Excavation & Site Prep in Dunes City, Oregon: 2026 Guide

Excavation & Site Prep in Dunes City, Oregon

Excavation is the foundation work that decides whether everything built on top of it holds up. Dunes City sits on the Oregon coast in Lane County, surrounding Woahink and Siltcoos Lakes in the Oregon Dunes, on sandy ground near sensitive water bodies. That coastal setting makes soil stability, drainage, and environmental rules the central concerns of almost every site-prep job here.

Cojo Excavation & Asphalt handles excavation, grading, drainage, utility trenching, and land clearing across coastal Lane County from our Willamette Valley base. This guide covers what excavation costs on the coast, how sandy soil and permits factor in, and what a job looks like start to finish.

What Excavation Costs in Dunes City

Excavation pricing is driven by volume of material, soil type, access, haul distance, and what you are digging for. Sandy coastal ground, the lakes, and travel distance to the coast all factor in.

Industry baseline ranges shown below. Actual costs vary widely with soil conditions, water table, access, haul distance, disposal fees, and project scope.

Service	Industry Baseline Range
Site grading	$1.50–$5.00 per sq ft
Excavation (general)	$50–$200 per cubic yard
Utility trenching	$10–$25 per linear foot
Land clearing	$1,500–$5,000+ per acre
Drainage installation	varies by system

These are reference ranges only. Excavation carries more cost variables than almost any other trade, and Dunes City's sandy soil and coastal access add their own considerations. A site visit is the only way to get a real number. Our Oregon excavation cost guide explains what moves these figures.

Sandy Coastal Soils

Sand behaves nothing like valley soil. It does not hold a load on its own, it shifts, and it can let water move through quickly in some spots while staying saturated in others near the lakes. Excavating in sand means managing material that wants to slump back into the hole, and any pad or base built on sand needs to be engineered for stability, often with a deeper compacted aggregate section and geotextile fabric to keep the sand and the rock from mixing.

We grade coastal sites to drain properly, build stable platforms over sand for driveways and structures, and account for the high water table near the lakes. On sandy coastal ground, soil stability is the heart of the job.

Lakes, Wetlands, Erosion Control, and Permits

Oregon and Lane County regulate ground disturbance to protect water quality, and Dunes City's proximity to Woahink and Siltcoos Lakes and the surrounding wetlands and dunes means those rules carry real weight. Once a project disturbs ground above a certain size threshold, erosion and sediment control measures are required, and work near the lakes, wetlands, or in sensitive coastal zones can trigger additional environmental review and permitting. Dunes City has been notably protective of its lake water quality, so near-water work warrants extra care.

We know which thresholds apply and build the required erosion controls, silt fences and sediment barriers, into the job, with extra attention near water bodies. For grading-heavy sites, our site grading cost in Oregon guide explains the process in more depth.

Call Before You Dig: The 811 Locate

Every excavation job in Oregon legally starts with a call to 811. Utility locators mark buried gas, electric, water, sewer, and communication lines before any digging. This is free, required by law, and prevents strikes that cause injury, outages, and liability. Coastal lake properties often have private lines, like well, septic, and buried power, that also need identifying.

We handle the 811 locate and ask about private utilities as standard practice on every job.

What We Excavate For

Most Dunes City excavation work falls into a few categories:

• Driveway and pavement prep — Excavating sand and building a stable, well-drained base, tied to our asphalt paving in Dunes City work.
• Drainage — French drains, catch basins, and regrading to handle coastal rain and the high water table near the lakes.
• Utility trenching — Trenches for water, sewer, electrical, and other service lines, dug to depth and backfilled properly.
• Land clearing — Removing brush and vegetation to open a coastal site, with care for sensitive areas.
• Site grading — Shaping sandy ground into stable, well-drained pads.

How a Job Runs

We start with a site walk to understand soil, drainage, the water table, proximity to the lakes, access, and scope. We confirm permit and erosion-control requirements, including any near-water environmental rules, place the 811 locate, and mobilize equipment sized to the job. As we work, we manage water, control erosion with extra care near the lakes, and compact fill in lifts so the finished site is stable. Final grading sets the site up to drain and carry whatever comes next.

Getting an Excavation Quote

Because excavation cost depends so heavily on sandy soil, drainage, and near-water rules, an accurate quote needs a site visit. We assess conditions, confirm permits, and give a clear scope and price. We serve Dunes City and nearby Florence and the rest of Lane County.