Foundation digs, basements, footings, utility trenches, ponds, and bulk earthwork — in tight clearances and tough ground. 4 excavators from 8-ton mini to 36-ton long-reach.
Not every excavation job needs the same machine. A crawlspace dig in a finished yard needs a mini. A 60,000-yard commercial cut needs a 36-ton long-reach. We match equipment to scope — which is why our quotes are accurate and our schedules hold.
We've been digging in Jefferson County and surrounding areas since 2019. That means we know the soil types, the utility layouts, and the conditions that cause problems. We price jobs based on what we actually expect to find — not on best-case assumptions.
"Surprises happen in the dirt, not on the invoice."
Every excavation job we take follows the same four-stage process — because cutting corners on any one of them is how jobs go wrong.
We walk every dig before quoting. Soil, access, neighbors, existing utilities — surprises happen in the dirt, not on the invoice.
811 call, utility locates confirmed, dig zone staked and documented. Nothing moves until the layout is signed off.
Machine matched to scope. Photos and measurements taken as we go. We document what we find underground.
Material removed, stockpiled, or hauled depending on site needs. Site left clean and stable.
From a single-family basement to a multi-acre commercial cut — if it needs a machine in the ground, we've done it.
Full-depth basement excavations and foundation digs for residential and commercial builds. We work to engineered tolerances.
Tight-clearance crawlspace prep and footing trenches. Mini excavators let us work where larger machines can't fit.
Ponds, retention basins, and drainage features shaped and graded to plan. Earthen embankments compacted to spec.
Water, sewer, gas, and electrical trenches dug to grade. We coordinate with utility partners and document every run.
Large-volume commercial cuts and fills for site development. We track quantities and work with your civil grading plan.
Excavating near structures, finished landscaping, live utilities, and property lines. Mini machines, maximum precision.
The wrong machine on the wrong job costs everyone — time, money, and site damage. We run 4 excavators from 8-ton mini to 36-ton long-reach so we're never forcing the wrong tool.
We own CAT, Komatsu, and Volvo iron, a full skid steer fleet, and a complete bucket and attachment library. Whatever the dig calls for, we have it on the trailer.
"We don't upsize a job to fill a machine. We right-size the machine to the job."
J1S Contracting — Festus, MO · Est. 2019We match equipment to scope — which means we need to own the full range. Here's what's in the fleet.
These are the questions we get from homeowners, GCs, and developers before signing a dig contract.
Excavation is the process of cutting material out of the ground — removing soil, rock, or fill to create a hole, trench, or cut. Grading is the process of shaping and leveling the surface to a specified elevation and slope. Most site projects involve both: excavation to remove the bulk material, then grading to finish the surface to plan. We do both, and our crews coordinate the two scopes so you're not managing handoffs between contractors.
Yes. We call 811 (Missouri One-Call) on every job before mobilization. Public utility locates are completed before we touch the ground. For private utilities — irrigation systems, buried conduit, private water lines — we coordinate separately and document their locations as part of our site walk. If you know of any private utilities on site, tell us before we start.
Yes — that's specifically why we run mini excavators. Our smallest unit can work in clearances as narrow as a standard gate opening (36") and weigh in light enough to access finished yards without tearing up turf. We assess access during the site walk and bring the right machine for the conditions.
It depends on the scope. On most jobs, spoil is stockpiled on site for reuse in backfill or grading. If the material isn't reusable, or if there's no room to stockpile, we haul it to a permitted disposal or recycling site. Disposal logistics are discussed during quoting so there are no surprises at closeout.
We work in native Missouri soils year-round — clay, loam, shale, hardpan, and mixed fill. Rock and solid bedrock require specialized drilling or blasting equipment, which we'll identify during the site walk and factor into the quote. We won't take a job that requires equipment we don't have the capability to run safely.
Based in Festus — we run excavation jobs throughout Jefferson County and the St. Louis metro. Short lead times, owner on every site.
Send us the address and scope. We'll walk the site, quote it straight, and get on your schedule.