Who does what
- The pool builder sets the layout, depths and elevations, and normally handles the pool's own permit.
- The excavator clears a way in, digs to the builder's layout, and gets the dirt off the property.
- Once the shell is in: backfill around it and a final grade, so water runs away from the pool and the house.
How much dirt comes out
More than most people picture. A 16 by 32 foot pool averaging 5 feet deep is about 95 cubic yards of earth, and dirt takes up more room once it's dug loose. Trucking it away is often the biggest part of a pool dig, so where it goes gets decided first: hauled off, or spread and graded somewhere else on the property if there's room.
Getting a machine to the backyard
Access decides a lot: the gate width, a fence section that has to come out for a day, what's buried along the way, and where trucks can load without tearing up the driveway. Trees or stumps in the footprint come out first. In Mount Pleasant, protected trees removed for a pool are reviewed with the building permit.
Related: Tree permits in Mount PleasantWhy does groundwater matter for a pool dig?
In much of the Lowcountry the water table sits only a few feet down. A dig that goes below it can take on water as it goes, which means pumping, and it is something the pool builder designs the shell around. Better found on the first visit than on dig day.
Do you call 811 before digging?
Yes. South Carolina puts that on whoever does the digging: notice goes in 3 to 12 working days before work starts, and it is free (S.C. Code §58-36-60). 811 only marks public lines up to the meter, so tell us about anything private: irrigation, a gas line to a pool heater, power run out to a shed.
Do you work directly with pool builders?
Yes. Send the layout and depths and we dig to them, haul the spoils, and come back for backfill and final grade when the shell is in and the builder is ready.
What Josiah looks at on a visit
The layout, how a machine gets to the backyard, what's in the footprint, and where the trucks can load.
Get a quote for thisSources
- S.C. Code §58-36-60, notice before excavating (SC811)
- Town of Mount Pleasant, Trees (tree permit questions)
Checked October 5, 2026. Rules change, so the town or agency named has the final word. This page explains how the rules usually apply; it isn’t legal advice.