Frequently Asked Questions

HomeBlue's Allentown estimates put a machine and operator at about $210 to $360 an hour, roughly $1,700 to $2,900 for a full day, with dirt hauled off site at $400 to $600 or more per truckload. Nationally, HomeAdvisor lists most excavation projects between $1,659 and $6,713. Rock, access and haul distance move the number, so we price after a site visit.

Yes. Pennsylvania's one-call law applies to homeowners as well as contractors, and the request has to go in no fewer than 3 and no more than 10 business days before digging. When we do the work, we place the request ourselves and wait for the marks.

It is part of the local picture. The Lehigh Valley sits largely on limestone, state stormwater guidance names it as a sinkhole region, and Allentown has had sinkholes damage buildings, including one on North 10th Street in 2011. Good practice is to keep concentrated water away from the ground near foundations and to compact backfill properly. If we find a void during a dig, we stop and discuss it with you.

Sometimes. The common limestone soil here, the Duffield series, has bedrock anywhere from 4 to 10 feet down, and pinnacles of rock can rise higher than that. Shallow trenches and grading rarely reach it; basements and deep sewer laterals sometimes do. Our quote says how rock would be handled and priced if we meet it.

It depends on the work and where it is. Opening a City of Allentown street or alley needs a Public Works permit applied for at least three work days ahead. Grading, demolition and new foundations usually need borough or township permits, and work on a state route needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit. We tell you at the estimate which apply.

Late spring through fall is easiest. Allentown gets about 33 inches of snow a season and January averages about 30 degrees, so winter digging takes longer and wet clay loam does not compact well. Urgent work like a broken sewer lateral can be done in winter.

Often. Topsoil is stripped and stockpiled for finish grading, and clean subsoil can become backfill or fill for low spots. Clay that is too wet, rock and debris get hauled. The quote shows how much we expect to haul, since hauling is one of the larger costs on most jobs.

A common guideline in residential building codes is a fall of at least 6 inches over the first 10 feet from the foundation where the lot allows it. Tight city lots sometimes cannot fit that, and a swale or drain does the rest. We check what your lot can carry.

HomeGuide puts small yard regrading at $500 to $1,000 and larger grading and leveling at $500 to $5,000; HomeAdvisor lists $400 to $6,500. Imported fill, hauling and tight access raise the price.

Small regrading usually does not, but many Lehigh Valley townships regulate grading that changes drainage onto neighbors or disturbs larger areas. We check with your municipality before the work is scheduled.

Not well. Silty clay loam smears and will not compact when it is saturated. We wait for the ground to dry rather than lock in a soft grade.

HomeBlue's Allentown figures put a new-home basement at about two and a half days of machine time in normal soil. Rock, wet ground or tight access stretch that.

We stop and go over the options: hammering, adjusting the floor elevation, or a mix. Our quote spells out how rock would be priced so you are not guessing.

That is specialty work involving underpinning and engineering. We handle additions and new foundations and will tell you plainly if a job needs a structural engineer first.

We do, after the walls cure and waterproofing and drains are installed. Backfill goes in compacted lifts so walks and patios built later do not settle.

In most Pennsylvania municipalities the property owner is responsible for the lateral from the house to the public main, sometimes including the part under the street. We confirm the rules with the city or authority before digging.

Deep enough to stay below frost. Local water authorities set the minimum, and we dig to what they and your plumber require.

Sometimes. A route around the driveway, or a short bore under it, can be cheaper than removal and replacement. Some laterals can also be lined without digging, which is a plumber's call.

Yes. For City of Allentown streets we apply to Public Works at least three work days ahead and include the restoration deposit and patching in our price.

HomeGuide lists exterior French drains at $10 to $35 per linear foot, so a 100-foot yard drain runs about $1,000 to $3,500. Deep footing drains and interior basement systems cost more.

To daylight downhill, to a permitted storm connection, or to a dry well sized for the flow. On limestone ground we keep discharge away from foundations and avoid spots with signs of sinkholes.

If the water comes from saturated soil outside the wall, an exterior drain plus better grading often helps. Water coming up through the floor usually needs an interior system and sump. We tell you which it looks like.

With filter fabric and a clean outlet, many last decades. Drains without fabric clog with silt sooner, which is why we wrap the stone.

Small residential clearing often does not, but Pennsylvania requires erosion controls for earth disturbance, and larger areas need a plan reviewed by the county conservation district. Some townships also have tree or woodland rules. We check before work starts.

Ground in lawns; pulled under anything built, because buried wood rots and the ground sinks.

HomeGuide lists light clearing at $1,200 to $2,500 per acre, moderate at $2,500 to $4,500 and heavy at $4,500 to $8,000.

Yes. Tell us at the estimate, and we will cut logs to length and stack them where you want instead of hauling them.

Usually, yes. Most Lehigh Valley municipalities require a demolition permit for buildings, and utilities must be disconnected first. We check the rules for your address.

A fill-in breaks out the top of the pool and fills the shell, which costs less but may need to be disclosed when you sell. Full removal hauls out the shell and leaves ground suitable for building.

Clean concrete usually goes to a recycler rather than a landfill, which often lowers disposal cost.

Older siding, roofing and pipe insulation can contain asbestos. It has to be tested and, if present, removed by a licensed abatement contractor before demolition.