Excavation & Site Prep in Wood Village, Oregon: 2026 Guide

Excavation and Site Prep in Wood Village, Oregon

Wood Village is a small Multnomah County city at the east edge of the Portland metro, hemmed in by Fairview, Troutdale, and Gresham near the Sandy and Columbia rivers. The ground here is flat and low, which means excavation work revolves around water as much as dirt. Many parcels carry a high seasonal water table and soils that hold moisture, and stormwater rules apply given how close the rivers sit. Good site prep in Wood Village starts with reading the ground before any production digging begins.

This guide explains what excavation and site preparation involve on a Wood Village property, from grading and drainage to utility trenching and the Multnomah County permits that come with it.

What Excavation Covers on a Wood Village Property

Excavation bundles several tasks on a typical residential or small-commercial job:

• Site grading — shaping ground for drainage and level pads or driveways
• Drainage — French drains, curtain drains, catch basins, and outlets routing water away from structures
• Utility trenching — digging and backfilling for water, sewer, power, and gas
• Land clearing — removing brush, stumps, and old structures
• Foundation and footing excavation — digging to a structural plan's depth

For statewide pricing context, see our excavation cost in Oregon guide, and for grading specifically, the site grading cost in Oregon guide.

Wood Village Soils and the High Water Table

The flat, low ground near the rivers is the defining feature of Wood Village site work. Many parcels have a seasonal water table within a few feet of the surface in winter, and the soils there drain slowly. That affects trench stability, makes compaction harder, and means any drainage outlet has to be planned around the surrounding surface water.

Older Wood Village lots also mix native soil with decades of fill, so what is under a property is not always obvious until you open it. Soft pockets and buried debris turn up. A local contractor expects this and prices a realistic contingency rather than promising a flat figure before seeing the ground.

The practical takeaway: drainage and water management drive most Wood Village site work, not surface dirt alone.

Multnomah County Permits and Stormwater

Ground-disturbing work in Wood Village can trigger several permitting layers:

• Grading permits once disturbance crosses a set area or volume threshold
• Erosion and sediment control, which the county and Oregon DEQ both require
• Stormwater management review, which matters given the lowland setting near the rivers
• Floodplain review for parcels mapped in the FEMA zones along the Columbia and Sandy
• Right-of-way permits when trenching enters a public street

Because Wood Village sits low near two rivers, the stormwater and floodplain questions come up more often than in a typical valley town. A contractor who works the east metro will know which reviews apply. Our Multnomah County excavation services page covers the county detail.

Call 811 Before You Dig

Every excavation job in Oregon starts with a call to 811, the state's utility locate service. State law requires it, and on Wood Village's established streets it protects you. Underground lines in older neighborhoods are not always where the records put them. The locate brings utilities out to mark their lines before digging, which keeps you from cutting a gas, power, or fiber line and paying for the repair.

The locate is free. Reputable contractors handle the 811 call as part of mobilizing.

What Excavation Costs in the Wood Village Area

Excavation pricing varies with soil, access, water table, haul-off, and depth. The figures below are industry baseline ranges, not Cojo quotes, and real Wood Village projects often run higher once drainage and the water table enter the picture.

Industry baseline ranges. Actual costs vary widely with soil, access, drainage needs, and disposal.

Work Type	Industry Baseline Range
Site grading (residential)	$1.50–$6.00 per sq ft
Utility trenching	$10–$25 per linear foot
Drainage system (French drain)	$20–$45 per linear foot
Land clearing	$1,500–$6,000 per acre
Excavation labor + machine	$125–$225 per hour

These ranges assume reasonable access and dry conditions. Wood Village's high water table, lowland soils, and stormwater requirements can push real totals above the baseline. The only accurate figure comes from a site visit.

Drainage Is the Local Specialty

If one thing has to be right on a Wood Village site, it is water. Common local drainage details include:

• Foundation drains carrying water away from footings on high-water-table lots
• Curtain drains intercepting groundwater uphill of a building pad
• Engineered discharge that respects stormwater rules near the rivers
• Sump systems where gravity drainage is not possible on low parcels

Drainage mistakes in Wood Village show up in winter, not summer. Local experience beats a low bid from an out-of-area crew unfamiliar with the lowland conditions.

How Wood Village Fits the Service Area

Wood Village sits minutes from Gresham, Fairview, and Troutdale, so crews serving the east metro are usually close. If your project pairs excavation with paving once the ground is ready, our asphalt paving cost in Oregon guide covers the next step. For driveways needing repair rather than a rebuild, the driveway repair options guide helps.