Earthwork & Excavation
Ground-up site work for builders, developers, and homeowners.
From the first survey stake to final grade, our earthwork division handles the dirt so the rest of your project stays on schedule. We work on residential lots, commercial pads, subdivisions, and municipal sites across northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin — heavy clay, sand ridges, and high water tables included.
What's included
Excavation
Site prep, foundations, footings, utility trenching, and precision digs of every scale.
Grading & Land Clearing
Laser-guided rough and finish grading, brush and stump removal, ready-to-build pads.
Demolition
Safe teardown of structures, slabs, driveways, and concrete with full haul-off.
Drainage Solutions
French drains, culverts, swales, detention, and stormwater management that passes inspection.
How the job runs
- Step 1
Site walk & scope
We walk the property, confirm access, utilities, and soil conditions, then quote in writing.
- Step 2
Permits & locates
JULIE/Diggers Hotline locates and any village or county permits handled before iron moves.
- Step 3
Execution
Excavators, dozers, and dump trucks on site with daily progress updates.
- Step 4
Final grade & restoration
Compaction, topsoil, seed or stone, and a clean site at hand-off.
Earthwork & Excavation FAQ
Detailed answers specific to this service. General questions about estimates, insurance, and scheduling are answered on the home page FAQ.
How much does excavation cost in Lake County, IL?
Pricing depends on volume, access, soil type, and haul-off distance. Small residential digs typically start in the low four figures, while full commercial site prep is quoted per cubic yard after a site walk. Every estimate we send is itemized so you can see dirt work, trucking, and restoration separately, and we flag anything — rock, buried debris, unsuitable soils — that could change the number once we are in the ground.
Do you handle permits and utility locates?
Yes. We file JULIE (Illinois) and Diggers Hotline (Wisconsin) locates on every dig and pull village, county, or stormwater permits when the scope requires them. For jobs touching detention, wetlands buffers, or right-of-way, we coordinate with the municipal engineer and provide the as-built or elevation documentation the village asks for at final inspection.
What time of year can excavation happen in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin?
We excavate year-round. Frost depth in our region can reach 36 to 42 inches in January and February, which slows digging, requires frost teeth or a hammer, and raises cost. Scheduling between April and November is usually more economical, and late summer through early fall is ideal for grading and seeding because the ground is dry and turf still has time to establish before winter.
How do you fix a yard or lot that holds standing water?
Standing water is almost always a grading or outlet problem, not a soil problem. We shoot elevations to find where water is trapped, then choose the fix: re-grading to establish positive fall away from structures, a French drain or trench drain to intercept subsurface water, a swale to route surface flow, or a culvert and catch-basin tie-in to a legal outlet. We never discharge onto a neighboring property; every drainage plan ends at an approved outlet.
How long does a typical site-prep or grading job take?
A residential driveway dig, drainage repair, or small pad is often one to three days. A full building pad with utilities, stone, and final grade usually runs one to two weeks depending on weather and inspection timing. Demolition with haul-off is typically two to four days. We give a day-count with the estimate and send daily progress updates so you can schedule concrete, framing, or paving behind us.
Do you restore the site after the dirt work is done?
Yes. Restoration is part of the scope, not an add-on. That means compaction to spec, topsoil placed back at the correct depth, seed and straw or sod where the contract calls for it, stone or millings on drives, and a swept, debris-free site at hand-off. If we track material onto a street, we clean it — several villages in Lake and Kenosha County fine for that, and it is on us, not the property owner.
Towns we cover
- Waukegan, IL
- Gurnee, IL
- Libertyville, IL
- Antioch, IL
- Lake Forest, IL
- Mundelein, IL
- Grayslake, IL
- Kenosha, WI
- Pleasant Prairie, WI
- Twin Lakes, WI
- Salem Lakes, WI