Excavation Contractor in Brainerd, MN
If it needs a hole, a trench, or a few hundred yards of dirt moved, this is the page. Brainerd Lakes Dirt Works is the excavation contractor Brainerd lot owners call for foundations, basements, ponds, and utility trenches — priced by the cubic yard and written down before we start.
Excavation is the pillar of dirt work up here. The pad, the driveway, and the yard all start with the dig. Get the digging right — right depth, right lines, spoil handled the way you want — and everything built on top of it goes easier.
We run our own machines and our own crew. That means the schedule we give you is ours to keep, and the person who walks your lot for the estimate is the person who runs the job.
Most of our digging is one of four jobs: a foundation or basement, a pond, a trench for utilities or drainage, or general cut-and-fill to change the shape of a lot. Each one prices the same way — by the yard — and each one gets the same in-person look first.
Below is how the work runs and what it costs. When you're ready, the estimate is free and it's in writing.
What the Job Involves
Excavation is measured in cubic yards — a yard is 27 cubic feet, about a big scoop and a half. A basement dig runs around 200 yards. A foundation for an addition might run 40 to 80. We figure the yards off the dig's length, width, and depth, and the number goes in your written estimate.
Spoil — the dirt that comes out — gets handled the way you want. Spread and rough-graded on your lot, it costs nothing extra. Hauled off, it runs $300–$600 a load. Most lake-lot owners keep good fill on site; it almost always finds a use.
We dig septic systems — see our septic pumping, repair and installation services. The hole, the trench, and the backfill are dirt work, and they're ours; the system work itself runs through the septic side.
How the Job Runs
First the look: we walk the lot, find the lines and the depths, and talk through where the spoil goes. Then the written estimate — yards, price, and the order of work. On the day, we dig to the lines we marked, check depths as we go, and keep the site passable. When the hole's right, we say so, and whoever follows us — your concrete crew, your builder — walks into a clean dig.
Digging for a build usually pairs with the work around it. The foundation and basement excavation page covers footing depth and frost, and most build lots also need site prep and building pads once the hole is dug.
What It Costs
Homeowner excavation runs $50–$150 per cubic yard, with a $1,500 floor for small jobs. A 30-yard job — a small foundation, a short trench run — lands at $1,500–$4,500. A 200-yard basement dig lands at $10,000–$30,000, right on the published range for basement excavation. Haul-off, when dirt leaves the property, adds $300–$600 per load.
The full breakdown — including why the online guides quote numbers ten times lower — is on the page about what excavation costs.
How do you figure cubic yards?
Length × width × depth, in feet, divided by 27. A 20×30 ft basement dug 8 ft deep is about 178 yards before we figure the sloped sides. Your written estimate shows the math.
Can you dig in winter?
We can, but frozen ground digs slow and prices higher, and spring road restrictions limit heavy loads during thaw. Most folks book the dig for spring through fall — we'll tell you honest if your timing costs you money.
Do you hit utilities I don't know about?
We call for locates before we dig, every time. Private lines — your own well line, a buried cable to the shop — are on you to point out; tell us what you know and we dig careful around it.
How far ahead should I call?
For a build, as soon as you have the plan. Digs sit at the front of every build schedule, and dirt season fills up. For a small job, call anyway — small digs fit into gaps.
Need a hole dug right? Call (612) 260-8779 or send the form — we'll walk the lot and write the price down.