Get matched with top excavation pros in Gillespie, IL

"Martin did a great job clearing an area for where my monument was built and laying weed barrier and gravel. I am based in California so I was not able to meet up with him in person but I sent over some photos of what we needed and we messaged back and forth to confirm all the details of the work. The job was done with amazing speed and quality. I will be using him again if I have more work in the area and definitely suggest him to anyone looking to get landscaping/excavation work done."

"The work completed was exemplary! He knew what we needed done and he did exactly that. All work was performed in a timely manner which kept the cost to a minimum. You can't ask for more than that... I will definitely recommend Green Outdoors to anyone who needs property cleared!"

"He goes above and beyond to help you. if something goes wrong, you dont have to wait forever to get a hold of him. He is very quick to respond and will ensure your satisfaction"

"Very polite, great pricing! Would hire again."

AB Excavation is a locally owned and operated excavation and land clearing company based in Highland, Illinois.\nWe specialize in land clearing, grading, and site preparation for residential and small commercial projects. Our work includes Fences, small lot clearing, new home site prep, demolition and haul-off, pond and water feature excavation, and culvert installation.\n\nWe take pride in doing the job right the first time, showing up when we say we will, and communicating clearly with our customers from start to finish. Whether it’s clearing property, prepping a build site, or handling drainage work, we focus on quality workmanship, efficiency, and fair pricing.\n\nWe serve Highland and the surrounding areas and work closely with homeowners, builders, and property owners to get projects completed safely and on schedule.

"RESPONSIVENESS TO NEEDS
There are different measures of success on any project and different constraints and issues that will challenge those measures.  My primary measure of success was a DRY basement, and Brian?s proposal to deliver it was comprehensive. He was committed to meeting my request while satisfying my second measure of success: do it at an affordable price.

ESTIMATE
Brian does all estimates himself instead of sending out salespeople (which I appreciate).  I scheduled Brian's first visit in the days following a large rainfall that caused flooding in neighboring areas, so his schedule was packed. Understandably, Brian was crunched between appointments when he arrived slightly behind schedule, but he had kept me updated in the hours preceding his arrival.  Brian quickly conveyed a focus on resolving the seepage problem.  He also listened to my concerns, identified primary and secondary issues, and said he would send a thorough e-mail containing precise details for a solution with a cost breakdown.  He arrived and left in about hour, and within a couple days he sent an e-mail estimate with two options. 1) A complete basement drain tile system with crack repairs, or 2) a partial system that he believed would resolve the problem at a lesser cost. He offered to allow me to "upgrade" to the full system in the future and pay the difference between the two estimates. This type of offer was not even discussed by the three other companies (two big names and one small business) that came for estimates.

With the exception of the extended (years-long) payment / financing options offered by the larger companies, Brian?s proposed solution was almost a hands-down winner.  The other small company was comparable, but after sending the initial estimate, Brian offered to return on the weekend to give me the opportunity to talk again when there was more time.  Other companies' approaches to doing exterior excavation ranged from doing minor reinforcement to not even wanting to touch it.  Brian, in contrast, said he can?t honestly guarantee a dry basement when he didn?t know what the previous repair looked like.  He offered to completely excavate the two walls that had work done previously and to replace (if necessary) any inferior quality materials with his own fix.  Now we're cooking with gas!  The cost of the job remained competitive, and this ?extra mile? effort on top of everything else fully satisfied my need to be 100% sure the seepage would be stopped.  I opted for the full drain tile system.

TIME
The timeframe Brian quoted was in line with all of his competitors: 2 days max.  The time element of the job met some challenges, taking 5 full working days to complete, (Tues-Fri plus half days Sat-Sun).  The reason?  The crew found the floor was new, dense 4-inch concrete poured on top of the original 4-inch concrete floor.  This meant twice the work for the breakup crew that was prepared for a conventional job, making it impossible to accommodate the original time frame. Brian promised to never leave a job unfinished, so he juggled his crews' schedules to make daily progress, and he never once raised his price despite the extra time or material (concrete) required. I was very grateful.  He also personally came to finish the job on the weekend rather than pushing it out to Monday or Tuesday.

EXTRAS AND RESPONSIVENESS
Some plumbing in the floor was impacted by the concrete breakup and required repairs due to its age and condition.  Brian took the time to find the exact materials I requested for the repair and installed them.  I was not present at installation so he took photos and video and sent them to me via smartphone so I could verify he got it right.  What other contractor does that?! He also paid attention to every detail for laying out the design of the downspout tie-ins, finishing touches, and every single special request I threw at him. He also spotted an additional leak in the corner of the foundation and sealed it up as well. His commitment to resolving every issue to my satisfaction was outstanding.

Brian made himself accessible via phone, e-mail and text, and he responded quickly to inquiries.  I wanted to know every detail of the work, and Brian accommodated. Another totally unexpected surprise came when Brian discovered that some of the promised work did not need to be performed, and he provided credit for this instead of using the difference for my extra requests.

SATISFACTION
"You'll be happy," is Brian's mantra.  He addressed a couple gripes - dust exposure to the first floor space; a few trampled plants outside - by providing equitable financial credits.  These professional oversights on his crew's part are unacceptable to Brian, and credit on the final bill was all he could do to make up for it.  Overall, the crew was polite, and one even brought a stack of extra floor tiles from his personal supply to replace some I'd lost during demolition work I had done weeks earlier!

From start to finish, despite delays and minor shortcomings, Brian executed on the proposed project by 100% nailing the two most important measures of success ? quality and cost. As for timing, the job ran long but Brian didn't quit until the job was done. I never expect perfection; nevertheless, Brian aimed to earn my satisfaction as his primary goal. I give an A+ on nearly every category, taking a point or two away for the issues mentioned.

Rain is coming in the next two days, and I'll only edit this review if the repairs fail to deliver a dry basement.  I am posting this review before the rain comes as a vote of confidence that I won't have to change a word.

The most important criterion to assess a job well done is whether you'd recommend a service provider to a family member or friend.  In Brian's case, I absolutely would."

"very well, they aloways do a great job and we are very happy with the service"

"Highly professional with very reasonable prices. Repaired my sewer line in a timely fashion. Thank you Ross excavating once again!"

"Provider was prompt, professional and friendly.  Arrived at the agreed upon time for a free estimate and performed work same-day after we agreed to the price.  He stuck to the price despite taking longer than expected and more work than usual due to worn-rusted pipes in my home.  Cleaned-up after himself and left no sign that work was done other than our new, working toilets.  We are very pleased and reccomend McDonagh & Sons Plumbing & Sewer Inc.


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"It went well, he showed up on time, was courteous, and worked hard. He showed the desire to work with me, on what I wanted. He used quality materials (concrete). I would hire him again if the need arises."