Some jobs need a trench. Others need a few hundred yards of dirt moved from one end of the lot to the other, or trucked in to raise a building site. That second kind of job is earthmoving, and most of the work is in the planning: how much dirt, where it comes from and where it ends up.
Earthmoving in Boise and Canyon County
Earthmoving is about volume. The question isn't how deep to dig, it's how many cubic yards have to go somewhere else. A lot that sits a couple of feet below the street. A backyard with a hump in the middle. A house pad that has to come up so the crawlspace stays dry. Each one is a dirt math problem before it's a machine problem.
We move dirt in Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna and around our home base in Caldwell. For barn pads, arenas and other acreage work, see our earthmoving services page. This page is about city and suburban lots, where the hard part is fitting the dirt, the trucks and the drainage onto a small piece of ground.
Cut and Fill: Using the Dirt You Already Have
The cheapest dirt is the dirt already on site. On a sloped or uneven lot, we cut the high ground and place it on the low ground until the site matches the plan. When the cut and the fill come out close to even, very little has to be trucked in or out. Before we start, we figure the volume of the high ground and the low ground, so you know up front whether the job balances or needs import or export.
That only works when the cut material is usable. Topsoil and sod get stripped first, because organic material rots and settles under a pad. Caliche can be broken up and used as fill in some spots. Heavy clay is harder to place and compact, and sometimes it's better off hauled away.
Raising House Pads and Filling Low Ground
Plenty of lots in the valley sit low. Some are below the road. Some are near the Boise River, where groundwater comes up during irrigation season. Raising the pad keeps the crawlspace dry and gives the yard somewhere to drain. Near the river in Garden City and Eagle, river cobble and shallow groundwater are common, and they affect how deep we can cut and how much fill the pad needs.
Pad fill goes in lifts and gets compacted one layer at a time, so the footings sit on firm ground. See soil compaction. Low corners of a yard get the same treatment, just with less fuss, since a lawn doesn't carry the same load as a house.
Berms and Reshaping
Berms block road noise, screen a neighbor's shop, or steer runoff away from a building. A good berm needs a wide enough base for its height, so the sides don't slump, and topsoil on the face so something will grow. We also reshape yards with mounds and gentle grade changes. See landscape contouring.
How We Estimate Volume in Cubic Yards
Dirt is measured in cubic yards. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, about the size of a washing machine. To get a rough number, multiply length by width by depth in feet and divide by 27.
Say you need to raise a 60 by 80 foot house pad by 2 feet. That's 60 × 80 × 2 = 9,600 cubic feet, or about 356 cubic yards of compacted fill. On sites with uneven ground, we take several elevations across the area and average them, or work from the grading plan if there is one.
Swell and Shrink: Why the Numbers Don't Match
Dirt in the ground, dirt in a truck and dirt compacted in a pad are three different volumes. They're often called bank yards, loose yards and compacted yards. Mixing them up is a common reason a fill order comes up short or a pile is left over, so ask which one a quote is talking about.
- Swell. Once soil is dug, it loosens and takes up more space. Ordinary soil often swells 20 to 30 percent. Clay and broken rock can swell more.
- Shrink. When loose fill is compacted, it packs down tighter than it was in the truck.
So that 356-yard pad could take somewhere around 430 to 460 loose yards of imported fill, depending on the material. That's why we price earthmoving from the finished volume, not from how big a pile looks.
Importing and Exporting Material
When a site doesn't balance, dirt has to come in or go out. Imported fill varies a lot. Pit run and structural fill are common under pads. Topsoil goes on top where things will grow. Export can sometimes go to a nearby job that needs fill, which saves on dump fees. See dirt hauling.
Large fills can need a grading permit, and any fill that changes where water runs can affect the neighbors. We check the drainage before we bring in a single load. Raising a lot even a foot can push runoff onto the yard next door. We plan where water will leave the new grade, whether that's the street, a swale or a drain, before the fill goes down.
What Changes the Cost of Moving Dirt
Volume sets the starting point. After that, distance matters. Moving dirt 50 feet across a lot costs less than hauling it across town. Imported material varies, and structural fill and gravel cost more than common fill. Tight access means smaller loads and more trips. Wet clay can stop compaction until it dries. Dump fees for export depend on what's in the dirt, since clean soil is easier to place than dirt mixed with rock or debris.
Why Hire Ultimate Excavation LLC
We're a registered Idaho contractor (RCE-65836) with a 5.0 rating on Google. Our reviews mention quick bids and getting to the job before the rains came, which matters on dirt jobs, since wet clay won't compact the way it should. Call (208) 697-2429 or request a free estimate.
