St. Johns County · Northeast Florida
Excavation in St. Johns
Foundation, pond, utility and pad excavation on sites where the water table is close and the soil changes across the lot. Licensed and insured, Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1265492.
- Utilities marked before the bucket moves
- LocatedUtilities marked before the bucket moves
- Backfill placed in lifts, not dumped
- CompactedBackfill placed in lifts, not dumped
- Cut and fill balanced on site where possible
- BalancedCut and fill balanced on site where possible
Excavation for St. Johns property owners
Excavation in St. Johns is something we do often enough to know where the surprises are. We cover the whole of St. Johns: CR-210, the Durbin Creek corridor, and everything in between. Around St. Johns that generally means new subdivision homes, semi-custom builds and outdoor living additions.
Recently converted timber land, flat, with fill pads and engineered drainage on nearly every new plat. Durbin Creek and its wetland fingers cut through the area, setting conservation buffers that shape lot layout. Those two facts explain most of the difference between a St. Johns estimate and one from an hour inland.
What St. Johns homeowners run into
Excavation in St. Johns is small-volume and heavily constrained. Recently converted timber land, flat, with fill pads and engineered drainage on nearly every new plat. That means the lot's grade belongs to a shared stormwater design and cannot lawfully be altered, so a pool or addition excavation has to put the site back exactly as it was found. Utility density is high, easements cross most rear yards, and the access route to the back of the property is frequently a gate. County permitting with wetland buffer and impervious-coverage limits enforced parcel by parcel.
Something else that decides the scope here: some of the newest housing stock in the region, so the demand is additions, pools, lanais and shops rather than renovation. Which means a scope written for somewhere else will be wrong here in ways that only surface once work starts.
The issuing office is St. Johns County Building Services. Knowing which office reviews what — and how long each actually takes — is part of what you're hiring us for.
Put together, that's why we won't quote excavation in St. Johns from a phone call. The variables that decide the number are all on the property.
What excavation in St. Johns covers
- Utility locates and site protection
- Foundation and pad excavation
- Pond, basin and retention excavation
- Utility and septic trenching
- Dewatering
- Backfill and compaction
Signs it's time to call
These are the things owners tell us on the first call. If more than one sounds familiar, it's worth a look.
- The hole fills with water faster than it can be pumped out.
- You want a pond and nobody has told you where the spoil goes.
How we deliver excavation in St. Johns
01
Review plans and walk the site
02
Locates and protection
03
Bulk excavation
04
Dewatering and stabilization
05
Fine grading
06
Backfill and cleanup
What actually drives the cost
We won't quote a number sight unseen. These are the factors that move it, so you can see where your project is likely to land before we ever walk the property.
- What's actually in the ground
- Limestone, hardpan, buried debris and old foundations all slow the machine down. Rock is the expensive surprise, and it is why we would rather see soil information before quoting.
- Access and equipment size
- Machine size is limited by what can physically reach the work. A job that has to be done with a mini excavator instead of a full-size machine takes several times as long.
Working in St. Johns.
We excavate on St. Johns lots — pool and addition excavation, footing work and utility trenching inside communities where the equipment, the access route and the restoration all have to be agreed in advance. New subdivision homes, semi-custom builds and outdoor living additions surround the work.
St. Johns is one stop in a St. Johns County circuit that also takes in Fruit Cove, Switzerland, Julington Creek and Nocatee.
- new subdivision homes
- semi-custom builds
- outdoor living additions
Other work we do in St. Johns
Land Clearing in St. Johns
Clearing, grading, driveways and drainage that get a property ready to build on.
Learn more →Drainage & Stormwater in St. Johns
Grading, swales, culverts and retention that move water away from the structure instead of toward it.
Learn more →Demolition in St. Johns
Full structure, selective interior, and slab and outbuilding removal — a permitting job as much as a machine job.
Learn more →Excavation questions in St. Johns
Can you get equipment into my back yard in St. Johns?
Usually, and the machine size is set by the narrowest point on the route. On St. Johns lots that's typically a side gate or a utility easement, which means a compact machine and more hours. We measure the access before quoting so the price reflects the equipment the job can actually use.
Why won't you quote excavation in St. Johns without seeing the property?
It depends on the site more than on the square footage. Recently converted timber land, flat, with fill pads and engineered drainage on nearly every new plat, and Durbin Creek and its wetland fingers cut through the area, setting conservation buffers that shape lot layout, both of which move the number materially in St. Johns. We quote after a walkthrough, free of charge.
Do I need a permit for excavation in St. Johns?
In most cases yes, and it goes through St. Johns County Building Services. County permitting with wetland buffer and impervious-coverage limits enforced parcel by parcel. We pull the permits and handle the agency coordination as part of the job — you shouldn't be the one working out which office reviews what.
How soon can you start a project in St. Johns?
We can usually get out to a St. Johns property within a week for a walkthrough. Actual start dates depend on permitting through St. Johns County Building Services more than on our calendar — we'll give you a realistic timeline for your jurisdiction rather than an optimistic one.
How far do you go from Keystone Heights — does that include St. Johns?
Yes — St. Johns is well inside the radius we work from Keystone Heights, as are Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Julington Creek. Give us a call at (352) 478-6112 and we'll set up a walkthrough.
How much does excavation cost?
It tracks volume, access and where the material ends up, not acreage. The same size hole can differ several-fold depending on whether the spoil stays on site and whether we're digging below the water table. We price after seeing the plans and the property.
What happens if you hit rock?
We stop and price it before continuing rather than running the clock. Limestone is common enough in parts of Alachua and Union counties that we would rather know from a soil report up front than discover it with a bucket.
Ready to talk about excavation in St. Johns?
Free consultations, straight answers, and one contractor accountable from the first walkthrough to the last punch item.