Before you begin construction on a vacant block of land you'll want to have your lot excavated and soil type and quality plays a big part in the overall cost.
On average, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $16,000 to excavate land for a house. The hourly rate to hire a professional excavator comes in at around $90 per hour.
Quality of soil, size of the site, obstructions such as trees and buildings all add up to narrow down they type of machinery that can access the excavation site. Smaller excavators take a longer time to shift dirt than larger excavators, however are nimble and effective in tight spaces., For general excavation works the cost can range from $500 to $7,000. Typical hourly rate for professionals is at around $90 per hour.
Selecting the right excavator and machinery for the job is a critical to productivity and overall cost. The type of soil has serious an impact on how long the work will take. Sandy soil will be easier to work on and take less time than more rocky soil, which will be harder and may require other specialised equipment.
It all depends on soil type, density, moisture level, location and what is in the actual dirt - environmental hazards such as pipes, tree roots and cabling. If the soil is hard clay or there are rocks present some of the work may need to be done by hand. For average digging conditions in ordinary soil, trained users can move over 30 cubic metres in an hour.