Foundation holes, garage pads, additions, utility trenches, final grade — the dirt work that turns a Gilford lot into a build site, done on schedule so your contractor isn’t waiting.
Gilford packs a lot of elevation change into a short distance. The mountain roads climbing toward Gunstock carry some genuinely steep private drives, and a steep gravel driveway without proper crowning and culverts will wash into ribbons the first big thaw. We build them with a compacted bank-run base, a crushed-gravel wear surface, and water bars or cross culverts sized for the grade — not just a load of gravel dumped and spread. Down at the lake, the upscale shorefront builds off Route 11 run into the opposite problem: expensive square footage, close setbacks, and Shoreland Permit rules governing every yard of earth moved within 250 feet of Winnipesaukee. And everywhere in between, Gilford’s hillsides hide granite ledge shallow enough to bite. Test pits before we quote a foundation dig here aren’t optional caution; they’re how we keep the quote honest.
If your Gilford driveway climbs more than a gentle grade, put the money into water management before surface gravel. One properly set culvert at the top of the pitch and a crowned surface will outlast three re-gravelings of a flat-bladed drive. Fix the water first — the driveway lasts on its own after that.
Every build starts and ends with dirt. We dig foundations and frost walls to spec (four-foot frost depth here isn’t a suggestion), cut and fill to bring a sloped lot to grade, trench for water, power, and septic lines, and come back at the end for the finish grade that sheds water away from the new foundation. On ledge-prone ground we dig test pits first — finding granite with a quote instead of a change order.
We coordinate directly with your builder, and we show up when the schedule says — because everyone downstream of the dirt is waiting on it.
Machine-and-operator excavation runs $110–$200/hour in the region; typical foundation digs land $3,000–$10,000 depending on size, soils, and ledge. Test pits and a site walk get you a flat number before we start.
Most Lakes Region foundation excavations run $3,000 to $10,000 — driven by size, soil, water table, and whether we hit ledge. Test pits before quoting mean the number you get is the number you pay.
It's common here. We dig test pits at the corners before quoting, so ledge shows up in the plan — hammering or blasting gets priced up front, not as a mid-job surprise. If ledge makes one corner of the lot expensive, sometimes shifting the footprint twenty feet saves five figures.
Prime season is May through November. Deep frost slows winter digging, and March–April mud season closes many posted town roads to loaded trucks. We schedule around both — and fall is the smart time to book a spring dig.
Free site walks, test pits before quotes, flat pricing, and a crew that knows Lakes Region ground.
Tell us where the property is and what you’re trying to do. We’ll walk the site, talk it through, and give you a straight, flat quote.
