Excavation Contractor in
Kitsap County, WA
Digging in Kitsap County means dealing with rain, glacial till, buried rock, steep lots and a permit office that wants things done right. We know that ground because we work it every week. Straight Up Excavation & Drainage is an excavating contractor based in Port Orchard, WA, right here in Kitsap County, and we take on excavation, land clearing, drainage, grading and site prep from Bremerton to Bainbridge Island and from Kingston down to Olalla.
The company is family-owned, and the crew is licensed and insured. Homeowners call us when the backyard won't stop flooding. Builders call us when a lot needs to go from trees to a ready pad. Landowners call us when acreage has gone wild. Same crew, same equipment, same standard on every job.
★★★★★
"Doug and his crew did an amazing job with a rebuild of my collapsing retaining wall and fence, as well as an asphalt drive way removal. They worked hard to get the job done, and Doug went above and beyond my expectations. My family and I finally have a reason to love our back yard. Doug and the crew made it look better than it ever has. Leslie and Dawn were so helpful with the details. We are grateful for StraightUp!"
Christina S., Google review
★★★★★
"Doug did a great job grading, re-rocking, and compacting our rather steep driveway that had become very worn down, rutted, and rough to drive on. It's now back to its original width, smooth to drive on, and is holding up well through rain and snow. I'm also very pleased that the water is draining down the side of the driveway, away from the house, as Doug designed it to do."
Cynthia W., Google review
Excavation Services Across Kitsap County
Excavation is the core of what we do. Foundations, basements, utility trenches, septic access, retaining wall footings, and driveway cuts all start with a hole dug to the right depth, in the right spot, with the right slope at the bottom.
On every excavation job, we start by finding out what's underground. According to Washington's dig law, RCW 19.122, a utility locate has to be requested at least two business days before any digging. We call it in on every job, even small ones. Then we plan the dig around the soil, the access, where the spoils go, and how water will behave once the ground is open.
Need a hole for a new house? Our foundation excavation crew digs to the engineer's elevations and keeps the bottom firm and dry. Running power, water or fiber to a building? Our trench digging services handle utility lines of any length, and our guide to utility trenching in Kitsap County walks through how that job usually goes.
What does excavation cost here? It depends on the soil, the access and how much material moves. Our excavation cost guide for Kitsap County breaks down the main factors.
Land Clearing for Building Lots and Acreage
Much of Kitsap County is still second-growth forest, alder thickets and blackberry. Before anything gets built, that has to come out the right way.
Our land clearing work covers tree and brush removal, stump extraction, grubbing out roots, and hauling or mulching the debris. We clear what the project needs and protect the trees you want to keep. On wooded lots near Seabeck, Olalla and Manchester, that often means clearing a house site and driveway while leaving a natural buffer along the property line.
Not every lot needs a full clear. Sometimes the job is a tree removal or two plus stump grinding so the yard can be used again. We'll tell you which one fits.
French Drains and Drainage Solutions
Rain is the reason half our phone calls happen. Kitsap County averages a lot of it, and it comes for months at a time. When water has nowhere to go, it ends up in crawlspaces, basements, garages and soggy lawns that never dry out.
We install french drains, curtain drains, swales, catch basins and downspout lines that carry water to a safe outlet. Our drainage solutions start with figuring out where the water is coming from, because a drain in the wrong spot just moves the problem. Not sure which kind you need? Our comparison of french drains, curtain drains and swales explains the differences.
In our experience, most wet-yard problems here come down to two things: ground that slopes toward the house, and hardpan that won't let water soak in. Fix both and the problem usually goes away. Our post on why yards flood every fall in Kitsap County covers the pattern.
Land Grading and Site Preparation
Good grading sends water away from buildings and gives you stable ground to build on. Our land grading work shapes the slope around homes, shops and driveways so runoff moves off the property instead of pooling against foundations.
For new builds, our site preparation services bring it all together: clearing, rough grading, compaction, building pads, utility trenches and erosion control. Building a home near Port Orchard or anywhere else in the county? Our new build site prep checklist shows what needs to happen before the foundation crew shows up.
Why Kitsap County Ground Needs Experience
Ever tried digging a fence post here and hit something that felt like concrete two feet down? That's glacial till, often called hardpan. Ice sheets packed it down thousands of years ago, and it covers much of the county. Water can't soak through it, so it runs along the top. That's why so many local yards stay wet all winter.
Hardpan also slows digging and wears equipment, and it's often mixed with cobbles and boulders. Then there are the steep lots along the shoreline in Bremerton and Bainbridge Island, the clay pockets in Silverdale, and the high water tables near the inlets. Every one of those changes how we dig. Our guide to clay, rock and hillside excavation explains how ground conditions drive the method.
Towns We Serve in Kitsap County
We're based in Port Orchard, and we work throughout Kitsap County. That includes Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Seabeck, Olalla, Manchester and Gig Harbor just across the county line. We also take jobs in Belfair and the rest of Mason County.
Want to see what we've done close to you? Check our pages for excavation in Bremerton, Silverdale and Bainbridge Island, or see the full list of areas we serve. Every project gets the same standard, and we back the work with a satisfaction guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should I schedule an excavation job?
As early as you can, especially for spring and summer. Dry months fill up fast. Some work, like drainage, is easier to diagnose in the wet season because you can see where the water goes.
Can you dig through hardpan and rock?
Yes. Glacial till and buried rock are common across the county, and we bring equipment sized to handle them. Hard ground can add time, so we account for it in the estimate.
Do you work in Bremerton, Silverdale and Poulsbo?
Yes. We serve all of Kitsap County, from Kingston and Poulsbo in the north to Olalla and Port Orchard in the south, plus Bainbridge Island.
How much does an excavation contractor cost in Kitsap County?
It depends on the type of work, the soil, the access and how much material has to move. We walk the site and give you a written estimate before any work begins.
Hire a Kitsap County Excavation Contractor You Can Count On
Whether it's a new house site, a flooded backyard, a wooded lot that needs clearing, or a driveway that needs regrading, we'll handle the ground work from start to finish.
Call Straight Up Excavation & Drainage today at 360-337-9051 for a free excavation estimate anywhere in Kitsap County.