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Land Excavation in Bentonville, AR

Excavation and Grading, Priced Up Front

Land excavation and site grading in Bentonville, AR

Site prep, land clearing, grading, and utility trenching for Bentonville lots, quoted line by line before a machine ever rolls in. Free on-site estimates across Benton County.

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  • Itemized written estimates
  • Compaction tested to spec
  • Licensed and insured

Cost and Quotes

Straight talk on what excavation and grading really cost around Benton County.

What an Excavation Quote in Bentonville Actually Covers

July 1, 2026

Excavator grading a building pad in Bentonville, AR

Two excavation bids for the same lot can be thousands of dollars apart, and the reason is almost never that one crew is padding the price. It is that the two quotes cover different work. Once you know what belongs in a real earthwork estimate, the numbers stop being a mystery and start being something you can compare. Here is how a Bentonville excavation quote is built.

The Big Three: Clearing, Excavation, and Fill

Most of the money lives in three buckets. Clearing removes trees, brush, and stumps, and it is often priced per acre, roughly $1,400 to $6,200 for a wooded acre with grubbing and haul off. Excavation moves the dirt, whether that is a foundation dig or bulk grading. Fill is the imported structural material trucked in to build a pad up to grade. A quote that lumps all three into one line is hard to trust, so ask to see them split out on our site preparation and grading work.

Haul Off Is Not Free

Every job produces spoil, the excess dirt and debris that has to go somewhere. On a balanced site, that material is moved into low areas and you pay only to place it. On a tight lot, it gets loaded and trucked off, and trucking is a real cost that scales with distance and volume. When one bid looks low, haul off is often the line that quietly got left out.

Compaction and Testing

Fill that is dumped and left loose will settle. Fill placed in lifts and compacted to about 95 percent of maximum dry density will not. Density testing costs a little more, but it is what an inspector wants and what keeps a slab or driveway from cracking a year later. A quote that skips testing on structural fill is cheaper for a reason.

Permits, Locates, and Erosion Control

The free 811 utility locate is required before any dig, and a good crew builds it into the schedule. Beyond that, Bentonville and Benton County often require grading permits, and any site disturbing an acre or more needs a stormwater plan with silt fence and inlet protection. These items are not glamorous, but leaving them off a quote does not make them go away.

How to Compare Two Bids Fairly

Line the quotes up side by side and check that each one covers the same scope: clearing, excavation, fill, haul off, compaction testing, and erosion control. If a number looks too good, find the line that is missing. Apples to apples, the honest bid is usually clear.

Want a quote you can actually read? Call Lowcarbongrid2030 at (479) 587-8615, or contact us to schedule a free on-site estimate in Bentonville.

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Earthwork Packages Behind Every Estimate

One local crew for the full dirt scope, from a raw wooded lot to a compacted, build-ready pad.

Site Preparation & Grading

Clearing, topsoil stripping, cut and fill, and rough to finish grading that shapes a parcel to the engineer's plan, setting pad elevations, drainage slopes, and a compacted subgrade.

Land Clearing & Grubbing

Removal of trees, brush, and undergrowth, then grubbing of stumps and roots below grade, with haul off or on-site mulching to open an overgrown lot for construction.

Foundation & Basement Excavation

Digging footings, crawl spaces, and full basements to plan depth, with over-dig for forms, spoil management, and a level, compacted bearing surface for concrete.

Trenching & Utility Excavation

Trenching for water, sewer, gas, electric, and drainage with proper bedding and backfill, sloped, benched, or shielded with a trench box in cuts 5 feet and deeper per OSHA.

Drainage & Erosion Control

Positive grading away from structures, swales and French drains, plus silt fence, inlet protection, and erosion blankets that meet stormwater and SWPPP requirements.

Driveway & Road Base Prep

Subgrade compaction, geotextile separation fabric, and crushed aggregate base placed to build a stable, well-draining gravel driveway or paving-ready subbase.

Benton County Areas Included in Our Rates

We excavate and grade throughout Bentonville and the surrounding Benton County communities, from in-town lots to the newer subdivisions spreading across the county line.

Not sure if your parcel falls in our area? Call (479) 587-8615 and we will confirm.

  • Bentonville, AR (72712, 72713)
  • Rogers, AR
  • Bella Vista, AR
  • Centerton, AR
  • Cave Springs, AR
  • Lowell, AR
  • Pea Ridge, AR

Money Questions About Excavation Work

How much does it cost to excavate and grade a lot in Bentonville?
It depends on how much material moves. Site grading runs about $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot, so a typical yard lands near $1,400 to $3,000, while grading a full acre can reach the tens of thousands. We give a firm written estimate after a free on-site measure.
Do I have to call 811 before any digging on my property?
Yes, and we handle it. We file the free 811 locate so the utilities mark buried water, gas, and electric lines, typically about two business days before we break ground. Digging without that locate is both unsafe and against the rules.
What is the difference between rough grading and finish grading?
Rough grading moves the bulk of the dirt to get the site close to plan elevations and drainage slopes. Finish grading is the final pass that brings the surface to exact grade for slab, sod, or paving. Most jobs need both, and we price them together.
What does 95 percent compaction mean and why does it matter?
It means the fill is packed to 95 percent of its maximum dry density from a Proctor test. That density is what keeps a pad or driveway from settling and cracking later, which is why inspectors ask for it and why we test the fill we place.
Do I need a permit or a grading plan to excavate my site?
Often, yes. Benton County and the City of Bentonville require permits for many grading and land-disturbance jobs, and sites over an acre trigger a stormwater plan. We work to your engineer's grading plan and help you understand what the job needs before we start.
How much does it cost to clear an acre of wooded land?
Clearing a wooded acre with stump grubbing and haul off usually runs $1,400 to $6,200 per acre. Light brush-only lots can come in under $700 an acre, while dense mature timber sits at the top of the range. The tree density on your parcel sets the price.
What happens to the topsoil and dirt you strip off my land?
We strip and stockpile the good topsoil so it can be spread back for final grade and seeding. Excess spoil is either balanced into low areas on site or hauled off, and we tell you which approach your job calls for in the estimate.
  • Itemized, not guessedEvery estimate breaks out clearing, excavation, fill, and haul off so you see exactly what each line of the job costs.
  • Compaction you can build onWe place structural fill in lifts and test to roughly 95 percent Proctor density, the number your inspector wants to see.
  • 811 and permits handledWe file the utility locate and work to your grading plan so digging on SE J Street or anywhere in Benton County stays legal and safe.
  • Licensed and insured crewA local, insured earthwork team glad to share credentials and certificates of insurance on request.

Lowcarbongrid2030 provides land excavation in Bentonville, AR, and every quote starts with the dirt itself. We handle site preparation and grading, land clearing and grubbing, foundation and basement excavation, utility trenching, drainage and erosion control, and soil compaction with engineered structural fill. Whether you are opening a wooded parcel or squaring up a building pad, the scope of the earthwork drives the number, and we put that scope in writing before a single excavator rolls onto Central Avenue or a jobsite off SW 14th Street.

Most owners want a real figure before they want a sales pitch, so here is how the money works. An excavator and operator run roughly $110 to $325 per hour, clearing a wooded acre with stump grubbing and haul off lands somewhere near $1,400 to $6,200 per acre, and routine site grading falls around $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot. Those bands cover most residential and light commercial work in the 72712 area, and the final estimate simply plugs your measured quantities into them.

Turning that quote into finished grade follows the same order every time. We measure the site, submit the free 811 locate so buried water, gas, and electric are marked before we dig, then strip and stockpile topsoil, move dirt in a balanced cut and fill, and compact structural fill in controlled lifts to about 95 percent of maximum dry density. A dozer sets the rough contour and a laser grade box brings the pad to plan, so the surface that leaves our hands is ready for footings, gravel, or slab.

The value you get beyond the low bid is the part you cannot see once the job is backfilled. We run an OSHA competent person on every dig, shore or bench any trench 5 feet and deeper, and keep silt fence and inlet protection in place to satisfy stormwater rules on lots over an acre. Bentonville sits on rolling Ozark ground where a careless cut invites erosion, so our compaction and workmanship promise is simple: the grade holds, the drainage runs away from your foundation, and we come back if a settlement issue traces to our fill.

Lowcarbongrid2030 Land Excavation Pricing in Bentonville

Excavation pricing comes down to how much material moves and how hard it is to reach. Hourly machine work suits small digs and cleanup, per-acre pricing fits clearing, and per-square-foot pricing covers grading. The ranges below are typical for the Bentonville area, and we lock the firm number in a written estimate after a free on-site walk.

Excavator and operator$110 to $325 per hour
  • Machine plus certified operator
  • Day and week rates discount the hour
Get estimate
Land clearing per acre$1,400 to $6,200 per acre
  • Light brush at the low end
  • Heavy trees and grubbing higher
Get estimate
Site grading$0.40 to $2.00 per square foot
  • Rough and finish grade
  • Most lots land near $1.40 per foot
Get estimate

Ask for Your Itemized Excavation Estimate

Ready to see real numbers? We will walk your site, mark the scope, and hand you a written estimate that breaks out clearing, excavation, fill, and haul off with no pressure. Most Bentonville estimates come back fast once we have measured the parcel, and the price we quote is the price we hold.

Call (479) 587-8615