Excavation, Concrete & Septic FAQ

National cost guides put it at roughly $190 to $340 per hour for a machine with operator. Caliche, blue clay and rock move that number, so we walk the lot and give you a written estimate, free. More on our excavation page.

Excavation and site prep, grading and land clearing, underground utilities, rock and retaining walls, concrete flatwork and driveways, septic system installation, and welding and fabrication. That is the whole list. See all services.

Yes. Diggin' Riggin' Inc. is licensed in Utah and Arizona, so we can take work on either side of the state line without bringing in a second contractor.

Yes. Colorado City, Centennial Park, Cane Beds, Moccasin and Fredonia are all within about an hour, and Beaver Dam and Littlefield are down the gorge. See the Arizona page for how far we honestly travel.

Inside St. George, Hurricane, La Verkin, Washington and Kanab city limits you are most likely on sewer; Apple Valley, Hildale, Colorado City, Virgin, Rockville, most county parcels and most of Kane County are septic. Not sure? Call us. Details on the septic page.

Through the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, Washington County office (435-986-2580). You need a soil evaluation (perc test) by a certified evaluator, an approved system design, a septic system application, installation to the design, and a final inspection before backfill. We install and schedule the inspection.

Completely different system. In Mohave County it goes through Mohave County Development Services Environmental Quality (928-757-0903) as a Notice of Intent to Discharge under a Type 4.02 general permit. In Coconino County it is Coconino County Environmental Quality (928-679-8764) for conventional systems up to 3,000 gallons per day. A passing perc test comes first either way.

It is done by a certified evaluator or engineer and fees vary by county and state, so call the permitting office for the current number. We can recommend evaluators we work with.

Caliche is a calcium-carbonate hardpan that forms a foot or two below the surface across much of this corner of the state. It can be as hard as weak concrete. Small rental equipment bounces off it; we bring machines and attachments that do not.

Yes, but it takes planning. Chinle blue clay swells when wet and can lift footings. The standard fix is over-excavating and rebuilding with compacted engineered fill in lifts per the geotech report. We tell you before we start, and we price it honestly.

Usually expansive blue clay underneath it, especially around St. George, Santa Clara and Washington. It swells when it takes on water and lifts the slab. Repouring over the same base gets you the same crack; the base has to come out first. See concrete and flatwork.

Yes. Driveways, patios, sidewalks, RV pads and slabs. Because we do the excavation too, the base under your slab and the slab itself are the same company's responsibility.

Yes, boulder walls from local sandstone and segmental block walls, both built on a compacted base with drain rock behind them. See rock and retaining walls.

It depends on your jurisdiction, the slope and what sits above the wall. Many places set the trigger around four feet, and a driveway or structure above it can lower that. We will tell you what your city or county requires before you commit to a design.

Yes. In Washington and Kane counties the permit comes from the Southwest Utah Public Health Department and the system must pass a final inspection before backfill.

Usually the lid sits 6 to 18 inches below finished grade with risers to the surface for access. The house lateral elevation and drain field design set the exact depth.

Expansive clay that swells when it gets wet and shrinks when it dries, moving the soil under the footings. Proper over-excavation, engineered fill and grading water away from the house are the defenses.

Yes. We walk the site, talk through the job and give you a written number. No charge, no pressure.

Yes. That's the Diggin' and the Riggin'. Excavation, grading, underground utilities, rock walls, concrete, septic, and mobile welding and fabrication, from one company.