Trenching & Utility Line Excavation in Columbus

What's included

• Water & sewer linesTrenching for new water service and sewer laterals, dug to code depth with the slope a sewer line needs to drain by gravity.
• Gas & electricUtility trenches for gas service, electric feeders, and conduit runs, dug to the depth and separation the utility requires.
• Low-voltage & irrigationShallower trenches for landscape lighting, irrigation, data, and communication lines, cut clean and backfilled without tearing up the whole yard.
• Proper beddingLines bedded on the right material so rocks and debris are not resting against the pipe or conduit, which is how lines get damaged after they are buried.
• Backfill & compactionTrenches backfilled in lifts and compacted so the surface holds and you do not get a sunken trench line running across the yard a year later.

How the job goes

1. Locate everything firstWe call in utility locates and mark the run. Trenching blind through a yard is how existing lines get cut, and locates are free insurance against a bad day.
2. Set depth and gradeDifferent utilities need different depths, and sewer needs consistent fall. We set the depth and, for gravity lines, the slope before we dig.
3. Trench cleanWe cut a straight, clean trench at the right width and depth, keeping spoil to one side so the line can be set and inspected.
4. Bed and setThe line sits on proper bedding, not on rocks or hard clay, so it is protected for the long haul.
5. Backfill and restoreWe backfill in lifts, compact so the ground does not settle, and leave the surface graded back. No trench scar sinking across your yard.

Signs you need it

You need trenching any time a line has to run underground. Common jobs include:

• A new water or sewer service line to a build or addition
• Replacing an old, leaking, or root-blocked sewer lateral
• Running gas or electric to a shop, garage, pool, or outbuilding
• Trenching for irrigation, landscape lighting, or a generator gas line
• A line that froze, sank, or failed and needs to be redone to depth

Local to Columbus

In Central Ohio, trench depth is not optional. Water and other lines have to sit below the frost line or they freeze and burst in a hard Columbus winter, and clay backfill settles differently than sand if it is not compacted right. We dig to local code depth, bed the line properly, and compact the backfill so you are not left with a frozen line or a trench that sinks across the yard by spring. From the city out to Delaware, Pickerington, Hilliard, and the surrounding towns, we trench to the depth Ohio ground demands.

What it costs

Trenching is priced by the foot, but the length is only part of it. Depth, soil, how many utilities cross the run, whether there is rock or a high water table, and how the surface has to be restored all move the number. A short irrigation trench across a lawn is a small job. A long, deep sewer or water service run under a driveway with a lot of existing lines to work around is a bigger one. We locate the run, look at what it crosses, and give you a real written figure that includes the bedding, backfill, compaction, and surface restoration, not just the digging. Free on-site estimate, and the price accounts for putting the ground back the way it should be.