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Princeton Excavation
A deep, narrow trench for a new water service line, with the coiled poly pipe and tracer wire staged beside it and a compact track loader at the far end.

Site Investigation

Test Pitting & Perc Test Excavation

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Princeton Excavation handles test pitting across Mercer, Somerset, and Middlesex County: test pits for perc tests and soil logs, utility test pits ahead of a dig, and footing investigation pits for structural engineers. Your engineer or the township health department sets the appointment; we're there with the machine when they are, open the pit so they can read the soil, and backfill clean when the observation is done.

Call (609) 438-8064Request a Site Visit

What the visit covers

A test pit is a short job where the timing and the read both have to be right. Here's what we bring to it.

  • There When the Witness Is

    Perc tests and soil logs happen with your engineer or a health department witness standing at the hole. That appointment is fixed, so we treat our arrival the same way: machine on site and ready at the set time.

  • Pits Cut for a Clean Read

    We dig to the depth the engineer calls, keep the walls clean, and bench where needed, so the soil log, horizons, and any seasonal high water table signs are readable and safe to observe.

  • Utility Test Pitting and Footing Pits

    Beyond perc work: utility test pits (pot-holes) dug carefully by hand and bucket to confirm the depth and location of a marked line before a bigger dig, and soil investigation pits at footing locations for structural engineers checking bearing conditions.

Small digs, fixed appointments

A test pit is a small dig with an expensive audience. The engineer is billing time, the township witness has limited windows, and a missed slot can push a septic design or a permit back weeks. Homeowners usually hire a dig crew for this exactly once, so the only thing that matters is picking one that shows up. We schedule the machine against the appointment and hold it.

  • Where we work

    The dig itself is light on the property. A tracked mini excavator walks in, opens the pit where the engineer staked it, and sits quiet while the soil gets logged. When they're done, the spoil goes back in the order it came out, tamped, with the surface left slightly proud so it settles flush. If the results lead to a septic install or foundation work later, we already know the ground.

How a job goes

From the first call to a clean handover

  1. Site Walk

    We come look at the property by appointment, check the access and any constraints, and go over your plans or what you have in mind.

  2. Marking & Layout

    We set the layout on the ground with laser accuracy. Depths, lines, and elevations are marked before anything gets dug.

  3. The Work

    We bring the right machine for the access, lay ground protection where it's needed, and keep the mess around lawns, trees, and hardscape to a minimum.

  4. Clean Handover

    You're left with a site that's ready to go and a yard that's still in one piece, set up for whatever's next.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your engineer typically arranges the witnessed test with the county or township health department. Once that date is set, we book the machine against it and coordinate directly with the engineer. If the window moves, we move with it.

Princeton, Hopewell Township, Montgomery & Skillman, and surrounding Mercer and Somerset County, NJ.

Test date on the calendar? Book the machine now and the pit will be open when your engineer arrives.

Owner-operated and by appointment. Tell us about your project and we'll walk the site with you.

Request a Site Visit
Call (609) 438-8064Site Visit