Grading · Drainage · Site Prep
The foundation that makes
everything else possible
What We Do
Excavation & Earthwork
Before a single plant goes in the ground or a paver is set, the site has to be right. DMG's earthwork and grading crew handles everything below grade — drainage corrections, site leveling, French drains, and excavation for new structures — using our own equipment and operators.
- Site grading and slope correction for drainage and usability
- French drain and catch basin installation
- Swale and channel design for surface water management
- Foundation and footing excavation for structures and walls
- Basement and pool excavation
- Retaining wall site preparation
- Soil import and export — compacted fill and topsoil
- Erosion control and slope stabilization
Recent Projects
Work from the field
Client Stories
What our clients say
We let the work — and the people who live with it — speak for themselves.
Does This Sound Familiar?
The problems that
start underground
Earthwork is rarely the project people set out to do — it’s the fix that everything else depends on. Here’s what usually brings people to us.
Water pools against the foundation or across the yard every time it rains.
A slope on your lot is eroding, sliding, or simply impossible to use.
Another project — patio, addition, pool — is stalled waiting on grading.
Standing water is killing the lawn and breeding mosquitoes all summer.
You’ve been told you need drainage, but nobody’s explained the actual plan.
The yard drains toward the house instead of away from it.
When It’s Worth a Call
A good time to reach out
There’s no pressure and no obligation — but a few situations are worth handling sooner rather than later, before the next storm.
Book a Free Consultation- The rainy season is coming and the pooling gets worse every year.
- Foundation, hardscape, or landscaping work is waiting on the grading first.
- Erosion is actively moving soil — every storm makes the fix bigger.
- You’re planning a larger project and want the earthwork scoped in from the start.
Why Property Owners Choose Us
Why property owners trust us
with the groundwork
Earthwork is the part nobody sees but everything depends on. Get it wrong and every project on top of it suffers. Here’s what sets our work apart.
We own the equipment
In-house excavators, skid steers, and compactors mean we control the schedule and the quality — not a rented crew.
We fix the root cause
We diagnose why water moves the way it does and correct the grading and drainage — not just patch the symptom.
Bay Area ground knowledge
We know local soils, slopes, and drainage patterns — so the fix holds up through the wet season.
Why DMG
How we’re different
Grading and drainage are easy to get wrong and expensive to redo. Here’s how we compare to the typical excavation outfit.
What most property owners put up with
- Rented equipment and crews that change week to week
- Grading that moves water toward the house, not away
- Drainage “fixes” that just relocate the problem
- Vague quotes before anyone’s read the site
- No plan you can actually see or understand
- Erosion and pooling back within a season
The way it should be done
- In-house excavators, skid steers, and compactors
- Grading engineered to move water away for good
- Drainage that solves the cause, not just the symptom
- Transparent, fixed pricing after a proper site assessment
- A clear, written plan you understand before we dig
- Earthwork that holds through the Bay Area wet season
How We Work
From site assessment
to solid ground
Drainage and grading problems get worse over time. Here’s how we diagnose, plan, and permanently fix them.
Design Consultation
We assess your site’s grade, drainage, and soil conditions, identify problem areas, and outline a solution before any machinery moves.
Site Assessment & Plan
We design a grading and drainage solution specific to your property — routing water where it needs to go and protecting your foundation long-term.
Excavation & Grading
Our crew executes with precision equipment and hand tools where needed, protecting existing features and minimizing disruption throughout.
Site Restoration
We compact, backfill, and restore the surface — leaving your property clean and ready for the next phase of your project.
Free on-site visit · No obligation · Same-week scheduling
FAQ
Questions about
Excavation & Earthwork
Have a question we haven’t answered? Call or send a message — we respond within 24 hours.
Contact UsExcavation is the process of moving soil to reshape a site — for grading, drainage, foundations, pools, or retaining walls. Earthwork is the broader category that includes compaction, soil stabilization, and drainage system installation.
Signs include standing water after rain, soggy patches that don't dry out, erosion channels, water pooling near your foundation, or a basement that leaks. If any of those sound familiar, it's worth having us take a look — drainage problems tend to get worse over time.
Yes. We work with homeowners, general contractors, and developers to prepare sites for new construction. Proper grading at this stage prevents drainage problems and foundation issues for the life of the structure.
Depending on soil condition, it may be reused on-site for grading or compaction, or hauled away. We handle all removal and disposal — you won't need to coordinate a separate haul.
We plan access routes carefully to minimize impact, protect trees with root zone barriers, and restore any disturbed areas as part of our standard process. We'll walk the site with you before work begins to flag what needs protecting.
Always. We call 811 (California's dig-safe service) before any excavation to locate underground utilities. No exceptions — it's a non-negotiable part of our process.
A straightforward grading or French drain job can take 1–3 days. More complex drainage systems or site regrading may take 1–2 weeks. Timeline depends on access, soil conditions, and scope — we'll detail it in your proposal.
We provide a fixed quote after the initial consultation. Because many variables — site conditions, scope, materials, and access — can all affect the final cost, we need to walk the property before we can give you an accurate number. Once we do, your quote is fixed: no surprise add-ons, ever.
Free Consultation
Ready to move forward?
Let’s walk your property.
A free on-site visit from our project lead will give you a clear picture of scope, timeline, and cost — no pressure, ever.
