When most people think about breaking ground on a new home, shop, or barn in Teton Valley, they picture the big yellow excavator rolling in, scooping out dirt, and boom — instant foundation hole.
But here’s the truth: digging dirt is only one piece of the puzzle.

If you want a build that lasts — one that doesn’t shift, crack, flood, or turn into a muddy mess — you need to understand the difference between excavation and site work. And more importantly, you need someone who knows how to handle both in our rocky-as-heck, frost-heavy, high-water-table valley.

So, What’s Excavation?

Excavation is the part of the job most people recognize — it’s the actual digging.
It’s carving out the space for your foundation, trenching for utilities, cutting a driveway, or shaping a pad. Think heavy equipment, big piles of dirt, and a clear transformation of your property in a matter of hours.

Shawn and his crew handle every kind of excavation work in Teton Valley, including:

  • Foundation digs for homes, barns, and shops

  • Utility trenches for water, sewer, power, and fiber

  • Driveway cuts and shaping

  • Pond and water feature digs

  • Basement and crawl space excavation

  • Backfilling and compaction

Excavation is essential — but if you stop there, you’re missing the prep work that keeps your build solid for decades.

And What’s Site Work?

Site work is the bigger picture.
It’s all the planning, grading, drainage, and prep that happens before, during, and after excavation to make sure your project works with — not against — the land.

Site work includes:

  • Clearing and grubbing (removing trees, stumps, rocks, debris)

  • Grading (shaping the land for drainage and stability)

  • Drainage solutions (like French drains or swales)

  • Road base installation

  • Erosion control

  • Soil conditioning

  • Building pad prep and compaction

  • Final grading before landscaping

Here’s the key: in Teton Valley’s rocky, frost-prone soil, site work is where you win or lose the battle for a dry, stable build.

Why It Matters Here in Teton Valley

If you’ve built in places with sandy soil or shallow frost lines, you might think, “It’s dirt — how hard can it be?”
But around Victor, Driggs, Tetonia, Cedron, and Alta, we’re dealing with:

  • Rocky subsoil that can chew through inexperienced operators’ equipment

  • Freeze-thaw cycles that can shift poorly compacted foundations

  • High spring runoff that floods yards without proper drainage

  • Clay pockets that hold water and wreck leach fields if not handled right

  • Strict grading & erosion control rules (especially in the scenic corridor)

Get the site work wrong, and you’ll pay for it every spring when the snow melts.

Real Talk: What Happens If You Skip Proper Site Work

Shawn’s seen it all — and fixed more than his share of bad jobs.
Common problems when builders skip site work or hire the cheapest guy:

  • Water pooling around the foundation

  • Heaving and cracking from frost

  • Flooded basements in spring

  • Driveways that wash out after one good rain

  • Leach field failure from improper grading

These problems aren’t just annoying — they’re expensive. And in many cases, fixing them later costs 3–5x more than doing the site work right the first time.

How Shawn Handles It (a.k.a. Why He’s the Soil Daddy)

Shawn doesn’t just “dig a hole” — he starts with the land itself.
When you call him for excavation or site work, here’s what you get:

  1. Site assessment — He walks the property, looks at natural drainage, checks soil conditions, and plans for snowmelt patterns.

  2. Coordination with engineers — If needed, he works directly with A-W Engineering or your chosen firm to make sure plans match real-world conditions.

  3. Utility coordination — Shawn’s crew can handle utility locates and trenches so you’re ready for power, water, and sewer.

  4. Drainage planning — From French drains to grading swales, he makes sure water moves away from your build.

  5. Precision excavation — The actual digging is fast, clean, and accurate — no over-excavating just to fill it back in later.

  6. Proper compaction — Every lift is compacted to the right spec so you don’t get settlement later.

  7. Final grading — Before you move on to landscaping or paving, the site is shaped to handle water, snow, and traffic.

Local Knowledge = Fewer Headaches

Because Shawn lives and works right here in Teton Valley, he knows:

  • How deep to dig below frost line (and why it matters)

  • When to schedule work to avoid spring thaw delays

  • How to source the right road base and pit run locally

  • Which spots on your lot will hold snow and water longest

  • How to work efficiently with local inspectors and permit processes

That’s the difference between a job that “gets done” and a job that’s done right.

Bottom Line

If you’re building in Victor, Driggs, Tetonia, Cedron, or Alta, don’t think of excavation as “just digging.”
It’s the site work — the planning, grading, drainage, and prep — that protects your investment for the long haul.

And if you want it done right, you want Shawn on your team.

Call Shawn at (208) 313-3490 or email shawn@parkfab.com to talk about your project and get a site work plan that keeps you dry, stable, and ready for decades to come.