When you need a professional excavator, you can count on the highly experienced contractors at The Excavators, LLC. For many years, we have been offering customers all throughout the Portland Metro area the best in excavating services. As a third generation family owned and operated company, we place a large emphasis on customer satisfaction.
We also do sewer repair. There are so many options today for sewer repair in Portland. With trenchless repairs, traditional, and others, going through the options can be overwhelming. So which one is best for you? The Excavators, LLC can help!
My wife and I are Sellers in a real property transaction on the West Slope. Eric LaRue provided prompt, informed advice about sewer line inspections. The buyers' real estate agent obtained a scope and then prepared a report claiming $4500 was required to dig out and replace part of the sewer line. We sent the video scope to Eric for independent evaluation. First he analyzed their film to determine that a tree root which caused a 'failed inspection' did not clog the pipe. Next he evaluated the lay of our private line with the City's main segment, and explained a method for entering the City main to take a better look at the roots' location. Eric counseled us on how best to approach the City Public Works department to get them involved. A rigorous inspection by the City showed the tree root was in their pipe, not the homeowner segment. Further, the root was diminished in size compared to claims made by Buyers' agent, and posed no obstruction. Eric's calm, fact-finding approach helped us fend off a faulty inspection report. His knowledge of sewer scopes, pipe materials, and how older lines are conjoined is superb. Not every job will result in such a quick or favorable outcome. But I trust Eric LaRue to figure out what's needed to solve sewer problems -- whether "the issue" is above or below ground.
Description of Work: Residential sewer scope
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$200
L C.
03/2018
5.0
excavators, plumbing, drain pipe, sewer cleaning
 + 2 more
It's your worst nightmare, right? Having the pipe replaced from your home to the city line? Never fear, the Excavators are here. Eric's company delivered supreme customer service; on time with all of the equipment and staff, job done efficiently, cleanup done perfectly and NO EXCUSES, NO DELAYS. He communicated with me throughout the process, addressing all of my questions. They even identified a problem with the City of Portland water line and called them in to take care of it pronto. I'm not sure I can say replacing a sewer pipe is a pleasant experience, but it certainly was painless.
Description of Work: Needed the sewer pipe replaced from my home to the city street
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Kristie D.
02/2018
5.0
excavators, plumbing, drain pipe
 + 1 more
Shortly after our home sewage-disposal system failed, we requested bids from several contractors to fix the problem. We chose The Excavators because of the company's excellent reputation, as indicated by former clients. Our house, situated on a low hillside, was serviced by a 60-foot-long, outdated "Orangeburg" sewer pipeline that was installed in 1962 when the house was built. This pipe joined a larger pipe that extended for several more feet under the sidewalk in front of our house, eventually connecting to Clean Water Services' main line located in the street. Initial camera footage of our 60-foot-long pipe indicated that it was highly deteriorated in several places, including places where it had been compressed to a point where it was nearly blocked. At least one place along the pipe appeared to be breached. Camera footage also revealed that the larger pipe was blocked with various sorts of debris, including root fragments, pieces of concrete, soil and solid household wastes. The work performed by the contractor was outstanding. As promised, the contractor completed nearly all of the work within five days. An additional day or two was spent cleaning up the site and restoring relatively small areas of our yard that had been damaged by equipment, all of which was unavoidable. Replacement of new pipe was accomplished using a technique that didn't require trenching. The sidewalk, which had to be removed to gain access to the larger pipe, was replaced. Subsequent inspections by Washington County and Clean Water Services approved all of the finished work. Throughout the project, the contractor kept us well-informed about scheduling and work progress. We are extremely pleased with the completed work and would certainly hire The Excavators should we ever require the company's expertise.
Description of Work: Replace sewage-disposal pipeline from our house to main sewage collection facility in the street.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,850
Marlene V.
09/2017
1.0
concrete driveways, excavators
 + 0 more
Called numerous times and never returned calls. Very frustrating.
Description of Work: excavating of back yard.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
Bill H.
08/2017
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Great. Priced as agreed and punctual.
Description of Work: Building site prep.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,455
Andrew F.
08/2017
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Great job and great communications.
Description of Work: Excavate and add fill for building platform. Build retaining walls.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$13,000
Tracey H.
03/2017
5.0
drain pipe, sewer cleaning
 + 0 more
Eric was able to determine that a very costly sewage pipe block extended farther than was originally identified, he was able to get City workers to come out within an hour, discuss how the problem might have come about, and in the end the City will be fixing the problem the next business day. We were so relieved by Eric's being readily available to help us and his expertise in solving the problem.
Description of Work: Assessment of blocked sewer pipe
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$340
Tracey H.
03/2017
5.0
excavators, plumbing
 + 0 more
The Excavators LLC came in after another plumbing company unsuccessfully tried to fix the problem. They were able to determine what the problem was and it was really significant. The problem was really complicated but they told us what was needed and were super helpful and supportive every step of the way. We had to have the street closed off, involvement with the City, major digging - and it got done with minimal hassle. They were outstanding and we are forever grateful.
Description of Work: Sewer problem resolution
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Mary T.
02/2017
5.0
concrete driveways, excavators, home inspection, plumbing, drain pipe, sewer cleaning
 + 4 more
Very Well! The Company exhibits a good work ethic
Description of Work: I am a Real Estate Broker Licensed in Oregon. Eric Laru has provided work on underground sewer lines on several occasions. Eric provides detailed estimates for worse case scenario so the client has no surprises. Final Invoice usually comes in below the Estimate. He is knowledgeable, communicates well with all parties, dependable and leaves the site in good condition. Eric is very nice and wonderful to work with. Mary Temple Meadows Group Inc., Realtors
How often can you say "wonderful " his team even saved our underground sprinkler systems!
Description of Work: We are in the process of a whole house renovation on a 90 yr. old Portland residence. The sewer hadn't failed yet but was in need of help. Eric was referred to us by American Plumbing who we had used on our rental property. After scooping Eric said we're good candidates for sewer relining because we have cement sections. Eric was ALWAYS so professional but at the same time easy to talk with and fun to be around. Hard to believe when you think of shelling out multiple thousand $ that you hadn't planned on. Job from start to finish amazingly neat and even had a broken rain drain replaced.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
Robert M.
10/2016
2.0
concrete driveways
 + -1 more
Never went. Made appt. for a Tuesday to survey project, Eric never called to cancel nor did he show up. Left a message again for him on Thursday, no response. Called him again on Monday and he was here in about three hours. Surveyed project and said he would send me a quote. It is now three weeks and no quote.
Description of Work: French drain
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
2.0
$6,000
John L.
06/2016
5.0
concrete driveways, excavators
 + 0 more
Eric was very timely for a bid and when we contracted with him he did his work on time, on budget and very thoroughly considering this was for a Real estate transaction!
Description of Work: Removal of a portion of a Concrete Driveway, Excavate to Sewer pipe, repair a separation, fill and install new Concrete
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,400
daryl S.
04/2016
5.0
excavators, drain pipe
 + 0 more
See above. Couldn't have gone much better. Except if it hadn't rained and gotten so muddy!
Description of Work: Eric and his wonderful crew had their hands full with this job. I am building an Adair home behind an smaller home and they had to deal with very unlevel land, nasty roots, a tight space and the city of Portland's permits! Eric gave me a very fair bid, and warned me of possible complications and the approximate cost if they encountered them (which they did--100 year old water pipes imploding, big roots, etc). He came back promptly for each step required in the process, and was very clear, thoughtful and patient. He's been back numerous times for leveling the driveway, trenching for utilities, etc. He and his crew made a very challenging project so much easier. Many thanks!!!!
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$20,000
Corey O.
09/2015
5.0
excavators, plumbing, sewer cleaning
 + 1 more
Eric was very punctual and professional. He scoped the home's sewer lines and created a video.
Description of Work: Sewer Scope
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
$125
Andrew F.
08/2015
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Although it took a while to get the project off-of the ground, both Gary and Eric asked a lot of questions and made smart suggestions of how to prep the site to build a new garage/workshop. Once they started working, everything went smoothly and the job came in on budget with no surprises. Their quote was the only one that included all of the required tasks for this job, including the excavation, hauling the dirt and old wall away, brining in the fill, building the walls and installing the dry well, and it was also the cheapest.
Description of Work: The Excavators flattened a large area on my property, removed a large amount of clay and an old wall, brought in a huge amount of compact-able fill, built two retaining walls, and installed a dry well.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$18,500
SUE W.
08/2015
5.0
excavators, plumbing, sewer cleaning
 + 1 more
Thanks to his resourcefulness in contacting the City, it was discovered to be the city's responsibility! That was super awesome and I will definitely use Eric in the future. Really appreciated his approach and desire to make sure it was done by the book.
Description of Work: Provided a bid for sewer line repair for one of my clients.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
William M.
07/2015
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Eric provided a detailed bid that included all the specifics that we asked for, including removal of debris, compaction, and other site-specific requests. We were really specific, and Eric was really accommodating, never getting frustrated with how particular we were. Eric definitely understands the idea of customer service, and will bend over backward to ensure the job gets done to his own high standards. There were a few dings in some of the surrounding landscape, but Eric made sure everything was "reset" to the way it was when they showed up. Eric's crew was punctual, and worked through a very hot week to get the job done. Eric's reviews of their progress was thorough and he made sure they stayed on task. This was no easy task considering the access to the backyard, but the team provided professional service, were great communicators, and made sure we were happy with the outcome before taking final payment for the job.
Description of Work: Gary, Eric and crew excavated an in-ground pool in our backyard.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$9,000
Melissa J.
06/2015
5.0
excavators, sewer cleaning
 + 0 more
The owner provided a complete and professional quote and delivered on the time frame, despite very cold and inclement weather. Everyone who was onsite was very nice and professional. He subbed a plumber to to the interior work and that part of the project was well coordinated. The plumbing company he used was also top notch and I have subsequently used them for additional plumbing projects.
Description of Work: New water and sewer lines to house.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,000
Laurie L.
05/2014
5.0
sewer cleaning
 + -1 more
We are highly satisfied with the service Eric LaRue has provided on two separate occasions. We hired him to scope the sewer line at two older homes we had made offers on. He was prompt and professional. The sewer clean outs were not easy to find but Eric did not give up. We watched the camera scope via a laptop screen while Eric described what we were seeing. He explained the type of line , probable age and condition. We received a thumb drive of the scope with narrative. A written report was received via email. If we find we need a future consult and/or repair work, we will not hesitate to hire Eric LaRue of The Excavators.
Description of Work: Residential sewer line scopes
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$125
Robert R.
02/2014
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Gary came out on the same day I phoned. We had a leaky sewer line and I was anxious to get the work done. Other companies were unresponsive and he had a good recommendation so we went with him. He performed the work to our satisfaction a few weeks later. I would also note that when a problem developed - this was an underground sewer line and a sinkhole developed - his company came out the day after I called and filled in the area.
Description of Work: installed new sewer line
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
MJ D.
01/2014
1.0
excavators, sewer cleaning
 + 0 more
They will gladly take your money to fix something that's not broken! We called on The Excavators to give an estimate after the following: We got the Portland Bureau of Transportation/Maintenance Operations to come do a dye test where our sidewalk had been slowly sinking over a 4 yr period. The city confirmed a leak, but not whether it was on their side (beyond curb) or ours (inside curb line). So, The Excavators came with their NON- HDTV equipment & marked the property in a few places that corresponded with what. their equipment showed of active water in the sewer line from our home into the street. I was then given their estimate of $6,550.00. I made a few more calls & brought in a highly recommended sewer scope specialist who charged just $100 to show me on HDTV equipment that our line from home to street was new & undamaged. After viewing the HDTV scope, the city found the leak on their side far too negligible to repair. Honesty saved us $6,450.00!
Description of Work: The Excavator's estimator Gary La Rue came with a helper to both scope & give an estimate on our sewer line. [Estimate cost $ 6550.00]
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Response from The Excavators LLC
I am sorry you were disappointed with our services. There are a couple things I would like to clarify. First the world of sewer inspections is confusing. There are no real clear rules and what you will get is directly linked to the persons experience and opinion. Gary LaRue responded to your call to try to figure out why your front yard was sinking. Gary can claim 50 years of experience in the sewer industry. I believe this is hard to match. This area was on the house side of the sidewalk as well as near the curb. Sewer lines are often the cause of problems like this. When we ran our camera through your line we found no problems on the first look. I will point out that we do have a brand new state of the art camera that we are very proud of. Your sewer is clearly working, but we needed to find out why your yard was sinking. We ran water in the hole in the front yard and looked again with the camera. At that point what we found is that there are several joints in the pipe that are allowing infiltration of water and most likely are carrying soil into the sewer and washing it away. This will continue until you correct the issue with a replacement of the sewer. If your other sewer inspector did not run water in the front yard than he clearly would not have seen the issue. These types of problems with sewers are what allow roots to enter the line and often provide a route for sewer rats to burrow to the surface. I would like to point out that we charged you nothing for coming and investigating and providing you an estimate. No one is ever obligated to accept and estimate. Its up to you if you want to hire us. There were factors involved with the location of the sewer and your entry that make it a challenging one to repair. We work hard to provide good customer service and would like to keep you happy. I would be more than willing to come back at no charge and show you what it was we found.
Steve K.
08/2013
5.0
drain pipe, excavators
 + 0 more
This is a family owned business. At first I had a slow time getting a quote out Gary, the dad, but Eric, his son, was the one who came and summed up the job and I felt comfortable with him from the get-go. He was the most thorough of all the bidders in sizing up the job. His quote was in line with the other bids I had which may seem high for the work done, but given our situation, it was reasonable, and more importantly, I felt I was in good hands. The scheduling of this job was complicated first by the fact that my neighbor hired another crew that to do his portion of the work, but once on the job their low bid began ballooning before they even started, so my neighbor ended up canceling their contract and going with Excavators and now that the job required more time, Gary and Eric had to shuffle another job ahead of us, but even then, most of the delays were due to the poor quote from my neighbor's first hire. Then, because we needed to coordinate this job with more work on our house, we asked Excavators to be present at a pre-construction meeting at our house with our other contractors, and Gary came to that. The other contractor's on our job both mentioned to me later that they were impressed with the knowledge that Gary had. Once Eric and his crew were on the job, everything went very efficiently and professionally. I documented everything with photos and they didn't seem to have any issues with that; I even got a group photo of the crew! I cannot express enough how nice these guys were, how professional, and how knowledgeable. The only bad thing I can say about this experience is that after nearly a week on our job (neighbor's and mine), I feel like I have lost some friends! And with their professionalism and expertise, I feel certain I will never need to hire them again, so let me suggest you not waste any more time and just HIRE these guys to do your work.
Description of Work: Replaced a section of our sewer line and disconnected my neighbors from our line which was a party line. Excavators also fully replaced my neighbor's sewer line. The price declared was just for our work. Eric had to excavate out quite a few rotted old retaining walls made of railroad ties as well as deal with a tree we wanted protected, and my neighbor's retaining wall that we didn't want disturbed. He replaced the section of our sewer piping that needed replacing, bore a new hole for a new water line, and bore a hole for the irrigation system piping we will now be putting in. After his work he replaced the concrete sidewalk that was removed to access the sewer pipe connection at the curb.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,350
Jill S.
06/2013
5.0
excavators
 + -1 more
Eric was wonderful! He was very responsive and professional. He originally quoted me $150.00 to camera our sewer line. He came out hoping to use his new camera to do the scope but it had not arrived yet so he told me it would only be $75 to do the work. Then, while he was at our house, he got a call that his new camera had arrived and he asked if it was okay if his co-worker brought it to him so that he could try it out and said he would do the work for free. I said this would be no problem. He and his co-worker used the new camera and then gave me the video and discussed the results. Eric stated that he felt that the issue we were having with roots in our line originated in the manhole, which was the city's responsibility to maintain. He gave me the phone number to call and asked him to let me know what the city said. He did not even want to give me a bid for the repair job because he felt the city should take care of the issue. I contacted the city maintenance staff and they came out right away and assessed that the issue was their responsibility. Eric was kind and knowledgeable and saved us thousands of dollars! We highly recommend his services.
Description of Work: Performed sewer scope
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Dalton H.
05/2013
5.0
drain pipe, excavators
 + 0 more
I had a sewer line that was continually backing up . After getting two estimates from a "Rooter" company and then another Angies list provider I fortunately called Eric to give me a third estimate. He came and took a look at the previous companies video inspection and gave me an estimate for $850 and said he could come the next day. Eric arrived right on time on the agreed upon morning and didn't stop for the donuts and coffee we provided. He and his helper Anthony got right to work. He used his video camera to scope the sewer to double check the problem and then began to hand dig access the broken concrete sewer later pipe (this is the pipe that carries waste from your house to the city sewer system) They were careful to pile the dirt on a piece of plywood. After a couple of hours of hand digging the old broken concrete pipe was exposed and it was clear where the failure causing the sewer backup occurred. They repaired the section of concrete pipe with new plastic drain pipe and covered of the section all before noon that day. Total professional, friendly and very skilled and honest company. Based on my experience I would STRONGLY recommend Eric for any excavation or sewer repair work he is the best!!!file://localhost/Users/daltonhobbs/Desktop/P1030498.JPGfile://localhost/Users/daltonhobbs/Desktop/P1030501.JPGfile://localhost/Users/daltonhobbs/Desktop/P1030500.JPG
Description of Work: Eric diagnosed and repaired a hole in a 59 year old sewer pipe
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$850
Dave W.
05/2013
5.0
drain pipe, excavators
 + 0 more
His team was very professional and courteous. The job was done quickly and the clean up was good.
Description of Work: Eric used a ditch witch to create a new drain line from my craw space to the street. He also installed a backflow device.
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Service Categories
Excavating,
Drain Pipe Installation,
Sewer Cleaning,
Plumbing,
Concrete Driveways,
Home inspection,
Septic Systems
FAQ
The Excavators LLC is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
The Excavators LLC accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, The Excavators LLC offers free project estimates.
Yes, The Excavators LLC offers eco-friendly accreditations.
No, The Excavators LLC does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, The Excavators LLC offers emergency services.
Yes, The Excavators LLC offers warranties.
The Excavators LLC offers the following services: Excavator Portland, Excavating Portland, Sewer repair Portland, Sewer replacement Portland, Septic Systems Portland, Trenchless excavating Portland, Directional drilling Portland, Rock Walls Portland, Blackberry clearing Portland