SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
About us
Excavation
Business highlights
19 years of experience
Services we offer
& LAND-CLEARING, & RETAINING WALLS, & STUMP REMOVAL, BUILDING SITE PREPARATION, BUSH, COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL BUILDING DEMOLITION & DISPOSAL, CONCRETE TEAR OUT & REMOVAL INCLUDING DRIVEWAYS, CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS CLEAN-UP & HAUL-AWAY, DIRT SPREADING OR REMOVAL, DUMP TRUCK SERVICES, FOUNDATIONS, LARGE EXCAVATOR SERVICES., OTHER BOBCAT WORK INCLUDING TRENCHING, PARKING STRIPS, PATIOS & PAVERS, SIDEWALKS, TREE
Reviews
4.845 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 89% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 2% |
Showing 1-25 of 45 reviews
Sean T.
Oct 2017
Mike was hired to install a foundation for a two car garage, the garage floor, and sewer and drains.
Meridith K.
Oct 2014
He showed the day he said he would be there did the job and left it clean. Definitely would use again.
Webster P.
Sep 2014
Bid tasks were a good value. Time and Material tasks were not well organized by me and did not provide as much value. Mike is committed to client satisfaction.
Rick J.
Sep 2013
Amazing, just amazing...... Mike is great. Not only is he prompt in getting back to you, personable, professional, inexpensive but FLEXIBLE - VERY FLEXIBLE. He did the job above and beyond. Offered to move a tree for me that was in the way, gave me materials at cost and charged reasonable rates for his time. HIRE THIS GUY! He will not disappoint. I'm having him come back and build a concrete driveway for me later and will let you know how it goes. One minor point. don't expect him to come before 10am in the morning. Don't try to get him to do it. He will try but he is not just built that way. As long as you know that going in, you will have a great experience.
Jeannie A.
Oct 2012
Michael was very prompt and courteous. He came same day as I called to provide an estimate, I had three estimates including Swope. Swope bid was the lowest so we hired them to remove and replace 3 concrete steps and a walkway in front of our house. The walk slopes gently (very minor grade) to the steps. The top step landing is therefore sloped too.
Here is the quality issues, about 4 inches from the top step the grade of the slope is more steep than the rest of the grade, the reason this happened is the top step would not have been to code (all steps must have a rise no taller than 3/8and quot; from the shortest step rise). Had he stayed with the natural grade of the slope he would have been higher in the rise by 3/4and quot;, not legal. What I am left with is a 4and quot; extra steep pitch at my top step. When it snows or gets icy, people will fall.
My original steps were only a 6and quot; rise, now they are 7 because of the volume of concrete that was put in. On corner of the top step is actually higher than the adjacent retaining wall. They also put in lines across the concrete so the concrete cracks there (normal) and normally looks good. One of the line across my concrete looks like the crooked man put it in, not straight. The finish in the corners of the steps are not touched either. Lastly, there is concrete spatter all over my truck that was in my drive way.
I called Michael out to address the extra steep slope at the top of my stairs, he did come out. I was not at home so he called me. He said he thinks the step is within code but he wood put some acid on it to make it rougher for more foot grip. I was willing to overlook the other stuff but every time I walk down my stairs I am reminded.
Swope is deflecting, my old steps were not as high, the issue is the safety aspect of the top step. Yes I said I would give you a good review, that was before I walk on the concrete.
Here is the quality issues, about 4 inches from the top step the grade of the slope is more steep than the rest of the grade, the reason this happened is the top step would not have been to code (all steps must have a rise no taller than 3/8and quot; from the shortest step rise). Had he stayed with the natural grade of the slope he would have been higher in the rise by 3/4and quot;, not legal. What I am left with is a 4and quot; extra steep pitch at my top step. When it snows or gets icy, people will fall.
My original steps were only a 6and quot; rise, now they are 7 because of the volume of concrete that was put in. On corner of the top step is actually higher than the adjacent retaining wall. They also put in lines across the concrete so the concrete cracks there (normal) and normally looks good. One of the line across my concrete looks like the crooked man put it in, not straight. The finish in the corners of the steps are not touched either. Lastly, there is concrete spatter all over my truck that was in my drive way.
I called Michael out to address the extra steep slope at the top of my stairs, he did come out. I was not at home so he called me. He said he thinks the step is within code but he wood put some acid on it to make it rougher for more foot grip. I was willing to overlook the other stuff but every time I walk down my stairs I am reminded.
Swope is deflecting, my old steps were not as high, the issue is the safety aspect of the top step. Yes I said I would give you a good review, that was before I walk on the concrete.
Response from SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
"When I went out to give this customer a bid, I gave him a bid to remove the retaining walls and replace them. One of the reasons for replacing them was because the walls were too low to accommodate a flatter pitch for the steps and walk. The customer said he didn't want to spend the money on replacing the walls. I went as high as I could go with the steps, with one even coming slightly above the old retaining wall as shown in the customers photo. If we had replaced the retaining wall we could have easily gone an inch or so higher to achieve minimum slope. The customer came home when we just completed finishing the concrete and was extremely happy with the product, he said he would be giving us A's on Angie's List across the board."
Robert B.
Oct 2012
Bid the job in a professional manner, including suggestions for improving the job which I accepted. Accomplished the job on time and budget. The new driveway is very good and I would recommend Mike to anyone needing this type of work.
William K.
Jan 2012
This was the second job that I had Swope Excavation complete at my residence. I was very pleased with the first job that I turned to them when I needed immediate repairs. One of the drains around my foundation backed up during a heavy rain storm and eventually several other drains in the system began overflowing, creating flooding around the foundation. There was cracking around the foundation and I was concerned about the long-term stability. Swope Excavation was out promptly to evaluate the situation and began repairs immediately. Appearantly, the connection from the drain system to the sewer line was clogged with years of vegitation debris and ingrowth of roots, needing replacement of the drain lines and connection to the sewer. All repairs were made quickly and most importantly, on time and for the initial bid. I had them look at my foundation to ensure that it was secure and they said that settling and cracks can form with age which was most likely the case, not from the flooding. I felt confident in their assesment and that they were not going to sell me on more work that needed to be done during a time of emergent need.
Peter D.
Dec 2011
Mike did a great job, I have been around contractors my whole life because my family is in the contracting business. He was courteous and punctual. He gave me a great bid for the work and even though I had a couple of small add-ons during the job, his fees were very reasonable. We had a large section of the yard dug out, regraded and a stone wall put in. The work was done neatly and he even went above and beyond because he realized the yard aesthetic would have been out of balance with our original plan so he made some adjustments and improved our concept. I was out of town when we had the major part of the work done and he sent me pictures by text so that I could see the step by step and I could see that it was being performed to the specifications that we agreed. I whole-heartedly recommend him and plan to use him again next summer to put new sidewalks around my house.
Blair P.
Jun 2011
Our experience with Swope Excavation and Construction was very good. Michael (owner) is great and Marcus (concrete foreman) and Jesse (backfilling) were both extremely enjoyable and exceedingly competent. The work was done in a timely manner and we're very happy with the quality level. Everyone we invite over is very impressed with their work.
Our house has about 50 steps leading up to entry which really complicates projects like this, but it wasn't too big of a deal for these guys.
In short, we would highly recommend Swope Excavation and Construction.
Our house has about 50 steps leading up to entry which really complicates projects like this, but it wasn't too big of a deal for these guys.
In short, we would highly recommend Swope Excavation and Construction.
JEFF M.
Feb 2011
Simple process. Michael was able to provide a quote very quickly and came out to do the work soon after. The whole thing was painless - no problems at all.
KATHERINE W.
Feb 2011
Michael Swope is quite amiable and congenial. He was able to come on short notice to give me a bid, and overall was flexible about scheduling. His price seemed fair and in line with other bids I got. We agreed he'd do the work and had to wait for a break in the weather but I was on a deadline so we were challenged in this respect. When we thought we had a weather window, he and his crew came out and got the work done in one day. Unfortunately, the ground was frozen so he had to bring in an excavator to level out the site. (I learned this after the fact, as I was not home when he did it.) In the course of doing that, he caused a lot of damage to the surrounding walkways and installed edging. He didn't seem to notice the damage and didn't bring it to my attention, and I didn't see it until the weekend came and I had a chance to look at the area in the daylight. When I told Michael about it, he seemed eager to make the situation right. Since the edging can't be repaired until summer, we worked out a deal for his crew to move the excavated dirt out of the way for me and clean up the remnants of the concrete form, get his equipment out of there, etc. But the crew sent to do that work did it wrong and made the mess even worse. I can't really say where the communications broke down--once his guy showed up while I was there and I could speak directly to him about what was needed, the guy did what I wanted. But then he left his equipment on my property again and I had to move it out of the way several times to create access for the recycling, etc. Despite emailing Michael to come get it, it took more than a week for him to pick it up and I still have an old tarp they left behind that I'll have to dispose of. I really wanted to write a better review because Michael is very nice and, I think, well-intentioned. I just think he doesn't have control of his crew and maybe isn't paying attention to the details enough. The slab seems fine for the purpose so the delivered product is good, but just as important is protecting the surrounding job site and leaving it clean when the job is done.
Barbara B.
Jan 2011
Michael Swope described exactly the work that was required and did an excellent job. He offered to work on the weekend to accomodate my schedule. His work was very thorough and he communicated progress throughout the job including offering to patch the newly exposed chimney hole which was not part of the original bid. He also offered advice for next steps on another project I'm considering. I'm 100% satisfied.
Heather R.
Jan 2011
Michael did a great job and did it quickly. He hauled everything away so we didn't have to clean up anything. He and his new concrete partner did all the driveway and path forms and spread and finished the concrete. The job turned out really nice and was right on budget. The neighbors love the new front yard and so do we.
C B.
Dec 2010
Excellent! Much more to this project than both of us anticipated, but he worked hard to meet our expectations and we're very pleased. Small mistake that could not be anticipated and was unavoidable. Plan to use them again in the future.
Mike V.
Sep 2010
We originally saw his crew working at a neighbors house near by and saw some of the work they did which got us to hire them in the first place. Mike and his whole crew were excellent. They were always on top of things, working day and night practically. They did everything they said they would do for the original bid and made a fair price with us for additional things that came up later after the fact. The guys were very thoughtful and professional and I would never hire anyone different in the future to do this kind of work. I believed their pricing to be very fair and their quality of work was top notch and anything that seemed not 100% to my liking was fixed beyond my expectations. I just want to say Thank You for your hard work and a job well done guys.
GAY H.
Aug 2010
Mr. Swope moved the work back a week, which was O.K. Except he showed up even then a day late with no call. He started some of the excavation and then stopped. He would in general, show up, start, and his machinery would break. Or he brought the wrong tools. Or he would run out of gas. Or he couldn't fix what was broken. Or he had to run an errand. In the nearly 30 days I observed this situation, he literally never called for help, he would just not do any more work that day at the site. Some days he would be at the job site no more than 5 minutes. I must say his excuses were both extensive and expansive. I only saw him work more than 1 hour at at time twice. For a 5 day project, he was at our house 1 day shy of a month. He also stored his huge machinery on our lawn, literally destroying it. The bid was for considerably less than $5000. On the last day he presented me with a bill for approximately $10,000. He had told me one of the reasons the project was taking so long was he was getting free soil from other construction sites, so as to make my cost less. When he presented the bill he said he had gotten most of the soil from other places, but had to pay for it. He presented no receipts for this addidtional fee, but demanded payment on the spot. The Sod he put he, from JB LAWN, that he charged us richly for, was/is defective. The lawn looks like a vacant lot in Brooklyn. When told of this initially, he told us to not cut it for awhile and water it, which we did. When a sufficient period of time passed, we asked him again to come look at it and fix this now really really expensive lawn that looks like the far side of the moon. He declined to even come look at the lawn, let alone fix it. JB Lawn won't honor their warranty either, (contact them within 48 hours or apparently, you're on your own. I didn't know he had gotten the Sod at JB Lawn until long after the 48 hours). Mr. Swope a nice person, very personable and persuasive. And I am loathe to say anything as everyone else seemed to have a great experience, and his wife is a lawyer, so... But both his work ethic and word seem to be less than stellar.
Response from SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
"I am sorry to hear that this customer was so unhappy. I would ask that this whole response is read in order to fully understand the context of her review. I feel there are a few important points that were left out of this review that are essential to understanding the claims this customer makes against my company. Background: This job was completed in the winter of 2008. About a month ago, the customer contacted me and asked me to come look at and “fix” her lawn. She claimed that the sod I put down was the wrong type of grass - that it was actually pasture grass - and that it was growing out of control. Out of courtesy, two years after I installed the sod, I went and looked at her lawn. Despite the customer claiming I did not look at her lawn, I did. It was over a foot and a half tall – and no, I am not exaggerating. She had not mowed it or watered it in a considerable amount of time and decided two years later to call and complain to me that her lawn didn’t look perfect. I will admit it looked terrible, but that it due to her not performing any type of normal maintenance that every lawn requires by the homeowner. The sod is the correct type of grass. I purchased a blend grown by JB Instant Lawn – one of the largest local suppliers. It is the same sod I recommend for all of my customers and also the same sod I used for my own lawn. It is a three way blend that JB Instant Lawn recommends for Pacific NW, and performs very well here, which I am sure why she had no luck in her complaints to JB Instant Lawn. I told her that she needed to be performing maintenance on her lawn. She requested I “fix” the problem for her. I politely told her that my company does not do landscape maintenance work. Two weeks later, she wrote this scathing review. There are two other specific issues to address: 1) Contract Price. The original scope of the work was for a much smaller project than was ultimately complete at the customer’s own request. The end project was not just for sod installation, but also some demolition work, fill work, earthmoving, and sod installation. I informed the customer that expanding the scope of the services she wanted was going to cost more money, the price was discussed, and she agreed to it. As a result, the final bill was more than the original bid because a substantial amount more work was done. I did not demand payment on the spot for undocumented work as she claims. 2) Time Delays. The customer decided that she wanted this project to move forward in the dead of winter 2008. The ground froze. So yes, the project did take longer than either one of us would have liked; however, it was completely due to the weather conditions that made moving equipment and doing hardscaping impossible while the ground remained frozen. This is in addition to the fact that the customer expanded the scope of the work with therefore expanded the time the project took. I wish I could do more work in the same amount of time, but I cannot. Any of my other customers can tell you that I work very long days on a regular basis to get the job done as quickly as possible. It is never cost effective for me to drag a job out longer – time is money for me."
HARVEY A.
Aug 2010
got three bids all from angis list. WOW on time on bid PERFECT that covers it all
Deb S.
Feb 2010
Michael Swope and his assistant arrived on the same day I phoned him and excavated a 50' and 3' concrete strip in my backyard. This was to make room for a flower bed and make my backyard a unifrom square shape. Michael was cheerful, accomodating and excuted his work professionally and expertly. I would totally hire him for any further excavation.
John H.
Feb 2010
It went very good. I had no downtime and the finish came out perfect which were my main objectives.
Michael C.
Feb 2010
Michael came out and gave us a quote right away. He was able to meet with us after work to give an estimate, and was able to complete the work on a weekend to accommodate our schedule. He was very professional. Called to let us know when he would be there, and arrived on time. We have strong, thick basement walls, which he saw cut from both outside and inside, and all of the cuts were nice and clean and well aligned (including one opening that was 8-ft wide). This made our window installation go so much easier. Michael worked hard all day, and was a pleasure to work with. He even hauled away some additional concrete block that we had removed from another project. We would (and have) highly recommend him to anyone else.
Response from SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
"Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback it means a lot to me."
Nancy H.
Jan 2010
Michael answered every time I called him. He came the same day as my first contact to give an estimate. I felt heard and respected and he was informative and flexible. He did the work 2 days after we agreed on the estimate and went up to Everett to get the gravel he thought would be best for my particular needs. He came back the next day (8:30 A.M. on Saturday) to complete the finishing touches of compression. He was a pleasure to do business with!
Response from SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
"thank you for the work."
Thomas J.
Jan 2010
Mike did a great job for us tearing down our garage, removing old foundations and old driveway and installing underground utilities. He literally ran between different pieces of equipment while he was working on our property. Mike also assisted us in putting in a rock driveway that turned our very nice. I would highly recommend him as a hard-working, fair-minded contractor. I don't say that easily.
Response from SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION
"Thank you for the work, it was a pleasure working for you. I am happy to see that it was a mutual feeling"
Sherilyn P.
Aug 2009
Excellent. Michael came out for an estimate soon after I contacted him. His quote was reasonable and he came out again the day before the work to ensure he had the best information. The work went very well.
Jade F.
Jul 2009
Mike came out to bid on my demolition/excavation/foundation project for my new addition. I hired him for his reputation and reasonable bid. First he used his mini excavator to demolish my old attached garage foundation and slab which he hauled away to be recycled. Then he excavated for a new 550sq ft addition with a 3ft crawlspace. After the excavation was complete he set forms, installed rebar, and poured the concrete for the foundation. Everything turned out great, check out the pics. Mike is really hard working and is easy to work with. I would recommend him to anyone.
Charles L.
Feb 2009
The concrete curbing was holding dirt against the house, causing some flooding inside. Swope knocked out the concrete curbing, dug out the dirt, loaded the works onto his trailer and hauled it off. He reconnected the drain lines and swept up carefully afterwards.
Licensing
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FAQ
SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
No, SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION does not offer free project estimates.
No, SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION does not offer a senior discount.
No, SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION does not offer emergency services.
No, SWOPE EXCAVATION & CONSTRUCTION does not offer warranties.