Kenmore · King County
Excavation Contractor in Kenmore, WA
Foundation digs, footings, utility trenches and building pads in Kenmore, dug to spec by an owner-operated crew with its own excavators and dump trucks. Serving Downtown Kenmore, Inglewood, Moorlands and Arrowhead and the rest of Kenmore.
What the ground is like for excavation in Kenmore
A narrow flat strip along the lake and river, with steep wooded slopes rising north and east into neighborhoods like Inglewood and Moorlands. That shapes every excavation job here: where the machine can sit, how trucks get in and out, and where the spoil goes before it is hauled away.
Glacial till and outwash on the slopes, with soft, wet lake and river deposits along the shoreline. On a Kenmore foundation that decides how deep we go to reach bearing soil, whether unsuitable material has to be over-excavated and replaced with compacted structural fill, and how we keep water out of the hole while forms go in.
Lake Washington shoreline, the Sammamish River, Swamp Creek and Little Swamp Creek carry shoreline and stream buffers. Many slopes are mapped critical areas. If your footprint, trench or driveway lands near any of that, the excavation plan has to respect the buffer, and erosion control goes in before the first bucket.
Common excavation projects in Kenmore
New home and ADU foundations
Footprints for new houses, ADUs and garages on infill and teardown lots around Downtown Kenmore and Inglewood, dug to the elevations on your plans and ready for forms.
Hillside cuts and daylight basements
Excavation on sloped Kenmore lots, with spoil hauled off as it is dug instead of stockpiled on the slope, and temporary erosion control in place first.
Over-excavation and structural fill
Where Kenmore ground is soft, we dig out the unsuitable material and place compacted structural fill in lifts so the footing bears on something solid.
Utility and water line trenches
Trenches for water, power, sewer and gas service from the street to the house or shop, backfilled and compacted, anywhere from Moorlands to the edge of Kenmore.
What our excavation work in Kenmore covers
- Foundation Excavation
- Utility Trenching
- Construction Access Roads
- Building & Equipment Pads
- Rough & Finish Grading
- Spoil Haul-Off
Permits & Rules
Excavation permits and utility locates in Kenmore
Inside city limits, the City of Kenmore handles building and grading permits. Properties outside city limits fall under the King County Department of Local Services. Foundation excavation is usually covered by the building permit, while grading or fill over set volumes, or any work in a critical area, can need its own approval.
Before any digging, Washington law requires a utility locate through 811 at least two business days ahead. We place that call on every job, and we pothole near marked lines instead of trusting paint alone.
Cost & Timing
What affects the cost of excavation in Kenmore
We do not publish flat prices because no two Kenmore sites are the same. These are the things that move the number most here.
Slope and access
Steep Kenmore lots take smaller machines, more careful staging and sometimes engineering, which adds time compared with flat, open ground.
Soft ground
Where Kenmore soils are soft or wet, over-excavation, fabric and imported rock are often part of the job, and we price that in up front.
Buffers and permits
Work near Kenmore's rivers, creeks, lakes or shoreline can need permits and limits on where machines go. That affects scope and schedule more than price.
Haul-off and disposal
How much material leaves the site, and what it is, drives cost. Our own trucks keep that predictable on Kenmore jobs.
When to schedule excavation in Kenmore
Excavation in Kenmore goes best in the drier months, when soil compacts properly and trenches stay open. Wet-season work is doable with erosion control and the right material, and we plan for it in the quote.
Kenmore's till soils hold water through the winter, which is when drainage problems show up. That is a good time to see where water goes, and the dry season is the time to fix it.
Where We Work
Excavation across Kenmore
Kenmore sits at the north end of Lake Washington where the Sammamish River enters it. Much of the city is steep, wooded hillside above the lake and the Burke-Gilman Trail.
We dig foundations, ADU and garage footprints, septic and utility trenches, and building pads across Downtown Kenmore, Inglewood, Moorlands, Arrowhead, Uplands and Northshore Summit. Mostly 1950s to 80s homes on sloped, wooded lots, with newer infill and redevelopment near downtown.
Our trucks run in and out on SR 522 (Bothell Way), Juanita Dr NE and 68th Ave NE, so spoil haul-off and fill delivery happen on our schedule instead of a subcontractor's.
We also do excavation nearby in Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Brier and Mountlake Terrace. See everything we do in Kenmore, read our full guide to excavation, or browse all service areas.
Why DirtRaptor
Why Kenmore owners call us for excavation
Owner on the machine
On Kenmore jobs you talk to the person who walks the site, writes the quote and runs the equipment.
Trees and dirt, one crew
If trees are in the way of your Kenmore project, we take them down ourselves instead of waiting on a separate tree service.
Our own trucks
Haul-off and deliveries run on our schedule along SR 522 (Bothell Way) and Juanita Dr NE, not a subcontractor's.
Built for slopes
We plan machine placement, drainage and erosion control for Kenmore's sloped ground before we start.
How an excavation job runs
- 01
Site Walk & Utility Locates
- 02
Layout, Staking & Access
- 03
Excavation & Spoil Management
- 04
Backfill, Compaction & Inspection
Real Jobs
Recent DirtRaptor work near Kenmore
Demolition · Edmonds, WA
Driveway Removal & Concrete Prep
Tearing out an old blacktop driveway and prepping the ground for a new concrete pour — broken material hauled off, base left clean and ready.
Demolition · Everett, WA
Condemned 100-Year-Old Shed Teardown
A 100-year-old shed, condemned and unsafe, brought down and hauled off — the site left graded flat and clean.
Questions
Excavation Contractor in Kenmore: FAQs
What kind of soil will you hit digging in Kenmore?
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Glacial till and outwash on the slopes, with soft, wet lake and river deposits along the shoreline. We read the ground on the site walk and spell out in the quote how footing depth, over-excavation and imported fill are handled, so there is no surprise invoice.
Who issues excavation and grading permits in Kenmore?
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Inside city limits it is the City of Kenmore. Outside them it is the King County Department of Local Services. We confirm which applies to your parcel before quoting and flag anything that needs extra review, like a stream buffer or steep slope.
Can your trucks and excavator get onto my Kenmore site?
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Almost always. We run compact and full-size tracked excavators and size the machine to the access. On tight lots we protect driveways and lawns with mats and stage trucks so the street stays open.
How much does excavation cost in Kenmore?
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It depends on the site, so we quote after a free site walk rather than guessing on the phone. The biggest drivers in Kenmore are usually slope and access, soft ground, buffers and permits. You get a written number with inclusions and exclusions spelled out.
When is the best time to schedule excavation in Kenmore?
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Excavation in Kenmore goes best in the drier months, when soil compacts properly and trenches stay open. Wet-season work is doable with erosion control and the right material, and we plan for it in the quote.
Can you remove a tree above my Kenmore house on a steep slope?
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Yes. On slopes we usually take trees down in sections and leave stumps and roots in the ground to hold the soil. If the slope is a mapped critical area, we flag what review is needed.
Do you work along the Kenmore shoreline?
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Yes, within the shoreline rules. Work near the lake or river can need approval, so we check before starting.
How much does excavation cost in Snohomish County?
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Residential excavation is usually quoted by the job rather than the hour, because the hour rate tells you nothing about how many hours a site will take. Cost is driven by dig volume, access, soil conditions and whether spoil is hauled off. The only accurate answer comes from a site visit — which is free.
Ready for a real number in Kenmore?
Send the address and a few photos. We walk the site for free and come back with a written quote.
