Excavation & Site Prep in Unity, Oregon: 2026 Guide

Excavation and Site Prep in Unity, Oregon

Unity is a tiny town high in the upper Burnt River valley on Highway 26, near Unity Reservoir and ringed by forest and ranch land. The ground out here brings high-country challenges to any dirt work: deep frost, real snow, rocky forest soil, and remote access. Whether you are prepping a home site, a shop or barn pad, a ranch road, or a drainage project, the excavation underneath sets up everything built on top. This guide covers the excavation and site prep work common around Unity, what drives the cost, and how the local conditions shape the job.

Excavation Services Common Around Unity

A full-service excavation contractor handles a range of work. Around Unity the common requests are:

• Site grading and leveling for home pads, shop and barn foundations, and ag buildings
• Drainage work including swales, culverts, and grading to move snowmelt and runoff away from structures
• Utility trenching for water, power, septic, and other lines
• Land clearing of brush, timber, and small trees to open a site
• Access roads and driveways including the base prep ahead of gravel or asphalt
• Pond and pad excavation for ranch and rural-residential uses

What Excavation Costs Around Unity

Excavation is priced by scope, volume of material moved, soil conditions, and how far equipment travels. A remote high-country location like Unity carries significant mobilization cost because machines and crew travel a long way to reach it.

Industry baseline ranges shown below. Actual costs vary widely with access, soil, haul distance, and disposal.

Work Type	Industry Baseline Range
General excavation	$50–$200 per cubic yard
Site grading	$1–$3 per sq ft
Utility trenching	$10–$25 per linear ft
Land clearing	$1,500–$6,000 per acre

These are starting references, not quotes. Rocky forest ground, frozen or saturated soil, long haul for spoils, and limited access can all push the real number well past these baselines. For statewide context, see our excavation cost in Oregon and site grading cost in Oregon guides.

High-Country Soil, Frost, and Snowmelt

Soil and Rock

Upper Burnt River valley ground runs from rocky forest soil to valley loam. Rock slows excavation and adds cost; softer soil needs careful compaction so it does not settle. Fill under any pad or road has to be placed in lifts and compacted properly. Knowing how the local ground behaves matters out here.

Deep Frost

At Unity's elevation, frost drives deep in winter and the cold season is long. Footings and buried utilities must sit below frost depth, and grading has to manage the freeze-thaw cycle on saturated and snow-fed ground. A contractor who builds for milder climates may set things too shallow for high-country eastern Oregon.

Snowmelt and Drainage

Unity gets real snow, and spring snowmelt moves a lot of water through the valley. Excavation that ignores where meltwater goes invites erosion and trouble around structures. Good site prep grades the site so water sheds where you want it, which is doubly important in a snow climate.

Erosion Control and the 811 Locate

Oregon and Baker County have erosion and sediment control rules that apply above certain disturbed-area thresholds, especially near the Burnt River, Unity Reservoir, and other waterways. Larger sites may need an erosion control plan and permits. Before any digging, an 811 call to locate underground utilities is required by law, and a responsible contractor always makes it. Striking a buried line is dangerous and costly.

A contractor who works Baker County regularly knows the thresholds, when a permit applies, and how to keep a high-country site compliant near sensitive water.

Working With a Remote-Area Excavation Contractor

Unity does not have an excavation outfit nearby. The crews that serve it travel a long way, so confirm a few things before hiring:

• They bring the right equipment. Rock, snow-season ground, and access can call for specific machines. Ask what they bring.
• They handle spoils. Where do excavated materials go, and is haul-off in the quote?
• They plan drainage first. In snow country, snowmelt management is half the job.
• They pull locates and permits. Standard, not an afterthought.

Cojo travels from its Willamette Valley base to serve Unity and the wider Baker County area. We grade, trench, clear, and prep sites with the rock, deep frost, and snowmelt realities of the upper Burnt River valley built into the plan.

For related work, see asphalt paving in Unity for what comes after the dirt work, excavation in Baker City for the nearest larger market, and our Baker County excavation services overview.