig, a drainage trench, and a driveway each call for different equipment, from skid steers and mini excavators to full-size excavators, dozers, and graders. We bring what the job actually needs: a cleaner result and a faster finish, not a crew making do with one machine.
Builders and GCs lean on us because the pad is right the first time, cut and filled, compacted, and graded to the elevations the engineer calls out. We grade to your plans, hit the spec, and hand off a site ready for the foundation with no rework.
Site prep and pads, excavation and grading, drainage, and dirt work, done by a local crew and graded to spec.
Site preparation is the foundation under the foundation, the cut, fill, and compaction that turn a raw lot into solid, level ground ready to build on. We clear and strip the site, bring it to grade, and build the pad to the elevations and the compaction spec your project calls for, whether it is a house, a shop, a barndominium, or a commercial slab. On DFW clay, getting this right is what keeps the slab from moving later.
For a building pad, we cut the high spots, bring in and place select fill where it is needed, and compact it in lifts to the density the engineer specifies, with the pad shaped so water drains away from the structure. Builders and general contractors across Fort Worth lean on us because the pad is right the first time and comes with a one-page bid they can actually read.
We prep residential lots, commercial pads, and acreage, and we coordinate with your builder, surveyor, or engineer so the finished grade matches the plans. Every job starts with a site visit and a firm written price before any dirt moves.
Excavation and grading is the core of what we do: moving dirt and shaping ground. We handle foundation and footing digs, basement and storm-shelter excavation, pond and ditch work, rough and finish grading, and cut-and-fill to balance a site. We run the right machine for the job, from a mini excavator on a tight residential lot to a full-size excavator or dozer on acreage.
Grading is about water as much as dirt. We shape the ground so it drains the way it should, away from the house, off the driveway, and toward where you want it, which on North Texas clay is the difference between a dry site and a cracked slab or a soggy yard. Finish grading sets the final surface for sod, concrete, or a new build.
Every dig starts with a walk of the site so we know what is coming out, where the utilities are, and how the soil and rock will behave. You get a clear scope and a straight price before we start, and a clean, graded site when we finish.
Water is the enemy of a slab on expansive clay, and drainage is how you beat it. We install french drains, surface and area drains, swales, and catch basins to move water off your property, and we grade to keep it from pooling against the foundation. On DFW clay, proper drainage is not an upgrade, it is what protects the structure from the soil underneath it.
We also handle erosion control, the silt fence, inlet protection, rock, and stabilization that keep soil on your site and out of the street and the storm system. For jobs that disturb an acre or more, Fort Worth requires a stormwater plan, and erosion control is part of staying compliant as well as keeping the site clean.
Whether it is a wet backyard, a driveway that washes out, a foundation taking on water, or a new build that needs its drainage engineered from the start, we figure out where the water is going and give it somewhere better to go.
Dirt work covers the moving, balancing, hauling, and placing of material that most jobs need. We bring in select fill, topsoil, and base when a site needs more dirt, haul off spoil and excess when it does not, and move and shape material on site to balance the grade. Clay, caliche, and rock each handle differently, and we know how they move here.
We build and repair gravel and rock driveways and rural roads, from the base and crown to culverts and drainage, using crushed limestone, flex base, or recycled material. A driveway built on a proper base and shaped to shed water holds up to the weather and the traffic instead of rutting and washing out.
Fill, hauling, and driveways are usually priced per load or per job after we see the site, since the amount of material and the access drive the number. Tell us what you need moved or built, and we will walk it and put a price in writing.
A straightforward process that keeps the permit, the utilities, and the grade accounted for from the first visit.
We come to your site, walk it with you, and look at the soil, the grade, the access, and what the job needs, a pad, a dig, drainage, a driveway. You get a clear scope and a straight written price before anything is scheduled, at no cost and no obligation.
Before the iron shows up, we confirm whether the job needs a Fort Worth grading permit or stormwater plan, call in the utility locates so nothing underground gets hit, and set the plan and the elevations with you or your engineer. Getting this right up front is what keeps the job on schedule.
We bring the right equipment and do the work, cutting, filling, digging, and grading to the plan, compacting to spec where it is called for, and shaping the ground so it drains. We protect what stays and keep the site clean as we go.
We set the final grade, make sure water drains the way it should, haul off any spoil, and clean up so the site is level, solid, and ready for the next step, a foundation, a pour, sod, or a build. Then we walk the finished site with you.
A local crew, a straight price, and ground that holds.
Every job starts with a free on-site walk and a written price. We look at the site, talk through the scope, and give you a straight number with no obligation and no pressure to sign on the spot.
We put the scope and the number in writing on one page you can actually compare, and we stick to it. No vague estimates, no surprises on invoice day, and no change orders for work we should have caught on the walk.
We are based here and work here, not mobilizing in from another county for the day. That means faster response, lower cost, and a crew that knows Fort Worth and Tarrant County soil, rules, and sites.
We are licensed, insured, and owner-operated, so the person who walks your site is the person responsible for the work. You deal with us from the quote through the final grade, and we carry the insurance to protect your property.
Excavation is priced by the job, the hour, or the cubic yard depending on the work, so here are honest ranges to plan around. Your exact number comes after a free on-site walk, and DFW clay and rock run toward the top of the range.
By the equipment and operator; a mini excavator is at the low end, a full-size machine or dozer higher, and DFW clay and caliche push it up.
A typical quarter-acre building pad, cut, filled, and compacted to spec. Larger sites and more fill run higher.
Fill, hauling, and driveways are priced per load or per job after we walk the site, since material and access drive the number.
What moves the price: the soil and rock (clay and caliche are harder to dig), how many cubic yards are moved, whether material is hauled off or brought in, site access, how much grading and compaction the job needs, and any permits.
These are planning ranges for the Fort Worth area, not a quote, and they do not include city permit fees. Every site is different, so we give you a firm, written price after a free on-site walk.
Straight answers from our free on-site walks across Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
It depends on the work and the equipment. Hourly, excavation runs about $125 to $300 per hour including the machine and operator, with DFW clay and caliche toward the top. By volume, cut work runs roughly $11 to $21 per cubic yard. A building pad is usually priced per job, around $4,000 to $11,000 for a typical quarter-acre pad. We give you a firm, itemized number after a free on-site walk.
Often, yes. The City of Fort Worth requires a grading permit for any land-disturbing activity of one acre or more, or less than an acre if it is part of a larger common plan of development, and those jobs also need a stormwater plan. Smaller residential work usually does not, but it depends on the site. We check what applies and handle the permit side so the job stays compliant.
A residential foundation or footing dig typically runs a few thousand dollars, and the whole site excavation for a standard home usually lands between about $2,500 and $15,000 depending on the size, soil, depth, and access. Clay and rock cost more to dig than soft soil. We price it after seeing the lot and the plans.
Site prep is everything that gets a lot ready to build on: clearing and stripping, cut and fill to bring it to grade, building the pad, compacting it to spec, and shaping the ground so it drains. For a new build we can also handle the foundation dig, drainage, and the driveway. One crew takes the site from raw to build-ready.
North Texas sits on expansive clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and that movement is what cracks slabs, driveways, and foundations when a site is not prepped right. It means the ground has to be cut, filled, and compacted correctly and drained so water stays off it. Prepping for the clay is the difference between a site that holds and one that moves, which is why local experience matters here.
Hauling and fill are usually priced by the load or the cubic yard. Moving dirt runs roughly $20 to $40 per cubic yard, or about $300 to $600 per dump-truck load, and bringing in select fill or topsoil is priced by the yard plus delivery. The total depends on how much material moves and how easy the site is to reach.
A gravel or rock driveway depends on the length, the base, and the drainage, and can run from a couple thousand dollars for a short residential drive to much more for a long rural road with culverts and a proper base. Regrading and repairing an existing driveway costs less. We price it after walking the drive and the access.
Yes, a lot of our work is for builders and GCs. We build pads to the engineer's spec, cut and fill to the plans, and hand off a site ready for the foundation with no rework, on a one-page bid you can compare. We also work directly with homeowners and acreage owners.
A straightforward residential pad or a small dig can be a day or two. Larger sites, more fill, rock, and wet or difficult ground take longer, and the permit and utility-locate timeline can add time up front. After we walk the site we give you a realistic schedule along with the price.
Grading a small yard runs a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars, and grading a home lot or an average backyard usually lands between about $1,000 and $5,000. A quarter-acre building pad with cut, fill, and compaction runs more, around $4,000 to $11,000. Slope, how much dirt moves, and the soil all factor in, so we price it after seeing the site.
We handle excavation, grading, and site prep across Fort Worth and the surrounding Tarrant County communities.