Our Services

Excavation

Serving Bethesda, Rockville and nearby Montgomery County, MD.

What we do

  • Excavation for patios, walls, footings and driveways
  • Trenching for drainage, utilities and irrigation
  • Bulk digging for pools, ponds and larger site changes

Planning and pricing

When you are pricing excavation the first thing to evaluate is the site itself, and then how the machine is going to reach it, because both of those have a big impact on where the number lands. A little trenching is one job and a pool or foundation dig is quite another, so the ranges below are a starting point and not a quote.

Excavator bucket carrying soil on a work site

The man made portions of a landscape, the retaining walls, the pathways, the patios and the driveways, are a lot of what gives a property its shape, and almost all of them start with the same thing, getting the ground underneath them ready. That first part is the work we handle. Before any of those features can go in, the earth has to be dug out, leveled and prepared, and getting that step right is a good deal of what decides whether the finished project holds up or gives you trouble down the road.

Doing this kind of work is a great deal simpler for a professional to handle, because these projects all require a good plan along with a lot of heavy material and the correct equipment for the job. Having someone like Nature’s Friends take a look and advise you on what the ground is going to need would be helpful, we know how to work around your current plantings and features without doing them any damage.

Getting the Ground Ready

There are many projects you might want to accomplish, a new pathway, a raised bed, a patio, or a retaining wall to hold back a slope, and every one of them needs a level, stable base to sit on. We clear the area, shape the land and prepare the foundation so that whatever goes on top of it has something solid underneath. On a retaining wall in particular the base is just about everything, prepare it properly and the wall stands straight for years to come.

Don’t Forget the Drainage

Remember to make sure the drainage issues are addressed as you undertake a project, because as the saying goes no plant can survive in a puddle, and no foundation does well sitting in one either. A good deal of our digging is for exactly this, the drainage lines and the grading that carry water off and away from the house and away from the parts of the landscape you care about. Adding back a good soil mixture to the areas which were disturbed will also help whatever you plant afterward get off to a healthier start.

Why Have Us Do It

We have the experience and the equipment to perform this kind of work safely and accurately, on projects of every size. Excavation is one of those things where the care you put in up front is what makes everything last, so we take a good look at the soil, the slope and the way the water runs before we ever start moving dirt around. From the first time we walk your property through to the final pass of grading, you can count on us to do what we said we would and leave you with work that holds.

Contact us today to talk about your excavation needs, or to have us come out and take a look at your property.

Before the ground is opened

A short trench and a larger site excavation do not necessarily follow the same approval path. Montgomery County’s permit overview flags larger land disturbance; its single-family sediment-control process specifically addresses new homes and additions. Rockville handles sediment control separately. Confirm the rules for the actual project and arrange a Miss Utility locate before digging. See grading work when the ground also needs reshaping.

Ready to get started?

Contact us for a free estimate on your project.

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The work that happens before the pretty part

The man made portions of a landscape, the retaining walls, the patios and the driveways, almost all of them start with the same thing, getting the ground underneath ready. That first part is the work we handle, and getting it right is a good deal of what decides whether the finished project holds up or gives you trouble down the road.

What we handle

  • Excavation for patios, walls, footings and driveways
  • Trenching for drainage, utilities and irrigation
  • Bulk digging for pools, ponds and larger site changes
  • Spoil haul-off and clean, correctly compacted backfill
  • Careful access on tight Bethesda and Chevy Chase lots without tearing up the rest of the yard

Access and soil — the two things that move the price

Different lots have different properties, and these will have a big impact on how a dig responds to the equipment. A wide open backyard runs quickly while a narrow side yard the machine barely fits into does not, and our Maryland clay is heavy and slow to move on top of that, so we would rather point both of those things out honestly when we walk it than surprise you on the invoice.

2026 Pricing Guide

Excavation — What It Costs

2026 ranges for our area. Excavation is priced by scope and access as much as by the hour, so these are a starting point, not a quote.

Service Level Typical 2026 Range
Small site prep & trenching $1,500 – $5,000
Machine + operator (hourly) $175 – $325 / hr
Large excavation (pool / foundation) $8,000 – $40,000

Rock, high water tables or difficult access can push a job above these ranges — we will tell you before we start.

Ranges are informational 2026 estimates for professionally installed work in the Bethesda & Montgomery County area. Every project is different — contact us for a free, itemized quote.

Good to Know

Excavation — FAQ

It depends on the property and what the excavation is for. Montgomery County lists larger land-disturbance work among projects that may need approval, while work inside Rockville follows the city's own sediment-control process. Before digging, the project also needs a Miss Utility check. Ask which approvals apply to your particular plan rather than assuming every trench follows the same rules.

Access to the dig is easier on some lots than others, and the trick on the tight ones is keeping the footprint small, so we lay mats over the lawn and think through where the machine travels. There is usually a bit of disturbance right around the work that can't be helped, and squaring that back away is part of the job as far as we are concerned.

Most of the time it gets hauled off, and that haul-off is already worked into the price we give you. Should the material happen to be good and you want some of it kept on site for regrading or fill, that is no trouble at all, just let us know and we will set it aside.

When we can see the whole of the work in front of us we will quote a flat number for it. But you can't always know what is under the surface until you are into it, so for the variable jobs pricing it by the hour is honestly the fairer way to go, rather than padding a flat bid to cover a worst case that may never come.

Where We Work

Serving Montgomery County

Proudly serving homeowners and businesses across the greater Montgomery County area.

Don’t see your area? Contact us — we may still serve your neighborhood.