Cost and pricing
What actually decides what my excavation job costs?
Five things move the number more than anything else: how far equipment has to travel to your site, how machines get into the work area, what your soil does when it is wet, how much dirt has to be hauled off or brought in, and whether the work has to fit around other crews. That is why excavation is quoted per job rather than off a price list — two jobs the same size on different ground are not the same job.
Why did I get three wildly different excavation quotes?
Usually because they are not quoting the same work. One may assume the dirt stays on site while another prices hauling it away; one may have walked the access road and one may not have. Before comparing prices, check that each quote says what happens to the spoil, who handles access, and what the cleanup includes. A number that is low because something was left out is not really lower.
What happens if you hit rock?
Rock, buried debris, or a wet spot nobody expected can change what a job takes. When that happens you get a conversation first — what was found, what it changes, and what it costs — before any change order is written. No surprise line items appearing on an invoice after the fact.
Do you take a deposit, and when do I pay?
It depends on the job. A half-day of grading and a multi-week commercial site are not financed the same way, so the deposit and payment schedule are set with you during the quote rather than by a blanket policy. Whatever is agreed is written into the quote before work starts.
Do you charge to come look at the job?
No. Estimates are free. Grade Worx will come look at the property, walk the access and the work area, and give you a number at no cost and with no obligation to hire.
Permits and inspections
Do I need a permit to build on my property in Klickitat County?
Construction of dwellings and most buildings requires a Klickitat County building permit and inspections before the building can be used or occupied. Permitting checks the project against state construction codes plus setbacks, minimum frontage, drinking water supply, and sewage disposal. You do not need this figured out before you get in touch — send what you know and Grade Worx will tell you what is still missing.
When does stormwater permitting become part of my job?
Washington construction stormwater coverage can apply once clearing, grading, excavating, or stockpiling disturbs one acre or more — or when smaller work is part of a larger common plan of development. If your job is near that line, it is worth flagging in the bid rather than discovering it halfway through.
Septic, water and drainage
Do I need the septic sorted before I can get a building permit?
In Klickitat County you have to show proof of wastewater disposal before a building permit is issued. That means a Site & Soil Evaluation, which sets the parameters your septic designer works from. In practice it is one of the first things to line up on a rural build, because the rest of the schedule waits on it.
Can you dig the test holes for my septic site evaluation?
Yes. Klickitat County requires a Site & Soil Evaluation before it will issue a building permit, and the test holes have to be dug for it. Grade Worx digs them. It is usually the first piece of dirt work on a rural build, because the septic design and then the permit both wait on it.
My land is steep. Can I still put a septic drainfield in?
Not just anywhere on it. In Klickitat County the absorption area cannot be built on slopes steeper than 45% (about 24 degrees), so on steep ground the drainfield location often drives where the house and driveway end up. Worth settling early, because moving it later moves everything else.
How far does the septic have to be from my well?
Typically a 100-foot horizontal separation is required between septic components and any well, surface water, spring, or water supply pipe. On smaller parcels that setback, plus the drainfield itself, is often what decides where there is room to build at all.
Water pools in my yard every winter. Is that an excavation fix?
Often, yes. Standing water is usually a grade problem, a missing or crushed culvert, or a ditch that stopped draining. It is worth looking at before it gets near a foundation or a septic drainfield. Send photos of where the water sits and where it comes from and you will get a straight answer on whether dirt work will solve it.
Safety and site work
What about buried utility lines?
Digging anywhere in Washington without a utility locate is against state law. Locates are requested through 811 or digsafewashington.com at least two full business days before digging, and the service is free. As of January 1, 2026 the rules tightened further: excavation cannot begin until a positive response has come back from every utility operator with facilities in the area. It is worth asking any contractor how they handle locates before they put a machine on your ground.
Do you call in the locates, or do I?
Grade Worx handles it. Locates get called in and the required responses come back before a machine touches the ground — you do not have to file the 811 ticket or track the utility responses yourself.
Is cleanup and hauling the extra dirt away included?
Yes. Hauling the extra material away and cleaning up afterward are part of the quote, not a separate line you get billed for later. When the machines leave, the site is ready for whatever comes next.
Will heavy equipment wreck my existing driveway or lawn?
No. Access routes, driveways and disturbed ground get put back — the standard is that the property is left better than it was before we showed up, not merely no worse. If getting equipment in will affect something you care about, say so during the estimate and it gets planned around.
Working with Grade Worx
Do you work in my town?
Grade Worx works a roughly 50-mile radius from its yard in Goldendale. On the Washington side that covers Centerville, Wishram, Klickitat, Lyle, Dallesport, Wahkiacus, Bickleton, Glenwood, White Salmon, Bingen, Husum and Trout Lake; across the river it reaches The Dalles, Hood River, Mosier, Wasco, Moro, Dufur and Arlington. Being inside that radius means a faster site visit and less travel loaded into the price. Farther out is still worth asking about.
How fast will I hear back?
Every request is read personally and answered within one business day, Mon–Fri 8am–5pm. If the job is time-sensitive, call or text 1 (509) 772-2668 and say so rather than waiting on the form.
Who will I actually be dealing with?
A small operation, not a call center. Perry Lancaster handles project management and is the direct contact at (509) 250-6087 or PerryL@Gradeworxllc.com. Behind the bid is 38 years of heavy construction experience across large earthmoving, road building, mining, and cleanup work on contaminated sites.
What do past customers say?
Grade Worx is rated 5.0 out of 5 across 12 Google reviews. Two themes repeat: the quote came in under the competing bids, and the work happened on the day it was promised. One customer who collected several quotes wrote that "his quote is much more reasonable than others"; another said they "reached out same day" and had what they needed by the next morning.
Do you take small residential jobs, or only big commercial ones?
Both. Commercial and industrial sites and road building on one side; house pads, foundations, driveways, culverts and drainage on the other. Send what you need and you will get a straight answer on whether it is a fit — including when it is not.
Are you licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes — licensed, bonded and insured, registered with Washington State Department of Labor & Industries as GRADEW*841D3. You can look that number up on the L&I “Verify a Contractor” tool to confirm the registration, bond and insurance are active before you hire.
What equipment do you actually own?
Grade Worx owns its equipment outright — graders, excavators, rollers, trucks and trailers, and the rest of what a job needs at any size. Nothing waits on a rental yard having the right machine free, which is a large part of why start dates hold.
What if the grade settles or the drainage does not hold up?
Settlement and drainage expectations get discussed and agreed during the estimate and quote, so what is covered is settled in writing before work starts rather than argued about afterward. Ask about it while you are getting the quote — that is the point to pin it down.