# trenching rates



## FrunkSlammer

I charge minimum wage when I dig, because that's all it's worth.


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## svh19044

I don't charge the customer a "per foot price", just a flat rate price with my own per foot prices built in. 

2' deep trench is about $10/foot with a $500 min. If there are lots of trees or I know the area is more rocky, the price is closer to $15/ft.


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## 24 big guy

svh19044 said:


> I don't charge the customer a "per foot price", just a flat rate price with my own per foot prices built in.
> 
> 2' deep trench is about $10/foot with a $500 min. If there are lots of trees or I know the area is more rocky, the price is closer to $15/ft.


Im not charging the customer a per ft rate im trying to figur out what is the rate for labor on trenching and productivity. 

Meaninng on average normal helper can dig an 18"-2' deep trench of 10' per hr thats an examplr.


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## chicken steve

It costs anywhere from $75-$150 hr for a machine , plus delivery & dig safe costs . 

That said, do you really want my _haz-been grumpy 'ol posterior_ to take 3 days to go 130', or do you want a machine to knock it off & backfill it by lunch?

~CS~


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## Kunolop

chicken steve said:


> It costs anywhere from $75-$150 hr for a machine , plus delivery & dig safe costs . That said, do you really want my haz-been grumpy 'ol posterior to take 3 days to go 130', or do you want a machine to knock it off & backfill it by lunch? ~CS~


I agree, we don't dig by hand unless it's absolutely necessary. We rent the the correct size mini excavator and do it ourselves or sub it out on bigger projects. As for pricing, I don't break out the trench I include the pricing in my quote for the complete job. I have had homeowners ask if they can dig the trench themselves to save money which is fine, but then I give them back 75% of my costs to dig it, so we're making more profit. Digging with a machine is easy to estimate, rental, delivery, diesel, and a couple hours to dig and backfill. Once you get good with the machines controls the machine rental and delivery will be cheaper than digging by hand.


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## 24 big guy

Kunolop said:


> I agree, we don't dig by hand unless it's absolutely necessary. We rent the the correct size mini excavator and do it ourselves or sub it out on bigger projects. As for pricing, I don't break out the trench I include the pricing in my quote for the complete job. I have had homeowners ask if they can dig the trench themselves to save money which is fine, but then I give them back 75% of my costs to dig it, so we're making more profit. Digging with a machine is easy to estimate, rental, delivery, diesel, and a couple hours to dig and backfill. Once you get good with the machines controls the machine rental and delivery will be cheaper than digging by hand.


I just dont see the point of destroying the yard when they make a 4" wide trenching shovel that will make less damage to lawn. Imo 

I do think rentals have there place I just dont know if this case it is worth it where yard is existing and intact.

Im not seperating the trench cost. Im tryi g to figure how I should charge and what the rate of productivity is????


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## drspec

I actually charge a higher rate for trenching so I wont get those pita jobs

and if I do, I should make money on them


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## 24 big guy

Again how long does it take to dig on average so many ft/per hr based on a 18"-2' deep.

Do you charge same labor rate as when doing resi/commercial etc??


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## HARRY304E

24 big guy said:


> Im not charging the customer a per ft rate im trying to figur out what is the rate for labor on trenching and productivity.
> 
> Meaninng on average normal helper can dig an 18"-2' deep trench of 10' per hr thats an examplr.


Remember you cannot leave a helper alone digging, so you'll need a journeymen there Just to yell at the helper to dig faster :laughing:


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## FrunkSlammer

24 big guy said:


> Again how long does it take to dig on average so many ft/per hr based on a 18"-2' deep.


I'm consistent at 1.732 ft/hr, unless there's beers waiting at the end.

A 3rd year apprentice can get up to 6ft/hr.

A 2nd year apprentice can hit 10ft/hr. 

A brand new hire can do about 30ft/hr.


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## 24 big guy

FrunkSlammer said:


> I'm consistent at 1.732 ft/hr, unless there's beers waiting at the end.
> 
> A 3rd year apprentice can get up to 6ft/hr.
> 
> A 2nd year apprentice can hit 10ft/hr.
> 
> A brand new hire can do about 30ft/hr.


Love the 1.732 didnt realize I was calculating for 3 phase


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## svh19044

24 big guy said:


> Again how long does it take to dig on average so many ft/per hr based on a 18"-2' deep.
> 
> Do you charge same labor rate as when doing resi/commercial etc??


I use a trencher for soil. Its about 100' per hour, with all kinds of exceptions. In other words its insanely easy money. Why the hell would you trench 130' by hand? Go rent a trencher for $250 for the day. 

If we are talking asphalt for commercial I sub it out.


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## Kunolop

24 big guy said:


> I just dont see the point of destroying the yard when they make a 4" wide trenching shovel that will make less damage to lawn. Imo I do think rentals have there place I just dont know if this case it is worth it where yard is existing and intact. Im not seperating the trench cost. Im tryi g to figure how I should charge and what the rate of productivity is????


Yeah most of my work is new construction so I don't have to worry about damaging the grass. They do rent a chain trencher that works ok I guess in our soil conditions (gumble) and is small enough not to do to much damage. What your looking for a flat rate for trenching doesn't exist in my opinion unless it's extremely high and takes into considerations all the bs your going to come across trenching by hand. I would say when we did trench by hand I just guessed at it and then added some more time just in case. Say a 30' trench here 6" wide and 18-24" deep would take me 3-4 hrs in my soil conditions. I would allow 6 hours for it in my estimate. If the yard has trees, the soil is rocky the labour will be more. If the situation and wiring methods are exactly the same in residential or commercial your pricing should be the same, just cause it's commercial doesn't make it cheaper or more expensive to be in business. Although in commercial you will encounter way more obstacles to work around this will affect your pricing.


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## FrunkSlammer

24 big guy said:


> Love the 1.732 didnt realize I was calculating for 3 phase


I always install 3phase trenches for my resi customers... value added service! 

That's why people pick me over the other guys who just do single phase trenches.


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## chicken steve

FrunkSlammer said:


> I'm consistent at 1.732 ft/hr, unless there's beers waiting at the end.
> 
> A 3rd year apprentice can get up to 6ft/hr.
> 
> A 2nd year apprentice can hit 10ft/hr.
> 
> A brand new hire can do about 30ft/hr.


:whistling2:I just sit around & _beeatch_ @ zero ft an hr...:laughing:~CS~


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## chicken steve

24 big guy said:


> I just dont see the point of destroying the yard when they make a 4" wide trenching shovel that will make less damage to lawn. Imo


I got a guy in one of these small one man rubber track deals, don't even know a machine was there after he's gone....:thumbup:~CS~


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## mdnitedrftr

drspec said:


> I actually charge a higher rate for trenching so I wont get those pita jobs
> 
> and if I do, I should make money on them


Same. I hate digging.


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## Magnettica

drspec said:


> I actually charge a higher rate for trenching so I wont get those pita jobs
> 
> and if I do, I should make money on them



Exactly! I'm doing one now that I did not want to do but I quoted it high so that if I got it would be like raining hundred-dollar bills.


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## electricmalone

My company charges the same hourly rate whether we are digging, or troubleshooting. Who cares what I'm doing. You hired me, this is what it costs. When I work on the side, I charge $100 per foot of trench. That way I usually don't do it, and if I do, it's worth my time.


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## EBFD6

electricmalone said:


> My company charges the same hourly rate whether we are digging, or troubleshooting. Who cares what I'm doing. You hired me, this is what it costs.


Because digging sucks and you should get paid more to do it. Plus it's brainless work and something the customer could do themselves to save money. If they are that lazy or not capable of doing it, then they should pay a premium to have you do it. I'm an electrician, I'm not interested in digging trenches for a living. 


> When I work on the side, I charge $100 per foot of trench. That way I usually don't do it, and if I do, it's worth my time.


Exactly! I'm a little confused though. This statement completely contradicts the first part of your post.


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## wendon

I sub a lot of mine out to a friend with a mini excavator. Costs me about $2 a foot and I've thought that was a little high some times but after reading what trenching costs in the eastern states, I may have to rethink!!!
$10 x 500' = $5000 for part of a day's worth of trenching is pretty good money in my opinion.


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## daveEM

wendon said:


> $10 x 500' = $5000 for part of a day's worth of trenching is pretty good money in my opinion.


Well, I'm pretty sure you could walk 500 ft. in part of a day. Maybe even carry a shovel.

You ain't digging 500 feet in a week tho.


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## svh19044

daveEM said:


> Well, I'm pretty sure you could walk 500 ft. in part of a day. Maybe even carry a shovel.
> 
> You ain't digging 500 feet in a week tho.


Does canada really lack access to a trencher?

Or is your ground simply not trench able and you need a backhoe/ex?


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## svh19044

wendon said:


> I sub a lot of mine out to a friend with a mini excavator. Costs me about $2 a foot and I've thought that was a little high some times but after reading what trenching costs in the eastern states, I may have to rethink!!!
> $10 x 500' = $5000 for part of a day's worth of trenching is pretty good money in my opinion.


Trenching is awesome easy money with a trencher.


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## wcord

svh19044 said:


> Does canada really lack access to a trencher?
> 
> Or is your ground simply not trench able and you need a backhoe/ex?


Trenchers are us!
How else can you trench when the ground is frozen 8 foot deep for 11 months of the year?


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## electricmalone

EBFD6 said:


> Because digging sucks and you should get paid more to do it. Plus it's brainless work and something the customer could do themselves to save money. If they are that lazy or not capable of doing it, then they should pay a premium to have you do it. I'm an electrician, I'm not interested in digging trenches for a living. Exactly! I'm a little confused though. This statement completely contradicts the first part of your post.


The company I work for full time charges the same money per hour, no matter what the customer needs done. It will cost you $125/hr whether I'm wiring your boiler, or if I'm getting your boat from the marina and bringing it to your dock (yes I have a service customer that did this last spring, and paid in full when she received the $1500 invoice, and she's on the schedule for mid-May again). When I am trunk-slamming weekends for my own cash in pocket, I do everything in my power to avoid digging, I hate it. If the customer is willing to pay $100 per. ft, I'm willing to dig.


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## wendon

daveEM said:


> Well, I'm pretty sure you could walk 500 ft. in part of a day. Maybe even carry a shovel.
> 
> You ain't digging 500 feet in a week tho.


I ain't digging anything. My friend's mini-excavator digs just fine!!:thumbsup: How about we take a pass through the Kennedy states. I'll pay my buddy $2 a foot for trenching and charge the customer $10 a foot. We have a deal??


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## Shockdoc

wendon said:


> I ain't digging anything. My friend's mini-excavator digs just fine!!:thumbsup: How about we take a pass through the Kennedy states. I'll pay my buddy $2 a foot for trenching and charge the customer $10 a foot. We have a deal??


I don't touch shovels or farm implements. Im hiring a burrito boy next week for a landscape lighting job I got. Im gonna work him as if he was the brother of the cop that falsely arrested me.


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## Spunk#7

I really love to see he look on my customer's faces when I tell them "The rate digging and electrical work are the same"!


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## electricmalone

Spunk#7 said:


> I really love to see he look on my customer's faces when I tell them "The rate digging and electrical work are the same"!


I don't see why anyone would charge a lower rate for doing mindless work. So you charge less per hour to re-device a house than troubleshooting an HVAC control issue?? I don't think so.


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## yrman

Our employees expect to be paid the same wages if they are doing electrical work or digging a trench. Our bills don't care how we get the money to pay them. We do some trenching sometimes. Sometimes by hand, sometimes with trenchers, sometimes we have cheap labor and other times its a skilled journeyman. We tell people that Electricians are VERY expensive ditch diggers. I would no more charge less for that kind of labor than tell a journeyman I'm paying him less because the work we needed him to do was unskilled. We'll do it, but have no problem if they do it themselves. BUT if the trench isn't straight or deep enough that will cost.


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## wendon

wcord said:


> Trenchers are us!
> How else can you trench when the ground is frozen 8 foot deep for 11 months of the year?


What do you use something that small for up there on the frozen tundra? Dog security fence?:laughing:


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## FrunkSlammer

wendon said:


> What do you use something that small for up there on the frozen tundra? Dog security fence?:laughing:


Commuter to get to the real trencher.


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## wcord

FrunkSlammer said:


> Commuter to get to the real trencher.


And this is what happens when you park in the way lol ( a CAT D8R)


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## jsmart84

That's funny this topic came up. I charge normally 10 to 15 a ft and I'm doing a 200 amp underground service this week. Since we are close to the existing underground servoce and will be close.to water I was thinking of doing it by hand but I'm going to rent one of the mini excavators and try it out. No sense in struggling. I have no problem digging . Most of my guys do lol, landscaping lighting is actually one of my favorite things to do.


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## daveEM

svh19044 said:


> Does canada really lack access to a trencher?
> 
> Or is your ground simply not trench able and you need a backhoe/ex?


I just did a 50 foot trench last summer. Owner said he woul dig it. Liked digging he said.

Found himself an old shovel and in less that 15 minutes decided he really didn't like digging. Especially when I showed him via a tape measure that his 2 foot deep trench was really one foot deep.

$600.00 and a mini hoe did the trick. Shovel does NOT fit on my tool belt. The way it is in my company. Besides everyone has to make a living, even the hoes.


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## denny3992

chicken steve said:


> It costs anywhere from $75-$150 hr for a machine , plus delivery & dig safe costs .
> 
> That said, do you really want my haz-been grumpy 'ol posterior to take 3 days to go 130', or do you want a machine to knock it off & backfill it by lunch?
> 
> ~CS~


Amen brother... My trench diggin days are soooo over

I have a friend with a machine @ $350 a day!

I cant justify my time or rental for that


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## Tiger

I usually sub out trenching unless it is very short, and have the customer pay the trencher directly. I used to use a guy (10 years ago) who showed up with two trucks, three guys and a trenching tractor. He never charged much, I'm guessing under $300 for 24" x 100'.

Last year I worked with a landscaping crew of three guys who dug by hand. I used them once for a personal job that was 8" x 50' for IMC. It was a $100 minimum. Flying elbows for less than an hour, but this is black dirt Illinois. He said they have insurance but never produced the paperwork, so I'd need that before using them for business.

When I do the digging I get more than $100. I could have spent all day on my 50 footer.


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## FrunkSlammer




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## chicken steve

My camp shovel is behind the seat with a roll of TP>








I've taken it out a few times when folks want me to dig, waddle over and spend 15 minutes removing about a coffee cup's worth of dirt, while wheezing and complaining......and i always stop to point out decent worms :no::jester::whistling2::laughing:~CS~


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## farlsincharge

We charge regular rates plus equipment.
I have a funny story, a couple years ago we had to hand expose a line and then hand trench it about 30 feet. The guy was kind of cheap so I asked him if he wanted to do the digging. He declined and said we should do it.

I dug the trench, ran the line, installed the panel, then asked him if he wanted us to wire up the pressure system in this little shack we had serviced. He said no, he would do it later.


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## caseyelectric

It's gotta be short ditch for me to dig by hand and I'm a digging fool.....getting too old for that and do enough to not get too old


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## carryyourbooks

Kunolop said:


> I agree, we don't dig by hand unless it's absolutely necessary. We rent the the correct size mini excavator and do it ourselves or sub it out on bigger projects. As for pricing, I don't break out the trench I include the pricing in my quote for the complete job. I have had homeowners ask if they can dig the trench themselves to save money which is fine, but then I give them back 75% of my costs to dig it, so we're making more profit. Digging with a machine is easy to estimate, rental, delivery, diesel, and a couple hours to dig and backfill. Once you get good with the machines controls the machine rental and delivery will be cheaper than digging by hand.


yeah, but it has to be cost effective to get the machine. i hand dig mostly, but i hardly go over 60'. i charge $20 per foot for digging, pipe, and aluminum wire. if i'm doing copper, i just add copper to whatever it is at $20 per foot plus markup.


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## SC McDade

What are the soil conditions?
sandy? clay? rock?

I price excavation work all the time.

SC McDade


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