Excavation Contractor in Lakewood, CO
Excavation and grading for Lakewood properties, from Green Mountain hillside lots to flatter Belmar-area foundations.
Building in Lakewood
Excavation in Lakewood splits along the city's own terrain. On the Green Mountain side and along the Bear Creek and Weaver Gulch drainages, the work is as much about managing uphill surface flow as it is about moving dirt — a cut that doesn't account for where water travels during spring melt just relocates the flooding problem to a different wall of the house. On the flatter east side near Belmar and Union Square, the ground behaves more like typical Front Range clay and the concerns shift toward compaction and backfill.
We start every Lakewood excavation with a look at the existing grading and where water currently moves across the lot, because on hillside parcels that tells us more than the plans do about where a French drain, a swale, or a retaining structure actually needs to go. Cutting a foundation without addressing the flow above it just means digging it out again in five years.
Access on Lakewood's older split-level lots is usually workable but tight — attached garages, mature landscaping from the 1960s and 70s, and side yards that were never meant to fit equipment. We measure access and plan the haul route before mobilizing rather than discovering a problem with a machine already on site.
Permitting and approvals
- City of Lakewood grading or excavation permits for work inside city limits.
- Jefferson County permits for adjacent unincorporated parcels.
- Colorado 811 utility locates before any digging begins.
- Drainage or grading review where the scope changes how surface water leaves a hillside lot.
What shapes a Lakewood project
Hillside surface water on the west side
Green Mountain slopes shed water fast during snowmelt and summer storms. Excavation and grading plans need to route that flow around the structure, not just prepare the building pad.
Front Range clay on flatter ground
East Lakewood and the Belmar area sit on more typical swelling clay, where compacted backfill and positive drainage away from the foundation matter as much as the dig itself.
Split-level lots with limited access
Many 1960s-70s properties have attached garages and narrow side yards. Compact equipment and a planned haul route are usually the only way to get a foundation or drainage excavation done without damaging what's already there.
Jurisdiction at the city edge
Parcels near the Lakewood boundary can sit in unincorporated Jefferson County. We confirm which building division has permitting authority before scheduling inspections.
What we build in Lakewood
Neighborhoods and areas we cover
- Green Mountain
- Applewood
- Belmar
- Union Square
- Solterra
- Glennon Heights
- Bear Creek corridor
- Lakewood Country Club area
Lakewood questions, answered
Why does hillside excavation cost more in Lakewood?
Slope changes everything about equipment staging, cut stability, and where excavated material can go. On Green Mountain lots we're also usually designing for water moving downhill through the site, which adds drainage work that a flat lot wouldn't need.
Can excavation fix a wet basement caused by hillside drainage?
Often the fix is regrading and a French drain or swale that intercepts water before it reaches the foundation, rather than excavating around the basement itself. We diagnose where the water is actually coming from before proposing which one applies.
Do you need special equipment for Green Mountain lots?
Compact track loaders and mini excavators are the norm on steep or narrow-access Lakewood lots. They move slower than full-size equipment but fit where a larger machine can't, which matters more than raw speed on most of these sites.
Is my Lakewood property in the city or Jefferson County?
Not always obvious from the address — several pockets along the city boundary are unincorporated county land. We verify against the parcel record before pulling permits, since the two jurisdictions review differently.
Read before you start
Planning something in Lakewood?
Tell us what you have in mind. We walk the site, talk through what it actually takes here, and send a line-item estimate you can read.