Excavation & Site Development
Complete site development: excavation, foundation digs, utilities, access, and prep, handled start to finish by our crew.
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Repairing or replacing the buried water line between the meter and your house, on Whidbey Island and Camano Island.
We do water line repair and replacement on Whidbey Island and Camano Island, from the meter to the house. That buried pipe is your main water line, also called the water service line. On a well, it starts at the pressure tank instead of a meter. First we find out with you whether the leak is in that line. Then we dig to the leak and repair the failed section, or replace the whole line in a new trench. We also do water line installation to a new shop, barn or addition.
This page is about that one buried line. On a bare lot, the first water line usually goes in with site development for a new build. Other buried services belong with utility trenching for new power, sewer and gas lines. On a well, the pump, the pressure tank and the line that feeds the tank are a pump installer's work. Plumbing inside the house is a plumber's job. Our work is the buried line from the meter or tank to the house.
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The meter test tells you where to look. Turn off every tap and fixture, inside and out. Then find your meter box, often in the lawn or a planting bed between the house and the street. Most meters have a leak detector disc in the center of the dial. Oak Harbor's water division explains that the disc spins only if water is moving through the meter. A disc that sits still, or rocks a little back and forth, is normal.
A disc that keeps spinning one way means water is moving. Check the toilet tanks and outside faucets first, two leak sources the city names. Once every fixture checks out, close the house's main shutoff valve, if it has one, to isolate the buried line. If the disc still spins, the leak is likely in the line from the meter. Cracks in that line are another source the city names. A wet spot while the disc sits still can be groundwater perched on the hardpan. That calls for drainage solutions for a soggy yard.
When the rest of the line is sound, we dig to the leak and repair the failed section. An old line that has leaked more than once is a different case, since each repair opens the yard again. Replacing it means a new line in a new trench. We look at the ground with you, including what sits on top of the run, before pricing either one. Where the line runs under a worn drive, the dig can be the start of rebuilding a gravel driveway.
Our CAT 306 mini excavator, with its tilt rotator, works a narrow trench near the house and around landscaping. The CAT 315 takes the long rural runs. Native soil full of cobble does not bed pipe well, so the pipe gets bedded first. Island County's design criteria put the frost line at 12 inches. We dig to the depth the water system or the inspector sets. Backfill goes back in thin lifts, compacted with the roller compactor attachment. Then we put the surface back, including regrading the yard afterward.
In Oak Harbor, the city maintains the mains and service lines up to and including the meter. The line from the meter to the house is the property owner's responsibility. Across Washington, water lines on private property are generally the landowner's to maintain and repair. Oak Harbor requires a permit to replace that line, through its Development Services Department. Elsewhere, ask your water system and the city or county. You apply, or an agent you name on the form does. We build to the conditions written on the permit.
The 811 locate notice goes in at least two full business days before digging, and no more than 10. Our guide explains how the 811 locate request works. State law makes you responsible for locating the private lines you own, like the line from the meter. We keep the new line clear of the septic system. Washington's septic rule sets at least 10 feet between a pressurized water line and the septic tank. The same 10 feet applies to the drainfield and its reserve area.
Free, no-obligation estimates across Whidbey Island & Island County.
(360) 544-9109From the first walkthrough to the final one, here’s exactly how your project runs.
We come out and look at the actual ground: the growth, the slope, the wet spots and the access. We listen to what you want done and give you a clear, written estimate. No pressure, and no guessing at a price over the phone.
We lock in a date, plan equipment access and where the debris goes, and account for drainage, buried utilities, and anything on the property that has to be protected. You know the plan before a machine moves.
Our own crew runs our own machines, and the job is supervised on site. We keep the ground under control, keep you posted, and read what we find as we dig instead of forcing the plan through it.
We walk the finished property with you, deal with the debris the way the plan called for, and leave the ground clean, graded, and draining, ready for whatever you are building next.
Common questions about water line repair across Whidbey Island & Island County. Don't see yours? Give us a call — we're happy to help.
Complete site development: excavation, foundation digs, utilities, access, and prep, handled start to finish by our crew.
French drains, footing drains, infiltration systems, culverts, and swales, engineered to move water off your property and away from your foundation.
Cut, fill, shape, and finish grade: building pads, yards, and lots left level, compacted, and draining away from what matters.
New gravel driveways built from the subgrade up, plus repair and regrading for potholes, ruts and soft spots. Base rock in lifts, crushed rock on top, crowned to shed water.
New footing drains go in beside the footing before backfill. Around finished houses on Whidbey Island and Camano Island, we dig down and replace clogged or crushed ones.
New gravel driveways, long private roads, turnarounds, culverts, and rebuilds of drives that wash out or turn to mud.
Three decades clearing, grading, and digging on Whidbey. Under the topsoil here sit glacial till, hardpan, rock and water that stays where it should not, and our work leaves ground that drains and builds right.
A registered Washington general contractor, bonded and fully insured on every job: a real, accountable company, not a rented machine and a handshake. Your property and your liability are covered.
We look at the ground with you and put a plain-English price in writing, with the whole job in it. We tell you what the job really takes, then we show up and do it.
We live and work here. No ferry delays, no out-of-town crews, no subbing the job out and hoping. One company handles the job from the first call to the final grade, and our own machines and operators do the work.
Straight from the landowners, builders, and neighbors we’ve cleared and graded for.
“Jeff was very professional and finished the job in a timely manner. He exceeded our expectations and did a great job on our driveway! Definitely recommend his company.”
“Jeff did an outstanding job grading my lot, which entailed removal of big stumps. Highly recommend.”
“We had a great experience with Culver Construction. Especially enjoyed the workers that Jeff has. They are very knowledgeable about their work and do a great job.”
Need land cleared, a lot graded, a driveway put in, drainage fixed, or a storm mess hauled off? Reach out for a free, no-obligation estimate. We’ll look at the ground with you, give you a written price, and get your job on the schedule.
Tell us about your project — we’ll get right back to you.