KDM Earthworks is a locally owned and operated excavation and earthmoving company based in Colorado Springs, CO. Founded by Kalten Mattics — a Colorado Springs native — KDM serves residential and commercial clients across El Paso County and surrounding areas. Kalten is personally on-site for every project, bringing hands-on expertise and honest pricing to every job.

KDM Earthworks offers a full range of excavation and earthmoving services including: foundation excavation, land clearing, grading and drainage, gravel driveway installation, retaining wall construction, utility trenching, and commercial snow removal. We serve both residential homeowners and commercial contractors.

Yes. KDM Earthworks is fully licensed and carries comprehensive liability insurance to operate in Colorado. We comply with all state and El Paso County regulations. Proof of insurance is available upon request — we recommend always hiring insured contractors for any excavation work to protect your property and investment.

Yes — all estimates are free and fully itemized. KDM Earthworks provides transparent, detailed quotes with no hidden fees so you know exactly what you're paying for before a single shovel hits the ground. Call (970) 765-1862 or fill out the contact form to schedule your free estimate.

Yes — that's one of the key differences with KDM Earthworks. Kalten Mattics is personally present on every project. You won't get a subcontractor you've never met. When you hire KDM, you're hiring Kalten directly. He keeps you informed throughout every stage of the project and answers your questions in real time.

In most cases, yes. Excavation for foundations, major grading, utility work, and significant land alteration in Colorado Springs and El Paso County typically requires a permit from the City of Colorado Springs or El Paso County. KDM Earthworks can advise you on the permitting process for your specific project, though permits are the legal responsibility of the property owner or general contractor.

KDM Earthworks operates well-maintained excavators, skid steers, and compaction equipment sized appropriately for each job — including compact machines for tight-access residential sites. Our equipment is calibrated for El Paso County's challenging caliche, clay, and rocky soil conditions, ensuring clean, precise work without unnecessary property damage.

Foundation excavation is the process of digging out the earth to the required depth and dimensions so a building's foundation — whether a basement, crawl space, or slab — can be properly poured. Precision matters enormously here: incorrect depth, uneven bearing surfaces, or poor drainage prep can lead to structural failure, water intrusion, and costly repairs down the road. KDM Earthworks treats foundation digs as the most critical phase of any construction project.

Foundation excavation in Colorado Springs typically ranges from $3,500 to $25,000+, depending on the square footage of the footprint, depth required, soil conditions (El Paso County's caliche rock layers can significantly impact cost), site access, and dirt haul-off needs. KDM Earthworks provides free, itemized estimates after an on-site assessment so there are no surprises.

El Paso County is known for challenging soil conditions including expansive clay, caliche rock layers, and decomposed granite. Clay soils expand when wet and shrink when dry, which can crack foundations if not properly accounted for. Caliche — a hardened calcium carbonate layer — often requires specialized equipment to break through. Kalten's deep local knowledge of Colorado Springs terrain ensures each foundation dig accounts for these conditions from the start.

Most residential foundation excavations take 1–3 days. Larger custom homes, complex multi-level foundations, or sites with difficult soil (such as caliche or rock) may take 3–5 days. KDM Earthworks will provide a specific timeline during your free estimate based on your actual site conditions.

Yes. KDM Earthworks handles all spoil (excavated soil) management. Depending on your site, this may include stockpiling soil for later backfill use, hauling excess material off-site, or grading and spreading fill across your property. All dirt haul-off options are discussed and itemized in your estimate upfront.

Yes. KDM Earthworks performs excavation for additions to existing structures, including digging new basement areas adjacent to a standing home, crawl space enlargements, and detached garage foundations. These projects require careful hand-digging and equipment control near existing structures — something Kalten's precision operation handles expertly.

Site preparation before a foundation dig typically includes clearing vegetation and debris, stripping topsoil, establishing grade stakes, and ensuring equipment access to the site. KDM Earthworks handles complete site prep as part of our excavation process so your general contractor or concrete crew can begin immediately after we finish.

Land clearing by KDM Earthworks includes brush and scrub removal, tree cutting and removal, stump grinding, root clearing, topsoil stripping, and debris hauling. We clear land efficiently while protecting any surrounding trees, vegetation, or structures you want to preserve. The goal is a clean, workable site ready for construction, landscaping, or agricultural use.

Land clearing costs in Colorado Springs typically range from $1,200 to $8,000+ per acre depending on vegetation density, tree size and quantity, terrain steepness, access, and whether stumps need to be ground out. Lightly brushed parcels cost significantly less than heavily wooded properties. KDM Earthworks provides a free on-site estimate based on your specific acreage.

Absolutely. New home site preparation is one of KDM's most common land clearing projects. We clear the building envelope, establish staging areas for construction materials, and prepare access routes for concrete trucks and other heavy equipment. Proper land clearing sets the entire project up for success and is the first call we'd recommend making before breaking ground.

Yes. KDM Earthworks includes tree and stump removal as part of our land clearing services. Stump grinding ensures root systems don't interfere with foundations, grading, or future landscaping. We take care to leave your property level and debris-free after clearing, ready for the next phase of your project.

Yes. Wildfire mitigation is a real concern for homeowners in and around Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, and the foothill communities of El Paso and Teller County. KDM Earthworks can selectively clear brush, dead trees, and overgrown vegetation to create defensible space around your home in compliance with Colorado's defensible space guidelines — without clear-cutting the trees you want to keep.

Yes. KDM Earthworks regularly works on larger rural parcels in Peyton, Calhan, Falcon, and the eastern plains of El Paso County. Whether you're prepping agricultural land, clearing for a rural home build, or managing acreage for livestock, we have the right equipment and experience for open-country clearing projects.

Yes. KDM Earthworks handles complete debris removal as part of our land clearing projects. Brush, trees, stumps, roots, and topsoil can be hauled off-site, chipped on-site where equipment allows, or stockpiled if you intend to use the material elsewhere on your property. We leave your parcel clean and ready for the next phase — not just pushed to the property line. Debris management options are discussed and included in your estimate upfront.

Yes. KDM Earthworks installs new gravel driveways and regrading of existing ones throughout Colorado Springs, Monument, Fountain, and rural El Paso County. We handle every step: excavating the base, shaping proper drainage crown, installing road base material, and compacting for a long-lasting surface that handles Colorado winters without washing out.

Gravel driveway installation in Colorado Springs typically costs $1,500 to $10,000+ depending on length, width, amount of grading needed, and material choices. Rural properties with longer driveways or steep grades will cost more. KDM Earthworks provides free estimates and honest pricing with no surprise add-ons at the end of the job.

Road base (also called Class 6 road base or crusher run) is a compacted mixture of crushed stone and fine particles that forms the structural foundation of a driveway. In El Paso County, where clay-heavy soils expand and contract with moisture, proper road base is critical to prevent rutting, sinking, and erosion. KDM Earthworks properly grades, installs, and compacts road base to ensure your driveway holds up through Colorado's wet springs and cold winters.

Yes — driveway restoration is a very common call we get, especially after Colorado's heavy monsoon rains in July and August. KDM Earthworks will regraded the driveway surface, improve the drainage crown, address the root cause of the washout (often poor original grading or missing drainage), and add compacted road base to restore a stable, long-lasting surface.

Yes. KDM Earthworks constructs private access roads for rural parcels, hobby farms, and ranches throughout El Paso County and the surrounding region. We grade the roadbed, ensure proper drainage swales on either side, and install compacted gravel to handle truck and equipment traffic in all seasons.

Most standard residential gravel driveway installations in Colorado Springs take 1–2 days. Longer rural access roads or those requiring significant cut-and-fill grading may take 2–4 days. We'll give you an accurate time estimate after seeing the site.

KDM Earthworks typically uses Class 6 road base as the compacted foundation layer, which is the standard for driveways in El Paso County. A top dressing of crusher run, pea gravel, or larger decorative rock can be added depending on your preference and budget. We recommend road base as the primary material for durability and stability in Colorado's climate.

In many cases, yes — especially for driveways that cross a drainage swale, ditch, or seasonal waterway. A culvert pipe under the driveway allows water to pass through instead of washing out your base material. El Paso County can also require culverts for permitted driveway entrances that connect to a county road. KDM Earthworks assesses drainage flow during the estimate and will recommend culvert sizing and placement if needed.

Land grading is the process of reshaping the elevation and slope of soil on your property to achieve a specific grade. You need grading when: water is pooling around your foundation or in your yard, you're preparing a building pad for a home, garage, or outbuilding, you're installing a driveway, or your landscape slopes toward your house instead of away. In Colorado Springs, clay soils and heavy monsoon rains make proper grading one of the most effective ways to protect your property.

Yard and lot grading in Colorado Springs typically ranges from $500 to $5,000+ for residential projects depending on the size of the area, severity of the drainage issue, and whether fill material needs to be brought in or removed. KDM Earthworks offers free on-site evaluations to diagnose the grading issue and recommend the most cost-effective solution.

Colorado Springs receives intense summer monsoon thunderstorms that dump large amounts of rain in short windows. Combined with El Paso County's expansive clay soils — which don't absorb water well — this creates serious drainage and flooding problems for improperly graded properties. Proper grading directs water away from your home's foundation and prevents the kind of erosion damage that can cost tens of thousands to repair.

Yes. Erosion control is a natural extension of our grading services. We regrade slopes to reduce the velocity of water runoff, establish swales to redirect flow, and can work alongside retaining wall installation to physically hold soil in place. Many Colorado Springs homeowners on hillside lots struggle with chronic erosion — KDM diagnoses the root cause and fixes it properly, not just cosmetically.

Yes. Building pad grading is one of our core services. KDM Earthworks prepares level, compacted building pads for custom homes, manufactured homes, garages, barns, and outbuildings across El Paso County. A properly prepared pad ensures your structure sits on a stable, well-drained surface — critical in Colorado's freeze-thaw climate.

Excavation means removing earth to a specific depth — digging a hole or trench. Grading means reshaping the surface of existing ground to achieve a desired slope or elevation, often without removing large amounts of material. In practice, many projects involve both: excavating to create a building pad, then grading the surrounding area for drainage. KDM Earthworks handles both as part of a seamless workflow.

In most cases, yes. Yard flooding in Colorado Springs is almost always a grading problem at its root — the ground is either flat, sloped toward the house, or has low spots where water collects. KDM Earthworks evaluates the entire drainage pattern of your yard, regrading to create a positive slope away from your structure and toward a designated outlet. For severe cases, we may also recommend adding a French drain or dry creek channel to give water a clear path off your property.

KDM Earthworks installs boulder retaining walls, concrete block walls (such as Allan Block and Versa-Lok), timber walls, and poured concrete walls. We recommend the right material based on the wall's height, the load it needs to retain, your soil conditions, and your aesthetic preferences. Boulder walls are especially popular in Colorado Springs for their natural look and exceptional durability in our freeze-thaw climate.

Retaining wall costs in Colorado Springs typically range from $30 to $80+ per square face foot depending on material (boulders vs. concrete block vs. timber), wall height, the amount of excavation and backfill required, and drainage system needs. A basic 20-foot boulder wall might start around $3,000–$6,000, while larger structural walls can reach $15,000–$40,000+. KDM Earthworks provides free, detailed estimates after reviewing your site.

The most common reasons retaining walls fail in Colorado Springs are: inadequate drainage (water builds up behind the wall and creates hydrostatic pressure), poor footing design (the wall wasn't buried deep enough to resist freeze-thaw heaving), and insufficient batter (the wall wasn't angled back into the slope). KDM Earthworks builds retaining walls with proper drainage systems — often including a French drain behind the wall — and ensures adequate footing depth for Colorado's cold winters.

Yes. KDM Earthworks frequently repairs and rebuilds retaining walls that have failed due to poor drainage, improper construction, or damage from Colorado's heavy rains and freeze-thaw cycles. We don't just rebuild the wall — we diagnose and fix the underlying drainage problem so the new wall lasts for decades.

In El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs, retaining walls over 4 feet in height typically require a building permit and engineered drawings. Walls under 4 feet often do not, but it depends on the location, zoning, and slope conditions. KDM Earthworks can advise you on permit requirements for your specific project; permit applications are the property owner's responsibility.

Boulder retaining walls are exceptionally well-suited to Colorado's climate precisely because they aren't rigid. Unlike poured concrete or block walls, natural boulder walls have slight flexibility that allows them to move with freeze-thaw cycles without cracking. Their mass also provides excellent load-bearing capacity on hillside lots. Properly placed with adequate drainage behind them, boulder walls in Colorado Springs regularly last 30–50+ years with minimal maintenance — which is why they're one of KDM Earthworks' most recommended options.

Yes. KDM Earthworks provides utility trenching for water lines, sewer lines, electrical conduit, irrigation systems, and drainage pipes. We dig to the required depth and width, ensure clean trench walls for safe pipe placement, and backfill and compact after installation is complete.

In Colorado Springs, the frost depth is approximately 36–42 inches, which means water and sewer lines typically need to be buried at least 42 inches deep to prevent freezing. Electrical conduit and irrigation lines have different depth requirements. KDM Earthworks digs to code-required depths for each utility type and can advise on local requirements for your project.

Yes. French drain installation is one of our most popular services in Colorado Springs, where clay soils and monsoon rains create persistent drainage and flooding problems. KDM Earthworks digs the trench, sets the grade, and can coordinate with plumbers or drainage specialists for pipe installation and gravel backfill — leaving your yard clean and functional when the job is done.

Yes. Caliche and rocky subsurface conditions are common across El Paso County, and KDM Earthworks has the equipment and experience to trench through them. Breaking through caliche layers requires the right machine and technique — something Kalten's hands-on knowledge of Colorado Springs soil conditions ensures we handle correctly every time.

Yes. Once the utility installer has placed the pipe or conduit, KDM Earthworks backfills the trench in lifts and compacts each layer to prevent settling. Poor backfill compaction is a common cause of sunken ground above utility trenches — we make sure it's done right so your yard, driveway, or surface stays level and stable long after the project is complete.

Every project is priced with a free, itemized written estimate after an on-site visit. KDM Earthworks does not charge by the hour for most projects — we provide a fixed-price quote based on the scope of work, soil conditions, equipment needed, and haul-off or material costs. There are no hidden fees added after the job starts.

Key cost factors include: project size and depth, soil conditions (caliche rock and clay add complexity), site accessibility (tight spaces require smaller, slower equipment), dirt haul-off distance, material costs (road base, boulders, gravel), and project timeline. KDM Earthworks walks you through every cost factor during your free estimate so nothing is a surprise.

You can get a free estimate by calling (970) 765-1862 or filling out the contact form at kdmearthworks.com. Kalten will schedule an on-site visit, assess your project, and provide a written, itemized quote — typically within a few days of the site visit.

Most residential excavation and grading projects take 1–3 days of on-site work. Larger land clearing, retaining wall, or multi-phase site prep projects may take 3–7 days. KDM Earthworks will give you a clear start date and project timeline upfront and keeps you updated throughout the job so you always know where things stand.

Yes. KDM Earthworks works as a subcontractor for general contractors, custom home builders, landscapers, and developers throughout Colorado Springs and El Paso County. We're known for showing up on time, communicating clearly, and getting the earthwork phase done right so the rest of the build can proceed on schedule. Subcontractor relationships are welcome — call to discuss pricing and scheduling for your projects.

Spring (April–June) and fall (September–October) are the most popular times for excavation in Colorado Springs because the ground isn't frozen and conditions are typically dry enough for equipment. Summer is also busy — just be aware that July–August monsoon rains can delay outdoor earthwork. Winter excavation is possible for urgent projects but frozen ground can complicate grading. Booking early is recommended as schedules fill up quickly in peak season.

KDM Earthworks handles both. We specialize in residential and small commercial projects and are a preferred choice for homeowners who want the job done with owner-level care and attention. No job is too small — from a backyard drainage fix to a full site prep for a new custom home, we bring the same quality and communication to every project.

KDM Earthworks serves Colorado Springs and all of El Paso County, including Monument, Fountain, Peyton, Calhan, Falcon, Black Forest, and Manitou Springs. We also serve Woodland Park in Teller County and Pueblo in Pueblo County. Call to confirm availability for your location and project.

Yes. Monument, Palmer Lake, and the Tri-Lakes area north of Colorado Springs are well within our service area. We regularly perform excavation, land clearing, grading, and driveway work for homeowners and contractors throughout this part of El Paso County.

Yes. KDM Earthworks serves the southern Colorado Springs communities of Fountain, Security-Widefield, and Pueblo West. If you're in the southern El Paso County or northern Pueblo County area, call us to confirm we can reach your project site.

Yes. KDM Earthworks serves Woodland Park and surrounding communities in Teller County. Mountain properties in this area often have unique terrain challenges — steep slopes, rocky soils, and dense vegetation — which Kalten's experience with Colorado's varied terrain handles well.

Absolutely. Rural and semi-rural properties in areas like Peyton, Calhan, Falcon, Black Forest, and the eastern plains are a big part of what KDM Earthworks does. From building new rural driveways and access roads to clearing acreage for agricultural use or a new home build, we're fully equipped for rural El Paso County projects.

Local matters enormously in excavation work. Kalten Mattics grew up in Colorado Springs and has worked in El Paso County's soil his entire career — he knows the caliche layers, the clay content, the drainage patterns, and the freeze-thaw behavior of this specific terrain. National chains send whoever is available; KDM sends Kalten, personally, every time. You get local knowledge, owner accountability, and honest pricing on every project — not a dispatcher and a subcontractor you've never met.