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.
JMB Builders is a residential excavation contractor serving the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. We dig for new home foundations, additions with basements, garages, deck and porch footings and foundation drain tile, then backfill and grade the lot. Every dig starts with a Gopher State One Call locate. Priced per project after a site visit, because soil, access and where the dirt goes set the number.
- Priced per project after a site visit
- Gopher State One Call (811) before every dig
- Spoils hauled off or spread on site
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most residential projects need a few days of dirt work before anything else can happen: a foundation hole, footings, a trench for drain tile, then backfill and a final grade. Done badly, it shows up later as a settled slab, a wet basement or a yard that drains toward the house.
We handle the digging on new homes, additions, garages, decks and porches, plus foundation dig-outs for waterproofing. The work is done with a skid steer, mini excavator or excavator depending on the job, and by hand where a machine cannot reach or should not go.
Before we give a firm number we walk the site. Access, soil, groundwater, trees and whether the dirt stays on the lot or leaves by truck decide most of the price, and none of that shows up well in a photo.
What you supply
- The address, a few photos of the area and how a machine would get in
- Plans, a survey or a site plan if the project has them
- The building permit where the city requires one, or the name of the builder who holds it
- Marked private lines you know about: septic, well, irrigation, invisible fence, power to a shed
What JMB supplies
- A site visit and a written per-project quote
- Gopher State One Call locate before digging, and hand-digging near marked lines
- Machine digging with a skid steer, mini excavator or excavator sized to the access
- Excavation to the plan elevations, with room to work around forms and walls
- Spoils hauled off, stockpiled for backfill or spread and graded on the lot, as quoted
- Backfill in compacted lifts and a final grade that slopes away from the building
- Ground protection or cleanup of the access path, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Size and depth of the dig and how much material comes out
- Access: gate width, slopes, overhead wires, trees and how close the neighbors are
- Whether spoils are hauled off by truck or spread and graded on the lot
- Soil: sand digs fast, heavy clay and buried rock or debris slow things down
- Groundwater that needs pumping to keep the hole dry
- Imported fill, gravel or topsoil needed for backfill and grade
- Lawn, driveway or landscaping that has to be protected or repaired after
Send the address, photos of the area and the access, and any plans or survey. We set up the site visit and write a firm quote after it.
How long it takes
Small footing and trench jobs: often a single day. A full foundation dig or backfill and grade: a few days on site, set by soil, weather and inspections.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Foundation and basement digs
New houses, additions with a basement or crawl space, and garages. Dug to the plan elevations with room to set forms, then backfilled after the walls are waterproofed and inspected.
Footings for decks, porches and small additions
Augered or dug footing holes below frost depth at the locations on the plan, left clean and ready for the footing inspection.
Foundation dig-outs for drain tile and waterproofing
Digging along an existing foundation so the wall can be cleaned, sealed and fitted with drain tile, then backfilled with drainage stone and soil.
Backfill and final grade
Backfill placed and compacted in lifts, the grade sloped away from the house, and topsoil spread ready for seed or sod.
Excavation Contractor Near Me — Residential Digging and Backfill: questions, answered
Do you do small excavation jobs or only new houses?
Both. We dig for new homes and additions, and also for garages, deck and porch footings, drain tile along an existing foundation, and backfill and grading. Small jobs are still quoted after a quick look at the site so the access and the dirt are accounted for.
Why do you need a site visit before quoting excavation?
Excavation price depends on things photos do not show well: soil type, how wet the ground is, the slope, where a machine can get in and where the dirt can go. A short site visit lets us write one firm number instead of a range with allowances. Send photos and plans first so the visit is quick.
What happens to the dirt from my excavation?
It is either hauled off by truck or kept on the lot. Good soil is often stockpiled for backfill and final grade, and extra can be spread to raise low spots if the lot has room for it. Hauling off costs more than spreading, so the quote spells out which one you are getting.
Do I need to call 811 before an excavator comes?
We make the Gopher State One Call locate request before every dig and wait for the utilities to mark their lines. Those marks do not cover private lines, so tell us about septic, well lines, irrigation, invisible fence or power run to a shed or garage. Near any marked line the digging is done by hand.
Can you get a machine into a backyard with a narrow gate?
Often, yes. A mini excavator or compact skid steer fits through many gates or a removed fence panel, and plywood or mats spread the weight over the lawn. When a machine cannot reach, footings and short trenches are dug by hand, which is slower and priced that way.
Do you backfill and grade after the foundation is poured?
Yes. Once the walls are waterproofed, the drain tile is in and the inspection is done, we backfill in compacted lifts and set the final grade so it slopes away from the house. Topsoil can be spread and left ready for seed or sod.
Is there an excavating contractor in Princeton MN who takes small jobs?
Yes. We are in Zimmerman, next door to Princeton, and small jobs are welcome: a few footings, a trench, a stump, a load of fill spread. We work Princeton and Mille Lacs County, Sherburne and Isanti County, and down into the Twin Cities metro. Send photos and the address to start.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
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.
Read moreBackfill 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.
Read moreDig 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.
Read moreLawn Repair After Construction — Regrade, Topsoil and Seed
The addition is done, the septic is in, the windows are new — and the yard is ruts, clay and a pile where the lawn used to be. We put the grade back and grow a lawn on it.
Read moreYard Drainage Solutions — Grading and Buried Downspout Extensions
Water in the window well, a wet corner of the basement every spring, a side yard that is mud until June — most of it is fixed outside with a shovel, some pipe and the right grade.
Read moreBury 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.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
Where we work
Excavation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: