Drainage Excavation — Duluth · Superior · Ashland · Cloquet

Drainage Solutions and Grading in Duluth, MN

We plan where the water goes before anything else happens on the site.

Call 218-453-4073 How we work
Contour Inc. drainage grading work in Duluth MN
Drainage contractor — Duluth, Superior, and the surrounding region

Everything built above ground starts with what we do below it.

Standing water, wet basements, and failing driveways almost always trace back to drainage that was not planned before the build. We walk every site with water movement in mind first, looking at where it comes from, where it needs to go, and what the heavy rain will do to it. Planning drainage is not a follow-up. It is where we start.

We serve Duluth, Superior, Ashland, Cloquet, Hermantown, Proctor, and Two Harbors. Bonded and licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Drainage assessment before any excavation starts
Swale, French drain, and retention feature excavation
Coordination with foundation and paving trades
Final grade confirmation on every job
Contour Inc. drainage excavation work in Duluth MN
"Standing water is always somebody's mistake from earlier in the project. We plan so it is not yours."
How it works

Our drainage excavation process

Water movement is planned before a machine touches the site.

01

Site walk and water mapping

We walk the site and map how water currently moves on and off the lot. Problem areas, low spots, and drainage paths are all identified before we dig.

02

Drainage plan development

We develop a drainage plan before excavation starts. This includes swale routing, French drain placement, and any retention or diversion features needed.

03

Excavation for drainage features

We excavate swales, French drain trenches, and retention features to plan. Coordination with any underground utilities happens before digging.

04

Trade coordination

We coordinate with foundation, paving, and landscaping crews so drainage features are installed at the right stage and not disrupted by work that follows.

05

Final grade and drainage check

We bring the site to final grade and verify drainage performance before leaving. If something does not drain correctly, we fix it before handoff.

Who we work with

Built for GCs and home builders

We are on the approved lists for the builders who move the most projects in Duluth and Superior.

ProCon

ProCon handles commercial and multi-unit construction across the Twin Ports. We handle drainage planning and excavation on their builds.

Lagom Home Builders

Lagom Home Builders builds custom homes throughout Duluth. We handle drainage and site grading on their new construction starts.

Common questions

Drainage FAQs

What drainage problems can be fixed with excavation?

Standing water, yard flooding, basement moisture from surface water, failed driveways from poor base drainage, and erosion from uncontrolled runoff are all problems we address through grading and excavation. The right solution depends on the cause, which we assess on site.

Do you install French drains or just excavate for them?

We excavate and install French drains from start to finish. This includes trench excavation, gravel base, perforated pipe installation, filter fabric, and backfill. We do not leave the trench for another crew to deal with.

How do you plan drainage on a new construction lot?

We walk the lot and assess the natural water movement before developing a drainage plan. On new construction, drainage is planned in coordination with the foundation and paving crews so all features work together.

Can drainage excavation be added after a foundation is poured?

In most cases, yes. Adding drainage after a foundation is poured is more complicated but is often the situation we deal with on problem properties. We assess what is possible based on the existing foundation and grade.

Do you serve Ashland, Cloquet, and areas outside Duluth?

Yes. We work throughout Duluth, Superior, Ashland, Cloquet, Hermantown, Proctor, and Two Harbors. Bonded and licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

How we approach every new build

Why we always meet with the foundation crew before a machine moves.

After ten-plus years of combined foundation and excavation work, Josh and Brian kept seeing the same pattern: when a site prep project goes wrong, it traces back to poor communication before the first machine moved.

Drainage, soil conditions, and grade are not details you assess from a plan. A plan is a starting point. The ground is the reality.

We do a pre-job site visit on every new construction project. We walk the lot, talk through drainage, and make sure every contractor coming in after us knows exactly what they are building on.

Talk to us about your project
Contour Inc. excavation team in Duluth MN
10+
Years in foundation
and excavation