Basement & Foundation Digging in Pittsburgh, PA

Basement and foundation digging means excavating for new footings, basements, crawl spaces and slabs, then backfilling around the finished walls. On Pittsburgh's slopes, a foundation is often a cut into a hillside: deep on the uphill side and shallow or open on the downhill side. That creates walkout basements and a lot of soil to manage.

What lies beneath

Soils across Western Pennsylvania's uplands often form over interbedded shale, siltstone and sandstone. The Gilpin series, common on the region's ridges, has bedrock 20 to 40 inches down, while red clay soils such as the Upshur series, which form from red clayey shale, have high shrink-swell and sit on hillslopes. Shallow rock means a hammer may be needed for full-depth basements, and clayey red soils need special care in backfill. Our price explains how rock would be handled.

Undermined ground

Where the Pittsburgh coal seam was mined, voids can sit below the surface. Mine maps and the state's subsidence information tell part of the story. If your property is in a known undermined area and the plan calls for a deep basement or large fill, we recommend a geotechnical look before digging.

Additions and garages

Additions next to older brick or block homes call for digging beside foundations that may sit on shallow footings. We excavate in sections where needed and support the existing wall. Detached garages on hillside lots often need a cut into the slope and a retaining wall at the back.

Backfill

Backfill pushes on new basement walls, and on a slope it also carries water from uphill. We wait until walls are cured and braced, place drainage stone against the wall where specified, and compact the rest in lifts. The finished grade slopes away from the house.

Coordination

New foundations need building permits, and footings are usually inspected before concrete. We coordinate digging with your builder and inspector to keep the hole open no longer than needed.

Walkout basements

On sloped lots, a walkout basement opens on the downhill side. Water from uphill needs a path around the house, often a curtain drain or swale above the cut. We plan that drainage at the same time as the excavation.