Excavation and Site Prep in O'Fallon, IL
O'Fallon has added about 10,000 people since 2000, and growth like that means digging: basements for new houses, footprints for garages and additions, holes for in-ground pools and trenches for every line in between. Jon does the excavation, hauls the spoil in 3D's truck and leaves the ground cut to grade.
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- Jon quotes every job
- Residential and commercial
Excavation in O'Fallon
O-Town and its growth
O'Fallon is named for Colonel John O'Fallon, a wealthy St. Louis man, and its first lots went on sale in 1854. German settlers came for the farmland once a post office opened the next year. For more than a century, coal mining was a big part of the local economy too, which is why a pick and shovel sit on the city flag.
Today the city covers about 15.7 square miles, with its center two miles east of where I-64 meets US 50. Residents call it O-Town. It went from 28,281 people in 2010 to 32,289 in 2020, and every one of those new homes started with a hole in the ground.
Basements and new homes
A new house on an O'Fallon lot usually means a basement or a crawl space dig. Jon cuts it to the size and depth on the plans, with room around the walls for the foundation crew to work. 3D does not pour concrete, so the hole is handed over clean.
The spoil has somewhere to go right away. It is either spread where the grade needs building up or loaded into the dump truck and hauled off. The basement excavation cost guide explains what shapes the price. Topsoil is stripped and kept separate so it can go back on top at the end.
Garages, additions and pools
Families who bought in O'Fallon years ago now want more room. A detached garage, a room off the back or an in-ground pool all start with an excavation on a lot that already has a lawn, a fence and neighbours close by.
On those jobs, access and cleanup matter as much as digging. The way in is planned ahead, the machine keeps to the shortest route and the tracks are graded out afterward. If an old deck or patio is in the way, demolition in O'Fallon or concrete removal in O'Fallon clears it first.
Trenches and pads
Not every job is a building. Water and electric lines to a detached garage, a drain line from a sump pump, a gas line to a pool heater: each needs a trench dug to depth and backfilled. Shed and playset pads are leveled and topped with rock so they stay true.
On larger lots at the edge of town, the work grows into shop and pole barn pads. If the ground there is overgrown, land clearing in O'Fallon opens it up before the pad is cut. Trench depth follows the code or what the utility asks for.
What the ground is like
Like the rest of the Metro East uplands, O'Fallon is built on loess and clay. Dry, it digs cleanly and holds a steep wall. After a few days of rain it turns heavy and slick, and an open basement will fill with water if the site is not graded to shed it.
That is why water is part of every plan here. The grade around a new foundation is set to fall away, and any low corner the dig leaves is shaped to drain. Wet yards that were never graded right are handled under yard drainage in O'Fallon.
Permits, locates and a price
The City of O'Fallon's Building and Inspections Division handles permits for construction and work on buildings. Have yours before a dig date is set. JULIE is called through 811 at least two working days before any excavation, and each utility marks its own lines.
Jon prices every job himself after seeing the site, and the quote is free. The whole service is described on the excavation and site preparation page. Send the plans, the address and a photo of the way in when you call, and say when the foundation crew is booked. That lets the dig be lined up with the rest of the build.
What that covers
- Basement digs. New-home basements and crawl spaces cut to plan.
- Pool and garage holes. In-ground pools, garages and additions dug on finished lots.
- Utility trenches. Water, power, gas and drain lines trenched and backfilled.
- Pads and spoil. Shed and shop pads leveled, and extra dirt hauled away.
O'Fallon, IL
A fast-growing Metro East city on I-64 next to Scott Air Force Base, mostly newer subdivisions on rolling former farm ground.
Town pageAlso in O'FallonDemolition & Debris Removal in O'Fallon, IL
See the pageAlso in O'FallonConcrete Removal in O'Fallon, IL
See the pageAlso in O'FallonYard Drainage & Grading in O'Fallon, IL
See the pageAlso in O'FallonLand Clearing & Brush Removal in O'Fallon, IL
See the pageThe serviceExcavation & Site Prep
Ground opened, cut to grade and made ready for a foundation, garage, pole barn, pool or utility line.
Main service pageO'Fallon and the towns nearby
Southwest of O'Fallon, excavation in Belleville splits between older city lots and acreage beyond the limits. North across the county line, excavation in Troy is a town still spreading onto farm ground. The surrounding areas page has every other town 3D covers. Spoil from a dig in any of them can be hauled on the same truck, and fill brought back in.
Four steps, no surprises
Tell us the job
Call, text or send the form. A photograph of the ground and the way in tells Jon more than a description does.
Jon prices it himself
Jon quotes every job. You are not talking to a call centre and the number comes from the person who will do the work.
The machines turn up
Excavator, skid steer or the dump truck, whatever the job actually needs.
It gets left clean
Debris hauled off and the ground graded back, whichever was agreed. The job is not done while there is a pile in your yard.
Photos of his work.
These are photographs from actual jobs. See more recent work. Or read about the full excavation & site prep service.
Questions people ask
Not seeing yours? Call (217) 710-0606 and ask Jon, or read the guides.
Can you dig an in-ground pool in an existing backyard?
Usually, if a machine can get to it. Jon checks the gate width, the fence and anything buried in the way, then plans the route in and out. The spoil is hauled off or used to build up grade elsewhere.
Do you handle the whole site for a new house?
3D does the dig, the trenches, the rough grading and hauling. The foundation pour, framing and the rest are other trades. 3D does not pour concrete, but leaves the site ready for those crews.
Do I need a permit to excavate in O'Fallon?
Building projects need a permit from the City of O'Fallon's Building and Inspections Division. Have it before the dig is booked. Separately, JULIE must be called at 811 so utility lines are marked.
How do I get a quote for excavation in O'Fallon?
Call or text (217) 710-0606, or email 3dexcavatinginc@gmail.com, with the address and any plans. Jon looks at the site in person and gives one free figure with hauling included. Mention your build schedule.
Other work he takes on
Most jobs end up being two or three of these at once, and they get quoted together.
Excavation & Site Prep in other towns
Demolition & Debris Removal
Sheds, garages, slabs and old buildings taken down and hauled.
Learn moreGrading & Dirt Work
Ground shaped so the water leaves, and keeps leaving.
Learn moreDriveways & Gravel
A drive built on a base that carries weight.
Learn moreExcavation & Site Prep
Ground opened, cut to grade and ready for the next trade.
Learn moreLand Clearing
Overgrown ground taken back to something you can use.
Learn moreHauling & Delivery
Rock, dirt, sand and mulch delivered by dump truck.
Learn moreFree estimate in O'Fallon.
Send the details and Jon will come out and look at it. If it is easier to talk it through, call him directly.
Hillsboro and Montgomery County, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Troy, Highland and the Metro East, and across central Illinois to Springfield, Decatur and Effingham.
Other work he does in O'Fallon
Demolition & Debris Removal in O'Fallon, IL
Sheds, garages, barns, decks, pools and old slabs taken down, hauled off and the ground graded back.
See the pageAlso in O'FallonConcrete Removal in O'Fallon, IL
Driveways, patios, slabs, sidewalks and steps broken out, loaded and hauled off, then the ground graded or the base prepared.
See the pageAlso in O'FallonYard Drainage & Grading in O'Fallon, IL
Standing water moved off the yard and away from the house: regrading, swales and buried drain lines.
See the pageAlso in O'FallonExcavation & Site Prep in O'Fallon, IL
Ground opened, cut to grade and made ready for a foundation, garage, pole barn, pool or utility line.
See the pageAlso in O'FallonLand Clearing & Brush Removal in O'Fallon, IL
Overgrown lots, brush, saplings and fence rows cleared so the ground can be built on, mowed or farmed again.
See the pageNeed excavation in O'Fallon?
Send the job over and Jon will come back to you himself.