Full-service commercial excavation contractor serving New York. Mass earthwork, foundation digs, utility trenching, rock excavation, and site grading for commercial, industrial, solar, and municipal projects. Self-haul, NYSDEC-compliant, prevailing-wage ready.
Excavation is the core of what Backwell does. From mass site cuts for solar farms and distribution facilities to precision foundation digs for commercial buildings, underground utility trenching for municipal water and sewer, and rock excavation through the Onondaga Limestone bedrock that sits under much of Central New York, we bring the right iron, the right crew, and the right paperwork to every job. If you searched for commercial excavation services, excavation contractor near me, or excavation company New York, this page covers what we do, how we price it, and how we comply with the rules that apply to commercial construction in this state.
Backwell runs its own iron and its own trucks. We self-haul spoil, self-source fill, and self-schedule, which means commercial GCs and owners are not waiting on third-party trucking brokers to deliver on a Monday mobilization. Most of our commercial work runs $30,000 to $1,000,000 in earthwork scope, with an increasing share of utility-scale solar site prep and municipal utility trenching. We are not the cheap residential excavator, we are the commercial excavation contractor you call when the project has a SWPPP, a certified payroll requirement, or a bonded general contractor above us.
Commercial excavation is not a single activity. Depending on the project, the scope, and the site, the work we do under that umbrella falls into five distinct disciplines. Most jobs involve two or three of them running concurrently.
Mass excavation is the bulk earthwork that opens a site for construction: stripping topsoil, cutting the building pad to design subgrade, and placing or exporting the resulting spoil. For commercial and industrial projects in New York we size mass excavation by the cubic yard of cut plus fill, sequenced with a cut/fill balance calculation so we minimize off-site disposal. On a 10-acre solar site we will typically move 8,000–22,000 cubic yards of material depending on grade tolerance and stormwater basin design. On a distribution center pad, 40,000–80,000 CY is not unusual. We own the Tier 4 excavators (Case CX350D class, up to 95,000 lbs) and articulated haulers that make this tonnage economical.
Foundation excavation is the precise dig for footings, slabs, and structural elements of a commercial building. Tolerances on commercial foundations are tighter than residential, typically ±0.10 ft on subgrade elevation and ±0.05 ft on bearing surfaces for spread footings. Backwell crews use laser control and rover GNSS on foundation digs, coordinate directly with structural engineers and geotech professionals on bearing verification, and manage shoring and sloping per OSHA Subpart P competent-person requirements. On Onondaga Limestone sites we coordinate controlled rock breaking with pneumatic hammers or permitted blasting subcontractors.
Much of Central and Western New York sits on limestone, shale, and glacial till that turns a routine dig into a rock excavation job. Backwell operates hydraulic hammers rated for the size class of excavator on site (typically 4,500 ft-lb on the CX350D, 2,500 ft-lb on a Case CX210) and coordinates trap-rock blasting subcontractors for jobs where hammering alone is not economical. Rock excavation is billed separately from soil excavation at $35–$90 per bank cubic yard depending on bedrock type, bench access, and disposal pathway. We document rock quantities with pre- and post-excavation surveys so the change-order math is clean.
Commercial utility excavation covers water main installation, sanitary and storm sewer trenching, electrical conduit runs, gas service installation, and fiber optic trenching. Trench excavation in New York requires OSHA Subpart P protective systems (sloping, shoring, or trench box) on any excavation 5 feet or deeper, plus Dig Safely New York mark-out on every utility job. Backwell crews are trained on shielding and shoring, operate our own trench boxes to 20 feet of depth, and coordinate directly with the utility companies on tie-ins. Solar projects increasingly include miles of collection-system conduit trenching, we routinely run 10,000–40,000 feet of trench on a utility-scale solar job.
Cut-and-fill is the rough grading work that converts a natural site topography into the engineered surface shown on civil drawings. For commercial sites this means balancing cut and fill quantities on site where possible (to avoid truck traffic and disposal costs), compacting engineered fill in 8–12-inch lifts to 95% Standard Proctor on building pads and 92% on general site areas, and documenting compaction with nuclear density testing. Backwell maintains subgrade tolerances typically within 0.10 ft above and below plan on commercial pads, with tighter tolerances on paving subgrade.
New York commercial excavation pricing moves with soil type, haul distance, disposal fees, SWPPP requirements, and whether the job falls under Davis-Bacon prevailing wage. The table below gives realistic 2026 ranges for the commercial and industrial work Backwell performs across Central and Western New York. All numbers are all-in including equipment, labor, fuel, supervision, and small tools; they exclude bonds, mobilization outside our primary service area, and third-party testing.
| Excavation Type | Cost Per Bank CY | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mass excavation, standard soil | $12–$22 | Assumes on-site spoil placement or haul under 10 miles |
| Mass excavation, export haul | $18–$28 | Plus tipping fees $4–$12/CY depending on material classification |
| Foundation excavation | $18–$32 | Includes precision grade control and shoring as required |
| Rock excavation, hammering | $35–$65 | Hydraulic hammer, Onondaga Limestone typical |
| Rock excavation, blasting | $55–$90 | Permitted subcontractor, requires pre-blast survey |
| Utility trench, 0–6 ft deep | $22–$38 per LF | Billed by linear foot, not CY; includes bedding and backfill |
| Utility trench, 6–12 ft deep | $45–$75 per LF | Shoring or trench box required; dewatering often added |
| Prevailing wage uplift | +15–30% | Applies to Davis-Bacon and IRA-qualifying solar work |
For detailed worked examples by project type, see our excavation cost per cubic yard guide, commercial site work cost breakdown, and mass excavation cut-fill guide. For every commercial job we bid we walk the site, pull the soils data from the NRCS Web Soil Survey, verify bedrock depth against local test borings when available, and build a quantity take-off the client can actually check.
Excavation that looks simple on a drawing is rarely simple on the ground. Here is how Backwell runs a commercial excavation project from the first site walk to final grade turnover.
Every commercial bid starts with a site walk. We overlay the civil drawings on current topography, verify the cut/fill balance, flag soil concerns from the geotech report (or call out the need for one if it's missing), and confirm access, staging, and haul routes. We build our own take-off rather than accepting the GC's number, when we bid, we are bidding our own math.
New York commercial construction disturbing 1 acre or more triggers the NYSDEC SPDES General Permit GP-0-20-001. Before we break ground we coordinate the SWPPP with the design team, file the Notice of Intent if we are the qualified contractor of record, and stage the erosion and sediment control measures (silt fence, construction entrance, sediment traps, inlet protection) required in the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan. Our CPESC-certified staff and NYSDEC Trained Qualified Contractors run weekly SWPPP inspections and maintain inspection records for the life of the project.
Most Central New York commercial sites sit over seasonal high water tables. On foundation excavations deeper than 4–5 feet, we plan dewatering from the start, sock-and-sump systems for small jobs, well-point systems for larger footprints, and discharge to an NYSDEC-permitted dewatering bag or sediment trap. Material management is the other half: we designate spoil stockpiles outside the active construction footprint, protect them with perimeter silt fence, and moisture-condition export material for haul.
Mobilization brings the iron on low-boy trucks, sets up the fuel and maintenance staging, runs the initial utility mark-out verification, and establishes GNSS base stations for machine control. Earthwork production runs against the take-off: we log CY placed or removed daily, cross-check against survey, and flag rock or unsuitable material immediately so the client can approve change orders before the cost escalates.
Final grade is where commercial excavation earns its money. We bring the site to subgrade tolerance (typically 0.10 ft above and below plan, tighter on pad and paving subgrades), coordinate nuclear density testing with the third-party testing firm, and hold a turnover walk with the owner, GC, and civil engineer. We do not leave until the subgrade is accepted in writing.
Commercial excavation is an iron business. Backwell owns rather than rents its primary excavation fleet, which keeps us on schedule when rental yards run thin during peak construction season. Our core fleet includes Case CX350D (95,000 lb class) and CX210 (48,000 lb class) Tier 4 hydraulic excavators equipped with buckets, thumb attachments, and hydraulic hammers; Case 750 and 1150 bulldozers for spreading and grading; Case 521G and John Deere 644 wheel loaders for load-out; articulated dump trucks for off-road haul; tandem and tri-axle dump trucks for road-legal export; motor graders for fine finish work; compactors (sheepsfoot, smooth drum, walk-behind plate) sized from 1-ton to 20-ton; skid steers and compact track loaders with attachments (augers, grapples, forks) for detail work; and dewatering pumps, well-points, and light towers for round-the-clock capability. We also maintain winter equipment, track-mounted snow plows, heated-shelter mobile offices, and cold-weather fuel systems, so our commercial excavation season does not end in November.
Any excavator with a running machine can move dirt. Commercial excavation clients increasingly need a contractor who can also run the paperwork. Here is what we bring to every commercial excavation project.
On publicly funded, union-PLA, and IRA-eligible solar work, Backwell operates under Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates (29 CFR Part 3 and 5) and files weekly certified payroll (WH-347) through the required reporting portal. Apprenticeship hours are documented under 26 CFR 1.45-7. We do not learn the compliance framework on the job, we have been running certified payroll since we started taking prevailing-wage work.
Backwell is a Trained Qualified Contractor under NYSDEC SPDES General Permit GP-0-20-001. We run weekly SWPPP inspections, install and maintain perimeter controls to the NYS Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control (Blue Book), and document discharge monitoring where the permit requires it. CPESC certification is current on our environmental staff.
Utility-scale solar projects seeking the bonus IRA Section 45 or Section 48 tax credit require documented apprenticeship ratios (15% in 2026 stepping to 20% by 2028) and prevailing wage on all construction labor. We maintain apprenticeship program relationships with Central New York trades and document hours project-by-project so the project owner's tax counsel can sign off on the credit with confidence. See our IRA tax credit compliance guide for the full framework.
Field supervision is OSHA 30 Construction certified. Trench work is supervised by a Subpart P competent person. Backwell is an ISNetworld Member Contractor (Company ID 400-973292) with current safety documentation, which keeps us pre-qualified with national GCs and EPC firms who run their subs through ISN.
Backwell is based in Constantia in Oswego County and our core commercial excavation service area covers seven counties across Central and Western New York. Our crews mobilize daily across the I-81, I-90, and I-690 corridor to Syracuse, Rochester, Utica, Auburn, Oswego, and Rome markets. Primary service area: Syracuse, Oswego, Auburn, Utica, Rome, Oneida, Fulton, Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Cicero, Manlius, Fayetteville, Cazenovia, Chittenango, New Hartford, Whitesboro, Pulaski, and Skaneateles. Larger commercial and industrial projects (utility-scale solar, distribution centers, municipal utility corridors) pull us anywhere in New York State.
If your project involves any of the following, you need a commercial excavation contractor rather than a residential excavator: a SWPPP is required (any site disturbing 1 acre or more); the earthwork scope exceeds 1,000 cubic yards; the project is publicly funded, under a PLA, or seeking IRA solar credits (triggers prevailing wage); deep utility work beyond 6 feet requires formal shoring; the site has known rock or bedrock; the GC requires ISN pre-qualification or bond-backed performance; or the project will be tested by a third-party geotechnical firm against specified compaction standards. Residential excavators can and do work on commercial sites, but the compliance and documentation framework is where most small operators fall short.
Commercial excavation rarely shows up alone on a project. The work we do under commercial excavation usually runs alongside one or more of these related services:
Running multiple scopes through one contractor, instead of sequencing three separate subs, removes handoff risk and usually trims 8–15% off the total earthwork cost. That is why Backwell takes the full civil package when the owner will let us.
If you are a GC, EPC firm, developer, municipal owner, or industrial user with a commercial excavation scope in New York, Backwell responds to bid requests within one business day and provides free site walks for qualified projects. Call (315) 400-2654, email [email protected], or use the form at the top of the page. Ron Starusnak handles commercial estimates personally and you will get an actual contractor on the phone, not a scheduler.
Backwell shares ownership with two New York real estate companies: RenPro Property Management (100+ rental properties, 4.9 stars on Google) and RenPro property management software. When rental owners need commercial site work or excavation, we coordinate directly. Read about how the three companies work together.