What we do
Utility Trenching
Water, sewer, power, gas and conduit trenched, bedded, backfilled and compacted. The line to a shop, a well, a new house or an ADU is one more thing you do not have to sub out.
You cannot put a dwelling in a back yard without getting water, sewer and power out to it, and on a lot of small projects that trench is the thing nobody planned for. We dig it. Water and sewer laterals, power and gas trenches, conduit for a shop or a well pump, and the service run out to an ADU or an outbuilding — trenched to depth and grade, bedded properly, backfilled and compacted so the ground does not settle into a scar across the yard next spring. Locates go in before we dig, every time. The reason this is a page rather than a line inside excavation is that it is the clearest single proof of the one-call promise: the same crew that cut your pad and poured your foundation runs the trench, so the sequencing works out and nobody is standing around. It also means the trench gets backfilled by somebody who has to come back and pour flatwork over the top of it, which is a strong incentive to compact it properly the first time. Depths and separations are set by the utility and by code, not by us, and we work to whatever the provider and the inspector require. If you are not sure what your project needs, tell us what you are building and we will work it out.
What is included
- Water and sewer laterals, power and gas trenches, conduit runs to shops and wells
- Trenched to depth and grade, bedded, backfilled and compacted — not just filled in
- Utility locates before every dig, and we work to the provider's and inspector's specs
Our process
How utility jobs run
Work out the route
Where the line has to start, where it has to end and what is in between — trees, an existing driveway, a septic field. The best route is rarely the straight one.
Locates, and the private stuff
Public locates go in before the machine moves. Anything private — an old septic line, irrigation, a buried run to a shop — will not show on a locate, so we ask you first.
Trench to depth and grade
Cover depth and separations are set by the utility and by code. Sewer has to hold a fall the whole way, which is the part that decides where the trench can actually go.
Bed, backfill, compact, restore
Bedded in sand or rock as the line requires, backfilled in lifts and compacted, and the surface put back. A trench you can find a year later by looking at the lawn was not compacted.
Our work
Recent utility work
Questions
Questions about utility work
We dig, bed, backfill and compact, and we coordinate with whoever is making the connections so the trench is open when they need it and closed as soon as they are done. Some connections are licensed work for the utility or a specific trade, and we will tell you clearly which parts of your job are ours and which are not.
It depends on the service — water, sewer, power and gas all have different cover requirements, and sewer additionally has to hold a consistent fall from end to end. The provider and the code set those numbers. We work to the requirement and to the inspection, and you will know what your job needs before we start.
That is one of the most common versions of this job, and it is exactly why we do this in-house. On an ADU the trench, the pad and the foundation are all one crew and one schedule, so the water line is not waiting on someone else's calendar while your building sits.
Get a free on-site estimate
Tell us what you are looking at and we will come and measure it. No obligation, no pressure, and a written itemised quote rather than a number on the back of a card. We usually respond the same day.
Call (503) 840-8634- Hours
- Mon - Fri 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Licensing
- Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB #251334
- Response time
- We usually respond the same day.