Basement & Footing Digs in Minneapolis, MN

Basement and footing digs are the foundation work every Minnesota building starts with. Almost every house in the Twin Cities has a basement, partly because footings have to go deep anyway: below the frost depth set by the Minnesota building code. We dig full basements for new homes, footing trenches for additions, three-season porches and garages, and the over-dig room that waterproofing and drain tile crews need.

Sand versus till

On the outwash sand of the northern suburbs, digging is easy but walls slump. The USDA describes Hubbard soils as 85 to 95 percent sand, excessively drained, and saturated 1 to 2 meters down during spring in normal years. A basement in that ground needs sloped sides and may need dewatering in April or May. On the loamy till of the southern and western suburbs, soils like Lester hold a steeper cut but carry 24 to 35 percent clay and drain slowly, so drain tile and free-draining backfill matter more.

Boulders

Glacial till carries boulders. Most are moved with the bucket. Big ones may need to be broken or hauled separately, and HomeBlue notes that boulders and hardpan can raise excavation costs significantly. Our quote says how boulders are handled.

Additions to older homes

With 43.7 percent of Minneapolis housing built before 1940, many additions tie into old block, stone or clay-tile foundations. We dig beside them in short sections so the old footing is never left undermined, and coordinate with your builder on how the new foundation meets the old.

Cost

HomeBlue's Minneapolis figures put a new-home basement dig at about $4,300 to $7,600 and a no-basement foundation at $2,600 to $4,500, with soil kept on site. Hauling extra spoil adds $400 to $600 or more per truckload.

Winter foundations

Footings can be dug in winter, but frost must be removed, the bottom must be protected from freezing, and backfill cannot go in frozen. Expect higher cost and talk with your builder about timing.

Peat and soft spots

Near wetlands and old lake basins, footings sometimes land on peat or soft organic soil. It cannot carry a foundation. We dig it out to firm ground and replace it with compacted granular fill, or call in your engineer for a design.