Questions to ask an excavation contractor in Jacksonville, before you sign
Eight questions, each with the answer you should hear from any competent crew, and our own answer next to it so you can grade us on the same sheet. Ask these on the first call and the walk-through gets a lot shorter.
1. Who calls 811, and when?
The answer you want: "We do, on every job, and we wait out the two business days." Sunshine 811 locates are free and required by Florida law. Any answer that puts the ticket on you, or skips it, ends the interview.
Our answer: We file every ticket, expedited on emergencies, and we hand dig near private lines the locate can’t see, like irrigation and well feeds.
2. What happens if you hit water?
The answer you want: A method and a price, named before work starts. On the First Coast, groundwater a few feet down is normal, so the honest answer involves pumps, matting or waiting for dry season, with dewatering priced as its own line.
Our answer: Dewatering appears on the quote when the site calls for it, $1,200 to $4,500 depending on pump days. When waiting for dry ground is cheaper, we say so and reschedule.
3. Where does the dirt and debris go?
The answer you want: A specific plan: spread on your property, mulched in place, or hauled at a stated per-truckload rate with an estimated count. "We’ll figure it out" means a surprise line on the invoice.
Our answer: Haul-off is published at $150 to $350 per truckload, and we recommend keeping spoil on site whenever the property allows, because it’s cheaper for you.
4. What machine are you bringing, and why that one?
The answer you want: A machine matched to your access and job, with reasoning. An operator who names the machine and the gate width has actually pictured your site.
Our answer: We quote the machine that fits the access. Oversized iron on a small lot destroys turf and burns hours you pay for.
5. Can your insurance agent send me the certificate directly?
The answer you want: "Sure, what email?" Nothing else. A certificate from the agent proves the policy is active today; a photocopy from the truck proves nothing.
Our answer: Ask and it’s sent. We’d rather work for people who check.
6. What happens if you find a gopher tortoise burrow or wetland edge?
The answer you want: Work stops and it gets handled legally, through the state process. Florida protects tortoises and their burrows, and wetland lines can trigger St. Johns River Water Management District review. A contractor who winks at this is handing you their fine.
Our answer: We stop, flag it at the walk-through when visible, and walk you through the options, from adjusted clearing limits to permitted relocation.
7. How is this price built, and can I see the lines?
The answer you want: Line items: machine and days, spoil plan, water handling, haul count, permits if any. A lump sum with no lines hides the levers that move it.
Our answer: Every quote traces to a row on our published cost guide, plus the site factors we name to your face at the walk-through.
8. What moves the price after we sign?
The answer you want: Only hidden conditions, with evidence. The honest version: the number changes when the crew can show you a photo of the buried concrete, the stump field, the water in the cut. Anything vaguer is a change order machine.
Our answer: Photo-first change orders, no exceptions. If we can’t show it, we eat it.
What to do with the answers
Two crews can both pass this script and quote $1,200 apart. That’s where the numbers come in: hold both bids against real Jacksonville ranges on what excavation costs here and compare their lines using the method in how to choose an excavation contractor. The paperwork side of vetting is covered by the pre-hire checklist.
Ask us all eight
Call (443) 364-3676 and run the script, or send the job below.