Outdoor Service · Free Video Estimate

Excavation — Dirt Work Sized for Homeowners

The jobs too big for a shovel and too small for a site-work company: grading that sheds water away from the house, trenches for downspouts and conduit, and the dig-and-prep behind outdoor projects. Quoted per project from a free video estimate.

Book a $75 Service CallFree Video Estimateor call (440) 485-4021
What It Is

The Gap Between a Shovel and a Site-Work Company

Every homeowner eventually meets a project that's fundamentally a dirt problem: a yard that slopes toward the foundation, a downspout that dumps against the wall, a patio or shed pad that needs proper base, a stump-and-root mess where a bed should be. Commercial excavators won't mobilize for it; landscapers often can't dig it right.

Chagrin Valley Handyman covers exactly that gap. As your licensed general contractor we handle residential-scale excavation — grading, trenching, drainage runs, and project prep — with the same one-call model as the rest of the house. The Chagrin Valley's clay soil and spring water table punish guesswork, and 120 years of combined local experience is the difference between moving dirt and solving the problem.

Excavation prices per project, not per hour. Walk your phone camera across the yard in a free video estimate and we'll scope it, flag anything that needs a utility locate, and quote a number you approve before a machine shows up.

Best For

Dirt Work We Take On

📐
Grading & Regrading
Soil built up and sloped away from the foundation, low spots filled, and swales cut so water finally travels where it should.
🌊
Drainage Runs
Buried downspout extensions, French drains, and catch basins — trenched to fall, bedded in gravel, and finished flush with the lawn.
🏗️
Pads & Base Prep
Excavation and compacted base for sheds, patios, walkways, and hot tubs — the part of the project that decides whether it heaves in February.
🌳
Stump & Root Removal
Stumps ground or dug out, root mats cleared, and the hole backfilled and graded so the yard reads as lawn, not aftermath.
⚡
Utility Trenching
Trenches for low-voltage lighting, conduit, and water lines to outbuildings — dug to depth after utility locates, closed clean. As a licensed general contractor we handle the electrical or plumbing connection, bringing in a licensed electrician or plumber where the job calls for it.
🧹
Post-Project Restoration
Ruts, spoil piles, and torn-up staging areas regraded, topsoiled, and seeded after any big project — ours or someone else's.
Pricing

Per-Project Pricing, Scoped on Video

Video Estimate
Free
walk the yard on camera
Excavation Work
Per Project
flat quote, approved first
Small Dirt Jobs
$75
service call, then hourly

Machine work is quoted flat per project — mobilization, dig, haul-off or regrade, and restoration included in the number you approve. Shovel-scale jobs can run as ordinary $75 service calls. Utility locates are called in before any trench is cut.

What's Included

Every Job Includes

✓
Free Video Estimate First
Yard work scopes well on camera. Show us the slope, the wet spot, or the project site and we quote before anyone mobilizes.
✓
$1M Insurance Coverage
Machines near your house, your septic, and your gas line — with $1M in insurance behind every job.
✓
Utility Locates Called In
No trench gets cut before the locate. It's non-negotiable, and we schedule it as part of the job.
✓
Local Soil Judgment
Chagrin Valley clay drains slowly and heaves hard. Our contractors grade and bed for the soil that's actually here, not the soil in a manual.
✓
Whole-Job Connections
Trenching is ours; the electrical or plumbing hookup at the end of the trench is handled by us as a licensed general contractor, bringing in a licensed electrician or plumber where the job calls for it, at the stated trade rate.
✓
Finished, Not Just Filled
Backfill compacted in lifts, surface regraded, topsoil and seed down. The job ends with a yard, not a scar.
FAQ

Excavation Questions

Q
How is excavation priced?
Per project, from a free video estimate. The flat quote covers mobilization, the dig, backfill or haul-off, and surface restoration — approved by you before a machine arrives. Small shovel-scale jobs can run as $75 service calls instead.
Q
Can you fix water pooling against my foundation?
That's the most common call we get. The fix is usually a combination of regrading and a buried downspout or French drain run — scoped on video, quoted flat, and finished with seed.
Q
Do you call in utility locates?
Always, before any trenching or digging. The locate is scheduled as part of the job — never skipped to save a few days.
Q
Can you trench for power or water to a shed or barn?
Yes — we dig and close the trench, and as a licensed general contractor we handle the electrical or plumbing connection, bringing in a licensed electrician or plumber where the job calls for it. One booking covers both parts.
Q
How big a job is too big?
Full-basement digs, septic system installation, and commercial site work are beyond residential scope — we'll tell you straight and point you to the right outfit. Everything homeowner-scale is fair game.
Related Services

One Call for the Whole House

Home Repairs
The water damage that outside grading problems cause inside — repaired at the source and the symptom.
Handyman Services
Outdoor punch lists — gates, deck boards, railing fixes — on the same $75 service call model.
Plumbing
Your licensed general contractor for the water-line side of any trenching project.
Service Areas

Excavation Near You

Excavation in Gates Mills
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Excavation in Hunting Valley
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Excavation in Chagrin Falls
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Excavation in Moreland Hills
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Excavation in Bentleyville
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Excavation in Russell Township
Geauga County, Ohio
Excavation in South Russell Township
Geauga County, Ohio
Excavation in Chester Township
Geauga County, Ohio

Your Yard Problem Is a Video Away From a Quote

Walk your phone around the project in a free video estimate and get a flat per-project number — or book a $75 service call for shovel-scale work. Serving the Chagrin Valley: Gates Mills, Hunting Valley, Russell Township, South Russell, Chagrin Falls, Moreland Hills, Bentleyville, Chester Township.

Book a $75 Service CallFree Video Estimateor call (440) 485-4021