Contact Us for an Estimate in Buffalo, NY

Next steps

What happens after you reach out

Pick how we reply

We answer our own phone. The estimate form asks whether you'd like a call, a text or an email back, so choose whichever is easiest for you to catch.

A walk around your site

We come to the property, look at access, slope, soil and where water collects, and talk through what you want done. A dig doesn't get priced from photos alone.

Your estimate in writing

The scope comes back written out, so you can see exactly what's included and what isn't before you decide anything.

Locate marks, then digging

Once you say yes, the locate request goes in with UDig NY, and no digging starts until each notified utility has answered the ticket. Permits follow your municipality's rules.

What to include when you call, text or fill out the form

A good first message saves a round of back-and-forth. You don't need every item below, but each one sharpens the conversation before anyone drives out.

The job's street address. The town printed on your mail isn't always the city, town or village the lot actually sits in, and that municipality decides whose permit rules apply.
Photos. One wide shot from the street, then the work area, the route a machine would take to reach it, any overhead wires, and the electric meter if a building is coming down.
Rough measurements. Paced-off length and width of the garage, pool or driveway, plus the narrowest gate or gap between houses.
Your timeline. A closing date, a builder's start date, or simply a season you're aiming for.
What's buried, if you know. Where the sewer pipe leaves the house, a cleanout cap in the lawn, a septic tank, sprinkler lines, a propane line, power run out to a detached garage, or an invisible dog fence.

That last item matters more than most people expect. UDig NY, which takes 811 locate requests, says the utilities it notifies won't locate private lines on your property, and its own list of lines that can go unmarked includes sewer laterals and water services. Every line you can point out is one less the crew has to guess at. Not sure what to call the job? Skim the full list of services first.

The site walk, the written estimate and the locate ticket

After you reach out, we set a time to come look. Nothing gets priced until we've been on the ground, because pictures can't show what really drives the cost of digging: how firm the ground is, where water sits after a rain, whether a dump truck can back in without rolling over a septic field or a neighbor's driveway, and where the spoil pile can go.

Bring your questions to the walk. It's the right moment to ask whether an old sewer lateral replacement makes sense while the yard is already open, or whether a new water line or electric conduit trench could share the same dig.

The estimate then reaches you in writing, with the scope spelled out so you can see what's included and what isn't. If you go ahead, state law makes filing the UDig NY locate request the contractor's job. The window opens 10 working days ahead of the dig date and closes two full working days before it. Every utility it notifies must answer before work begins. Permit rules differ from one city, town or village to the next, so confirm yours with the local building department.

Planning a tear-down? Lead times that aren't ours to shorten

If a house, garage or other building is coming down, a few steps run on other people's clocks. Tell us your deadline on the first call.

Asbestos survey. State Labor Department rules call for a survey ahead of any demolition, renovation, remodel or repair, and a newer construction date doesn't get anyone out of it. Without one, asbestos is assumed to be there. If you already have one, send it along with your photos.
Electric service removal. If your electric comes from National Grid, its demolition removal form warns that pulling the service drop and meter for a residential demolition may run 16 to 20 days once National Grid has the request in hand, on a date the customer doesn't get to pick. The form won't be processed without every meter number, which is why a meter photo helps.
City review. Inside Buffalo city limits, each demolition application is sent to the Preservation Board for review, and unless it's an emergency, a permit can't be issued sooner than 30 days from the date it was filed. Every other city, town and village runs its own permit process.

None of this has to be finished before you call. Starting early just gives those clocks time to run ahead of your deadline. The house demolition and garage tear-down pages go deeper.

Questions & answers

Before you call

Is there an office I can stop by to talk about my project?

No, there's no public office to visit. Dig Out WNY works as a mobile crew, so the conversation happens by phone, text or email, and the estimate happens at your property. That's where the useful answers are anyway, since access, slope and soil can't be judged from across a desk. Once you've called or texted (716) 444-6613, we'll line up a day to meet you on site in any of the towns we serve across Erie and Niagara counties.

Can I text photos of the job instead of filling out the form?

Yes, and photos often say more than a long description. Text them to (716) 444-6613 with the street address and a line about what you want done. The form on this page doesn't take attachments, so if you use it, follow up by text or send the pictures to our email. Helpful shots include the whole work area, the way in from the street, overhead wires and anything sunken, cracked or holding water.

Will you give me a price over the phone if I describe the job?

No. Every job gets a site visit before it gets a number, because the details that swing an excavation or demolition job rarely come across in a description: how a truck gets in, what the ground is like a foot down, where the sewer line runs, and how far the dirt has to travel. A call or a few photos is enough to tell whether the job fits what we do and to book the visit.

Do you work for businesses and property managers, or only homeowners?

Both. Dig Out WNY takes residential and commercial work, from a single backyard drainage fix to site work for a business lot. The first step is the same either way: send the address, a few photos and your schedule, and we'll walk it. On commercial jobs, pass along any site plan, survey or engineer's drawings you already have, since those set the grades, utility routes and where storm water has to go.

Should I get my building permit before I ask for an estimate?

In most cases, get the estimate first. A permit application generally asks what's being built, torn down or dug and how, and the site walk is where that scope gets pinned down. What's required varies between the City of Buffalo and each surrounding city, town and village, so call the building department where the property sits and ask what your project needs. If you already hold a permit or approved plans, send them along.

Do I need the asbestos survey done before I call about a tear-down?

No, you can call first, but order the survey early. New York's Department of Labor requires an asbestos survey before a building, or any part of one, is demolished, no matter what year it was built, and a copy goes to whoever issues the demolition permit. In Buffalo, any asbestos the survey finds has to be removed before that permit is issued. Knowing where the survey stands helps set a realistic start date.

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