Excavation Contractors in Minneapolis, MN

Excavation contractors in Minneapolis work in a city of 429,954 people (2020) on about 54 square miles of land, divided into 83 neighborhoods. The terrain is relatively flat, bottoming out at 687 feet where Minnehaha Creek meets the Mississippi. The city sits above an artesian aquifer, and its 13 lakes formed in basins left when buried glacial ice melted about 10,000 years ago.

Old housing, old lines

According to the census figures cited for the city, 43.7 percent of housing units were built in 1939 or earlier. On those lots we replace clay and cast-iron laterals, dig out failing garage slabs, and add footings for additions next to century-old block and stone foundations.

Alleys and boulevards

Most city blocks have alleys, which is where garages sit and where we stage equipment. Boulevard trees between the sidewalk and street are protected; we keep trucks off their roots and coordinate any street work with city permits.

Lake and creek neighborhoods

Homes near the Chain of Lakes, Lake Nokomis, Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek can have high groundwater and organic soils. Deep digs there may need dewatering, and soft soils under footings need to be removed and replaced.

Mississippi riverfront

The river runs 12 miles through the city. Riverfront lots fall under shoreland and floodplain rules that affect grading and fill.

Winter in the city

With a January mean low of 8.8 degrees, winter digs in Minneapolis mean frost breaking, heated blankets on footing bottoms and no frozen backfill. We still dig year-round for broken sewer and water lines.

Sandy and loamy pockets

Soils under the city vary from outwash sand, like the Hubbard series, to loamy glacial till. We check what is under your lot on the first dig and adjust trench walls and backfill to match.

What we do most in Minneapolis

• Detached garage teardowns and new slabs
• Sewer lateral and water service replacement
• Basement digs for additions
• Regrading and French drains
• Dirt hauling from tight lots

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or call (612) 688-4077.