4744 Edmund Hwy, West Columbia, SC · Serving the Midlands
Free Estimates Family and Woman Owned (803) 796-4727
Dirt Cheap Hauling & Services
Our Services

Excavation in West Columbia, SC

Excavation · West Columbia, SC

Full size excavators, run by the owner, working out of West Columbia.

An excavating contractor digs the trenches and holes that a job needs before anything can get built or repaired. Dirt Cheap runs excavation out of our shop on Edmund Highway in West Columbia, and we dig across the Midlands. Homeowners, builders, property managers, and general contractors call us when the dirt has to move before the real work starts. One job may be a short water line trench, and the next a full site dig under a commercial slab.

Dirt Cheap is a family business with our own crew on the machines every day. We run the job from our West Columbia shop, and we own full size excavators, dozers, and trailers. We dig anywhere inside roughly 50 miles of West Columbia, and we bring the ground back to grade after. Estimates cost nothing, so call (803) 796-4727 and tell us what needs to come out of the ground.

What We Handle

  • Site excavation for new construction
  • Utility trenching for water, sewer, and power lines
  • Drainage trenching and pipe bedding
  • Storm drain repair excavation
  • Footing trenches and concrete slab cut outs
  • Digging out failed fill and buried concrete
  • Ditch cleanout and pond digging for drainage
  • Full size excavators, dozers, and a tri axle dump truck

Free Excavation Quote

Tell us about the structure, lot or job and we will get right back to you.

What happens on an excavation job from the first call?

Call us and tell us what you need dug, where the property sits, and when you need it done. We look at the site, check whether a full size machine can get in, and read the soil. Utility locates go in before every dig, so the water, power, gas, and cable lines get marked first. On a wooded lot we cut the trees and brush off first, then set the machine where the plan starts.

Storm drain repair shows how a deep dig goes, because the pipe usually sits well below grade. The hole has to be wide enough to work in safely, and the ground has to go back tight. Jared Smith said in his Google review: Storm drain repair for apartment complex fixed twice, both required a large excavation. Did both jobs quickly and for a great price. We backfill in lifts, compact the trench, and the debris leaves on our own trucks as part of the job.

What an excavating contractor runs into in Midlands red clay soil

Most of the Midlands sits on red clay, and red clay holds water instead of letting it drain away. That is why so many yards around here keep a soft, wet corner for days after the rain stops. A trench cut in soaked clay can slump, so we watch the weather and time the dig around it. Red clay digs the same in Columbia as out toward Orangeburg, and sandy ground shows up near the river.

If you are comparing excavation companies near you, ask what size machines they own and how deep they dig. A full size excavator reaches deeper and lifts more weight, which changes how long the whole job takes. That matters on a ditch that has silted in, or on a pond dug to hold storm water runoff. The same excavator digs the tank hole and the field lines when we put in a new septic system.

What does excavation cost in the South Carolina Midlands?

An excavation contractor prices a dig by what comes out of the ground and how hard it is to reach. Depth drives it first, since a four foot trench and a ten foot trench are two very different jobs. Soil matters next, because wet clay, rock, and old buried concrete will all slow a big bucket down. Access matters too, since a tight backyard behind one narrow gate costs more to dig than an open field.

Length and where the spoil ends up set the rest of the number, since spreading it on site costs less. Slab cut outs and footing trenches price out differently than one long straight run of open drain pipe. Site excavation after a building teardown is its own kind of job, with old material still in the ground. Estimates are free, and you get a real number once we have seen the site and the access.

Drain field lines trenched in for a septic system install Excavator loading demolition debris into a dump trailer

Ready to get started?

Free, no-obligation estimates across the Midlands, from our West Columbia shop.

(803) 796-4727
What You Can Expect

How a Job With Dirt Cheap Runs

From the first call to clean ground, here is how it goes.

1

Call or Send the Form

Tell us what you need gone or built: a house, a mobile home, an overgrown lot, a driveway, a septic system. Our office gets you on the schedule fast.

2

We Look and Quote

We come see the property, look at access and what has to leave, and give you a written number. The estimate is free and the price covers the work we agreed on.

3

The Crew Does the Work

Our crew runs the equipment on site. Full size excavators and dozers handle the teardown or dirt work, and debris leaves on our own trucks as part of the job.

4

You Get Clean Ground

The site gets graded out, filled where it needs it, and left ready for what comes next: a new build, a driveway, a septic system or just a clean lot.

FAQ

Excavation Questions, Answered

Common questions about excavation across the Midlands. Don't see yours? Give us a call and ask.

Call (803) 796-4727

Do you dig trenches for utility lines and drainage pipe?
Yes. We trench for water, sewer, power, and drainage pipe on homes and commercial property alike. Depth and width follow the pipe and the plan the job is built from. We bed the line, backfill in lifts, and compact the trench so the ground does not settle later. Locates are called in before the first cut is made on site.
Can you dig out buried concrete or bad fill under a slab?
Yes. Old concrete, buried debris, and fill that never compacted can all be dug out and replaced. A full size excavator pulls broken slab and chunk concrete that a small machine cannot lift. We cut the bad section out and take the hole down to solid ground. Then we bring it back up with material that compacts and holds weight.
Do you handle storm drain repair digs on commercial property?
Yes. A failed storm drain usually means a deep, wide excavation to get down to the broken pipe. We open the ground, expose the line so it can be repaired or replaced, then backfill and compact the trench. We have done this work at an apartment property, where parking and traffic had to keep moving around the dig.
Do I need a permit to dig on my property?
It depends on the work and the county. Utility locates go in on every dig, and the utility companies mark their lines at no charge to you. Drainage work, culverts, and anything inside a road right of way can need a permit from the county building department. We tell you what applies before we start digging, so nothing stalls midway.
How far from West Columbia will you travel for excavation?
We take excavation work inside roughly 50 miles of West Columbia, which covers most of the South Carolina Midlands. That reaches Lexington and Richland counties and the towns spread around them. Larger projects can take us farther out, so call and ask about the one you have. Estimates are free anywhere in that range. Call (803) 796-4727 with the address.
More From Dirt Cheap

Explore Our Other Services

Residential Demolition in West Columbia, SC

Residential Demolition

We tear down houses, mobile homes, and double wides across the Midlands. Full size excavators and dozers do the work, and the lot is left graded and clean. Free estimates from our West Columbia shop.

Commercial Demolition in West Columbia, SC

Commercial Demolition

Dirt Cheap tears down commercial buildings across the South Carolina Midlands. Strip malls, churches, warehouses and condemned structures come down with full-size excavators and dozers. We work out of a shop in West Columbia.

Land Clearing in West Columbia, SC

Land Clearing

We clear wooded and overgrown lots across the Midlands, half acre house sites and multi acre tracts alike. Full size excavators and dozers take out the trees, the brush, and the stumps. Our shop is in West Columbia and estimates are free.

Grading & Site Prep in West Columbia, SC

Grading & Site Prep

Grading and site prep out of our West Columbia shop. We cut building pads, level low yards, and reshape wet ground so water runs off. Estimates are free anywhere in the Midlands.

Gravel Driveways in West Columbia, SC

Gravel Driveways

We install gravel driveways across the Midlands, on short residential lots and on quarter mile rural drives. Our crew strips the soft topsoil first, then builds the stone base in packed lifts. We also regrade rutted drives and top them back up with fresh stone.

Concrete Work in West Columbia, SC

Concrete Work

Dirt Cheap pours concrete driveways, patios, walkways, and slabs around West Columbia. Our excavators strip and pack the ground before any concrete goes down. Estimates are free.

Why Choose Dirt Cheap

Why Midlands Property Owners Call Us

Real Demolition Equipment

Full size CASE excavators, dozers and a tri axle Kenworth dump truck. Machines sized for two story houses, commercial buildings and whole lots. A mini excavator crew cannot do this work.

Teardown to Finished Site

One contractor takes the structure down, clears the lot, brings in fill, grades it flat and can finish with gravel, concrete or a septic system. No handoffs between companies, no waiting on a second crew.

Debris Leaves With Us

Hauling off the mess is part of the job, on our own trucks. The site gets cleaned as the teardown happens, so when the machines load up and leave, the lot is done.

West Columbia Is Home

The shop sits on Edmund Highway, so Columbia, Lexington and Cayce are minutes away. Family and woman owned. Call and you talk to our office, not a call center.

Ready to Start Your Project?

Get In Touch With Dirt Cheap

A structure that needs to come down, a lot that needs clearing, a driveway that needs help, a septic system going in? Call or send the form and we will come look at the property and price the job. The estimate is free.

  • (803) 796-4727
  • 4744 Edmund Hwy, West Columbia, SC 29170
  • Free estimates at the property · Family and woman owned

Get a Free Estimate

Tell us about the structure, lot or job and we will get right back to you.