Excavation · Concrete Contractor Ogden
Excavation Contractor in Ogden, UT
Digging, grading, compaction and base for footings, slabs and walls. Get a free site prep estimate.
Excavation & Site Prep across Weber, Davis and Box Elder counties
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Put in the address, what is being built, repaired or removed, and any plans or photos. The contractor phones back to go over the job and set up a look at the site.
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- Residential and commercial
- Dig, pour and haul-off
- Footings below frost
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Excavation & Site Prep
Excavation Contractor for Ogden, UT
Excavation here is the first half of a concrete job, not a separate trade. Topsoil and roots come off first, because organic material rots and leaves a void under the slab. Then the dig goes down to firm, undisturbed soil. Soft spots, wet pockets and buried debris get dug out and replaced. Fill goes back in lifts of about 6 to 8 inches, each one compacted, and a gravel base goes on top, graded so water runs away from buildings. That buried work decides whether the concrete above it stays flat.
Ground around Ogden can change from one block to the next. Bench lots tend to be gravel and cobble, quick to drain and hard to dig, with slopes that need cutting. Lower ground toward the lake tends to be fine silt and clay with a high water table, where a footing trench can fill with water overnight. Newer subdivisions add fill that keeps settling. Every dig starts with an 811 call two business days ahead. Private lines, like power to a detached shop or a sprinkler main, are not marked, so point them out before the excavator shows up.
What's included
What goes into excavation and site prep
- 01
Footing and foundation digs
Excavation to the depth the plans call for, with trench sides laid back or protected once the cut gets deep.
- 02
Slab and pad excavation
Digging out for garage, shop, driveway and equipment slabs, down past topsoil to firm ground.
- 03
Grading for drainage
Setting grades so the finished concrete and the ground around it drain away from buildings.
- 04
Compaction in lifts
Placing fill in thin lifts and compacting each one, with density testing when a commercial job requires it.
- 05
Gravel base
Typically 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel under slabs, and more where heavy loads or soft soil call for it.
- 06
Spoils haul-off
Hauling away extra dirt, roots and debris so the site is left ready for forms.
Ideas
Excavation & Site Prep: what they can look like
Example photos of this kind of concrete work.
How it works
How a site prep job job works
- 1
Locate and stake
Call 811, flag private lines, and stake the dig to the plan.
- 2
Strip and dig
Strip topsoil and organics, then excavate to firm soil and the planned depth.
- 3
Fix soft ground
Over-excavate wet or soft spots and replace them with compacted gravel.
- 4
Base and grade check
Place and compact the base and check grades with a laser so the site is ready for forms.
Questions
Excavation & Site Prep FAQs
What if the ground is soft or wet when you dig?
It gets dug out, not covered up. Soft clay, saturated silt and old fill are over-excavated and replaced with compacted gravel, and where groundwater sits high the bottom may need a layer of larger rock first. Pouring on wet, soft ground is how slabs sink.
What drives the cost of excavation and site prep?
Volume of dirt, how hard it digs, access for equipment, how much soft soil needs replacing, how much base goes back in, and how far the spoils travel. Steep bench lots and tight backyards take longer than open, flat ground.
Do I need to call 811 myself?
Whoever digs is responsible for the locate, and the contractor makes that call before excavating. Blue Stakes of Utah marks public utility lines but not private ones. Flag or point out sprinkler lines, power to outbuildings, gas lines to grills or heaters, and yard drains before the dig.
Can you dig in the winter?
Yes. Excavation goes on through winter, with the frozen crust broken through and the subgrade covered so it does not freeze again before concrete goes in. Concrete is never placed on frozen ground, so footings and slabs follow the dig closely and get blanketed.
How do you know the ground is compacted enough?
By how it is placed and how it is checked. Fill goes in thin lifts at the right moisture and each lift gets compacted; a load of dirt dumped in one pass never gets there. Commercial jobs and engineered walls often require density tests, and those get scheduled before the base is covered.
Related work
You might also be planning
Foundations & Footings
Footings below the frost line, poured foundation and stem walls, and slabs for new garages, shops and home additions.
More on Foundations & Footings
Driveways & Driveway Replacement
Full tear-out and replacement: old slab broken out and hauled, base rebuilt, and a new driveway poured for the loads it carries.
More on Driveways & Driveway Replacement
Retaining Walls
Block and poured concrete retaining walls on a compacted base, with drainage stone and pipe behind, sized for the slope they hold.
More on Retaining Walls
Where we work
Excavation & Site Prep in these towns
We take excavation & site prep jobs in Ogden and every town listed below.
Weber County
Davis County
Box Elder County
Morgan County
Ready to price your site prep job?
Put in the address, what is being built, repaired or removed, and any plans or photos. The contractor phones back to go over the job and set up a look at the site.