Looking for a trenching service?
Need a Trench Dug? We Bury the Line Without One.
We'll be straight with you. We don't dig trenches. If you need a water line, electric line, or gas line put in the ground, we do it by directional drilling. Two small pits, a drill that goes underneath, and your line gets pulled through. The lawn, the trees, and the driveway stay where they are.
Once you add up what a trench costs to fix afterward, drilling often comes out about the same. Sometimes less.
Typical bore up to 150 ft: $3,000, done in a day or less. Free estimates.
What the trench really costs
The trencher quote is only the first line. After it come the driveway cut, the sprinkler repairs, backfill, topsoil, seed, and weeks of watering. For a typical 100-foot run through an established lawn, that lands between $2,300 and $6,000. A bore up to 150 feet is $3,000, and there's nothing to restore.
What happens to the yard
A ditch and a dirt pile the length of the run
Two small pits, one at each end
Driveways and sidewalks
Saw-cut, removed, and repoured
We go under them
Restoration
Backfill, topsoil, seed, and weeks of watering
Fill two small holes
Typical cost
$2,300 to $6,000 once restoration is counted
$3,000 for a bore up to 150 ft
Time
Days of digging, then months of regrowth
A day or less
Trench figures are illustrative, based on typical Northern Michigan costs. Every property is different, which is why the estimate is free.
See the full trench vs. bore breakdownThe trenches we replace
If you were going to dig a trench for it, we can usually drill it instead.
Trench for a water line
Water to a garage, pole barn, or new house. We bore it below the frost line, and a deeper bore costs about the same as a shallow one.
Trench for an electric line
Conduit out to a shop, barn, or generator. We put the conduit in the ground and your electrician pulls the wire.
Trench for gas or propane
Propane and natural gas lines to the house, garage, generator, or pool heater.
Trench for internet cable
Fiber or ethernet from the house out to a pole barn or office.
Trench across a driveway
We go under the driveway, sidewalk, or road. Nothing gets saw-cut or patched.
Trench for septic or drainage
Septic lines and buried downspouts, run under the lawn instead of through it.
How we do it instead
MISS DIG marks the public lines and our locating specialist finds the private ones. We dig a small pit at each end, steer the drill underground from one to the other, and pull your pipe or conduit back through. Then we fill the pits and go home. We run five directional drills and our own hydrovac, so there's a machine sized for a backyard or a long commercial run.
How directional drilling worksContractor with a trench on the schedule?
Electricians, plumbers, excavators, and builders sub their bores to us or hand them off for a referral. We usually show up in about 3 days and stay out of your way.
Commercial and contractor workCommon questions
Do you do trenching?
We don't dig trenches. We put lines underground by directional drilling, which does the same job without the ditch. We dig two small pits, drill between them, and pull your pipe or conduit back through. Everything in between stays as it is.
Is boring more expensive than trenching?
Often it isn't, once you count everything. A trencher quote covers the digging. Then come driveway cuts, sprinkler repairs, backfill, topsoil, and seed. A realistic trench total runs $2,300 to $6,000. A typical bore up to 150 feet is $3,000, and there's nothing to restore.
How deep can you put a water or electric line?
As deep as the job needs. A water line goes below the frost line. With a trench, deeper means a wider cut and more money. With a bore, depth barely changes the price.
How soon can you do it?
We usually get you on the schedule in about 3 days, after MISS DIG has marked the public utilities. Most jobs are done in a day or less.
What area do you cover?
We're in Williamsburg, just east of Traverse City. Most of our work is in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Kalkaska, Benzie, and Wexford counties, and we go farther for the right job.
Tell us where the line goes.
We'll tell you what it costs to drill it. Free estimates, no obligation.