General Excavating
Digging, grading, backfill, footers, drainage correction and hauling. If it involves moving earth on your property, this is where most projects start.
General excavating ›Kearneysville, WV · Jefferson & Berkeley County
Excavating Contractor in Kearneysville, WV
Webster's General Contracting LLC does the dirt work — septic systems, underground utilities, land clearing, site prep and demolition — for homeowners, builders and property owners across West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
Free on-site estimates · Residential & commercial · Locally owned
- Locally owned & operated
- Licensed & insured in WV
- Free on-site estimates
- Residential & commercial
What we do
Excavation services we provide
One crew, one set of equipment, start to finish. Whether you're putting in a new septic field, clearing a wooded lot or prepping a pad for a pole barn, we handle the whole job instead of handing you off.
Septic Systems
New septic installation, drain field replacement and repairs — coordinated with your county health department so the permit and the perc test don't stall your build.
Septic systems ›
Utilities
Underground water, sewer, electric and conduit lines. Trenched, bedded and backfilled properly, with locates called before the bucket goes in the ground.
Utility installation ›
Land Clearing
Brush, stumps, fence rows and overgrown acreage cleared and cleaned up. Useful land back from ground you've been mowing around for years.
Land clearing ›
Site Development
Building pads, driveways, road cuts, stone and finish grade. We get the site level, draining and ready before the concrete or the framing crew shows up.
Site development ›
Demolition
Barns, garages, sheds, mobile homes, old foundations and concrete — torn down, hauled off and the ground left graded and seedable.
Demolition ›Why Webster's
The guy who quotes it is the guy who digs it
Excavation goes wrong in predictable ways: a number over the phone that doubles on the invoice, a crew that disappears for two weeks, a yard left rutted and raw. We built this company around not doing that.
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Straight pricing
We walk the site, look at access and soil, then put the number in writing. If something underground changes the job, you hear it from us before we keep digging.
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Right machine for the job
Small yard work doesn't need a full-size excavator tearing up your lawn, and a two-acre clearing doesn't need a skid steer nibbling at it for a week.
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We know the local ground
Jefferson and Berkeley County soil hides limestone and shallow rock. We plan for it instead of discovering it on day three.
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Cleaned up when we leave
Final grade, ruts filled, tracks off the driveway, and seed and straw where you want it. The job isn't done until the site looks finished.
How the job runs
From first call to final grade
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We walk the site
Call or send photos. For most projects we come out, look at access, drainage and what's underground, and talk through options.
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You get it in writing
A written estimate with the scope spelled out — what's included, what isn't, and what could change the price.
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We dig
Locates called, permits pulled where required, and a start date you can actually plan around. You'll know who's coming and when.
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Final grade & cleanup
We finish grade, haul off spoil, and leave the property ready for the next trade — or ready for you to enjoy it.
Recent work
Before & after
The easiest way to judge an excavator is to look at what the ground looked like before, and what it looks like when we pull off the job.
Where we work
Service areas we cover
Based in Kearneysville and working throughout Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties. If your property is within about an hour of us, we'll come look at it.
Also serving Shepherdstown, Shenandoah Junction, Summit Point, Middleway, Inwood, Bunker Hill and surrounding communities. See all service areas ›
Common questions
Before you dig, know this
Do I need a permit to install a septic system?
Yes. In West Virginia, septic installation and major repairs require a permit from your county health department, and in Berkeley County a septic permit has to be in hand before a building permit is issued. The installer must be state-certified and signs off on the application. We handle that paperwork with you so it doesn't hold up your project.
What is a perc test and how long does it take?
A percolation test measures how quickly your soil absorbs water, which determines what kind of septic system your property can support. The field work itself is usually a day; health department scheduling and approval is what sets the real timeline. Get it started early — results shape where the house, well and drain field can go.
What's the difference between a Class I and Class II septic system?
West Virginia certifies septic installers in two classes, and the class determines which system types can be installed. Conventional gravity systems fall under the first; alternative and advanced designs — mound systems, aerobic treatment units and similar — require the higher certification. Which one your property needs comes out of the site evaluation and depends on soil, slope, and depth to rock or the water table.
How long does a septic system installation take?
The digging and setting is usually a matter of days. The calendar is driven by everything around it: the perc test, the health department's review, and the permit. Plan in months rather than weeks from first call to a working system, and start the process before you need it.
How much does excavation cost?
It depends on access, how much material moves, whether we hit rock, and whether spoil has to be hauled off. A small drainage fix and a full building pad aren't in the same universe. That's why we walk the site and give you a written number instead of guessing over the phone.
What happens if you hit rock?
Limestone and shallow bedrock are common through Jefferson and Berkeley County, so we look for the signs before quoting. If rock shows up anyway and it changes the scope, we stop and talk to you about options and cost before we keep going. You will not find out about it on the invoice.
Do you call 811 before digging?
Always. Utility locates are called and marked before any excavation begins. It's free, it's the law, and hitting a gas or fiber line is a bad day for everyone.
What's involved in site prep for a pole barn or shed?
Clearing and stripping topsoil, cutting the pad to grade, building it up with compacted stone, and shaping the ground around it so water runs away from the building instead of under it. Getting the drainage right at this stage is what keeps the floor dry for the next twenty years.
Do you haul off the dirt, brush and debris?
Yes. Spoil, stumps, brush and demolition debris can all be hauled away, or we can spread and grade excess material on site if you have somewhere to put it — that's often the cheaper option. We'll tell you which makes sense for your property.
Do you take small residential jobs?
Yes. Driveway repair, a stump, a wet spot in the yard, a shed pad — small jobs are a real part of what we do. Give us a call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth bringing equipment out.
Ready to break ground?
Tell us what you're trying to do with your property. We'll come look at it, tell you what it takes, and put a real number on it — no charge, no pressure.
webstersgeneralcontracting@outlook.com
Webster's General Contracting LLC is based right here in Kearneysville. Your project isn't a job number to us — it's a neighbor's property, and word travels fast in the Eastern Panhandle. That's the whole reason we do it right the first time.
