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Excavation, Foundation Digging and Site Clearing

Trees and brush cleared, the hole dug to the plan, footings ready for the concrete crew, and the lot backfilled and graded so water runs away from the house.

Every building project starts in the dirt. A foundation dug to the wrong depth, a lot cleared without a plan for the stumps, or backfill pushed in wet and uncompacted shows up years later as a settled garage slab or a wet basement. We clear, dig, backfill and grade for new homes, additions, garages, pole barns and driveways, and we call Gopher State One Call before every dig.

Each page below is one kind of site job. Most are quoted after a site visit, because soil, access, trees and how far the dirt has to go decide the price. Send the address, a few photos and any plans you have.

Excavation jobs we do (35)

New home under construction with exterior walls up and the lot ready for grading

Backfill and Final Grade Around a New House

The foundation is in and inspected, and the dirt needs to go back around the walls and the lot shaped so the basement stays dry and the lawn can go in.

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JMB Builders installer at a sunroom window with a backyard, lawn and block retaining wall outside

Bury Sump Pump Discharge Line — Freeze-Safe Run to a Pop-Up

The sump line ends at the foundation or in a hose across the lawn, the water comes right back to the pit, and every winter it freezes and ices the sidewalk.

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Crew in safety vests working a large concrete slab on a construction site

Concrete Patio and Sidewalk Removal — Broken Out and Hauled Away

An old patio, walk or set of steps is cracked, heaved or in the way, and it has to come out before anything new can go in.

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JMB Builders installer at a sunroom window with a backyard, lawn and block retaining wall outside

Dig a Drainage Swale in Backyard — Swales and Berms to Move Water

Every heavy rain sends a sheet of water across the yard toward the house or the garage, and you want it steered somewhere it can go.

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New-construction house wall with sheathing and flashing tape on a JMB Builders job site

Dig a Small Pond on My Property — Approvals, Digging and Spoils

You have room on the lot or the acreage for a pond, and want to know what it takes and who has to sign off before a machine shows up.

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Residential construction site with soil dug out along a foundation

Dig Around Foundation for Waterproofing and Drain Tile

Water is coming through a basement wall or at the floor joint, and you want it fixed from the outside where the water starts.

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Residential construction site with the ground prepared for footings

Dig Footings for a Deck or Porch — Augered or Dug Below Frost

You have a deck, porch or sunroom plan with footing locations marked, and you need the holes dug deep enough and clean enough to pass the footing inspection.

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Contractor crew working on a building site in Minnesota

Driveway Culvert Installation — Permit, Pipe, Cover and Aprons

You need a new driveway entrance across the road ditch, or the old culvert is crushed, rusted through or plugged and water is washing out the driveway.

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Backyard with lawn, block retaining wall and landscaping outside a Minnesota home

Dry Well Installation in Yard — Minnesota Sand vs Clay

Water collects in your yard every spring and after every storm, and there is no lower ground, ditch or street to send it to.

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JMB Builders crew working on the exterior of a building project

Excavation Contractor Near Me — Residential Digging and Backfill

You have a house, addition, garage or deck to build and need the hole dug to the plan, the dirt dealt with, and the lot put back so water runs away from the building.

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Framing going up on a residential construction project

Excavation for a Home Addition With a Basement

You are adding a room with a basement or crawl space onto the back or side of the house, and the dig has to happen right next to a foundation you want left alone.

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Contractor crew working on a building site in Minnesota

Fill Dirt and Topsoil Delivered and Spread — Compacted and Raked

You have a low area to fill, a yard to top off before new grass, or a pile of black dirt on the driveway, and you want it spread right the first time.

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New home under construction with framing and exterior walls going up

Foundation Digging for a New House — Staked, Dug to Plan, Backfilled

You have a lot, a survey and house plans, and you need the basement or crawl space hole dug to the right elevation so the footings and walls can go in.

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JMB Builders installer at a sunroom window with a backyard, lawn and block retaining wall outside

French Drain Installation in Yard — Pipe, Stone, Fabric, Outlet

Part of the yard stays soggy for days after every rain, the mower sinks in, and the water has nowhere to go because the ground is flat or runs the wrong way.

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Bare graded ground beside a new building on a Minnesota lot, where a water line trench would run

Frost Free Hydrant Water Line to Barn — Trenching Below Frost

You are hauling buckets or hoses to the barn every winter morning and want a hydrant that gives water at twenty below and does not freeze.

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Residential construction site with the ground prepared for building

Garage Foundation Excavation — Frost Footing or Frost-Protected Slab

You are building a detached or attached garage and need the footings dug and the slab base built so the floor stays flat through Minnesota winters.

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Contractor crew working on a building site in Minnesota

Gravel Driveway Grading and Pothole Repair — Re-Crowned, New Class 5

Your gravel driveway is full of potholes and washboard, the gravel has migrated into the grass, and water sits in the ruts instead of running off.

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Bare dirt and graded ground around a new home on a Minnesota lot

Haul Away Dirt Pile From Yard — Loaded and Hauled Off

A project is done and a pile of dirt is still sitting in the yard, killing the grass, and nobody came back for it.

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Bare graded ground around a new build on a Minnesota lot, the stage an arena base starts from

Horse Arena Base Excavation — Stripped, Crowned, Rock Base

You want an outdoor riding arena or round pen that dries out after a rain and stays level, instead of a muddy corner of the pasture.

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New construction house on a Minnesota lot with the ground being prepared around it

Land Grading for Acreage — Rural Lots, Field Edges and Driveway Routes

You have land outside town and need a flat, dry spot to build, a yard carved out of the field, or a route for the driveway before anything else happens.

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Contractor crew and equipment working on an outdoor job site

Lot Clearing and Brush Removal — Overgrown Lots and Buckthorn

The back of the lot has grown into a wall of buckthorn and saplings, or the fence line has disappeared into brush, and you want it opened back up.

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JMB Builders crew working on the exterior of a building project

Mini Excavator for Hire With Operator — Small Digs in Tight Yards

You have a digging job too big for a shovel, in a yard too tight for big equipment, and you want someone who runs the machine every day to do it.

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Contractor equipment and crew working on an outdoor site

New Gravel Driveway Excavation and Base — Stripped, Fabric, Class 5

You need a new driveway to a house, a pole barn or the back of the lot, and you want gravel that holds up to trucks and does not turn into ruts every spring.

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JMB Builders installer at a sunroom window with a backyard, lawn and block retaining wall outside

Remove Above Ground Pool and Fill In — Pool Out, Yard Back

The pool has not been opened in years, the liner is shot, and you want it gone and a flat lawn back where it stood.

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JMB Builders installer at a sunroom window with a backyard, lawn and block retaining wall outside

Rock and Boulder Removal From Yard — Dug Out, Reused or Hauled

A boulder sits where you want a shed or a garden, rock keeps coming up under the lawn, or the old landscape rock beds are more weeds than rock.

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New-construction house wall with sheathing and flashing tape on a JMB Builders job site

Silt Fence Installation for Construction — Erosion Control Set Up

The city will not start inspections until erosion control is in, and the permit or the watershed district lists silt fence, a rock entrance and inlet protection.

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New home under construction on a cleared lot with the framing going up

Site Clearing for New Construction — Trees, Stumps and Topsoil

You have a lot and a house plan. Before the foundation can be dug, the trees, stumps and topsoil inside the building area have to come out and trucks need a way in.

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Wood framing going up on a new building on a prepared site

Site Prep for a Pole Barn Pad — Cleared, Built Up and Compacted

The pole barn is ordered or planned, and the spot for it is sloped, soft, wooded or low. It needs a level, solid pad before the posts go in.

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Contractor crew working on a building site in Minnesota

Skid Steer Service Near Me — Hourly Work Moving Dirt, Rock and Gravel

You have a pile of dirt, rock or gravel in the wrong place and a list of small jobs that need a machine for a few hours, not a full excavation quote.

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Contractor crew at work outside a Minnesota home

Stump Removal and Yard Grading — Stumps Out, Yard Leveled

The trees are down, but the stumps are still there, the yard is lumpy, and you want a smooth lawn you can mow.

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Wood framing of a small building on a job site

Tear Down an Old Shed or Garage and Haul Away

The old shed or detached garage is rotted, leaning or in the way of something new, and you want it gone and the ground left clean.

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Contractor crew at work outside a Minnesota home

Trenching for a Water Line or Electric to a Garage

You want power, water or gas out to a detached garage, a shop or a pole barn, and the line has to go underground across the yard.

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Wooded Minnesota acreage with lawn, trees and a block wall seen from the house

Walking or ATV Trail Clearing on Wooded Acreage

You have wooded acres and want a way through them: a walking loop, an ATV trail to the back forty, a lane to a deer stand or a clearing for a food plot.

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Backyard lawn with a block retaining wall and landscaping seen from a Minnesota home

Yard Catch Basin Drain Installation — Grate at the Low Spot

Water sits on top of the lawn in one spot after every rain: a puddle by the patio, in a corner of the yard or where two slopes meet.

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Contractor crew working on a building site in Minnesota

Yard Grading and Leveling — Low Spots Filled, Sloped Away From House

Your lawn is lumpy, holds puddles after every rain, or tips back toward the house, and you want it reshaped once before you put down new grass.

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Where we work

Excavation near you

Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first:

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