Demolition
We take down houses, barns, garages, sheds and shops, and we tear out old concrete slabs. The debris leaves the property with us.
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Selah sits in a basin ringed by sage-covered foothills, and its hillside ground is hard to dig. A sample of NRCS soil maps puts about a third of the city's land in steep or rocky hillside soils. There, basalt can sit about 16 inches below the surface. Many gentler slopes carry Selah silt loam, with a cemented hardpan about 34 inches down.
Bedrock Excavation and General Contracting does excavation in Selah for homeowners, acreage owners, orchard growers and businesses. Selah is part of our service area, which centers on Sunnyside, about 38 road miles southeast. Here we take on site preparation for new homes and shops, plus teardowns of old buildings. Call or text (509) 439-2533, and we look at the job and put the quote in writing.
Tell us about the teardown, dirt work, pad or building project and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.
The city's plan lists five soils among the most common around Selah, and they dig very differently. The valley floor in the middle of town carries Esquatzel silt loam, a deep soil formed in silty river deposits. NRCS rates it well drained and lists no hardpan or bedrock in it.
Selah silt loam, which shares the town's name, is the most common soil in a sample of the city's land. It formed in wind-blown silt and old river deposits. NRCS lists a duripan, a cemented hardpan, about 34 inches down, and water moves slowly through it.
At the south end, Starbuck soils reach basalt about 16 inches down, with bare rock outcrop between them. Roza clay loam covers steep slopes on the west side, and NRCS rates its clay high for shrink and swell. The shop pads and house pads we build start with a level cut and a compacted gravel base.
The city's draft plan update names landforms and water as Selah's main natural limits on building. Steep ground sits mostly at the south end of town and in the northwest corner. Bluffs reach into the city too. The plan says steep slopes leave some vacant residential land unbuildable.
Building on or near those slopes falls under the city's critical areas rules. The city's grading permit form asks how much earth will move. Its packet includes the building code's grading appendix, which calls for fill compacted in lifts no thicker than 12 inches.
Growth in Selah heads uphill. The city's plan expects most new homes at elevations between 1,200 and 1,560 feet. On a slope, the finished grade decides where runoff goes after rain or snowmelt. We shape it so water runs away from the house.
Inside city limits, the Selah Building Department issues permits. Its building guide lists carports, and sheds over 200 square feet, as permit work. Smaller one-story storage sheds skip the building permit, but setbacks and lot coverage still apply. Underground sprinklers need a city permit too, and so do driveway and curb changes.
Every construction project in the city needs a stormwater, sediment and erosion control plan. A city stormwater specialist inspects the site for silt fences and drain protection before construction starts. Washington's dig law calls for an 811 locate at least two full business days before excavation. Private sprinkler lines are the owner's to find, since the locate only marks the utilities' lines.
Lot coverage counts more than buildings. In the R-1 zone, buildings and the parking area may cover up to 35 percent of a lot. The city's site plan worksheet also counts paved areas such as driveways and patios. A detached shop in a residential zone usually sits at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines.
Selah is apple country, and the city calls apples the valley's primary crop. When an old block comes out, our orchard removal work pulls each tree out by the roots. Burning that wood needs a written permit from the Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency. In unincorporated Yakima County, grading rules bar tree stumps from fill, so we haul or pile the stumps and wood.
Selah's homes cover a wide span of ages. Census survey figures put about 11 percent of homes at 1939 or earlier. The 1990s were the biggest building decade, at about 23 percent. An old house or barn at the end of its life can come down to clear the lot.
Census permit counts show slow home building, with 10 new housing units during 2025. The city's draft plan still expects about 12,600 people by 2046, up from about 8,680 now. It expects the southwest area along Southern Avenue and Crusher Canyon Road to annex and develop. Bigger sites like that start with mass excavation, with large cuts and fills and dirt hauled in or out.
Communities and areas we serve around Selah: Downtown Selah, Heritage Hills, Goodlander Heights, North First Street, Goodlander Road, North Wenas Road, Speyers Road, Crusher Canyon Road, Carlon Park, McGonagle Park, Selah Gap, Yakima River Canyon.
Selah ZIP codes served: 98942.
Selah is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put the quote in writing.
(509) 439-2533 We take down houses, barns, garages, sheds and shops, and we tear out old concrete slabs. The debris leaves the property with us.
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We cut and fill large sites and move dirt in bulk for shops and commercial buildings. Extra dirt leaves by the load, and we haul in fill or gravel when a site runs short.
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We clear and strip the lot, then rough grade it and dig for the foundation. After the foundation is poured, we backfill around it.
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We regrade worn gravel driveways and build new ones. We also grade yards and lots so water moves away from the house.
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We cut and level building pads for shops, garages, houses and campers, with a compacted gravel base. When you want a concrete slab, we pour that too.
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We pull old orchards out of the ground, stumps and roots included. The wood gets piled or hauled away, and the ground is left clear for what comes next.
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We build shops, carports and other outbuildings, plus fences, gates, decks and pergolas. The same company that prepares the ground puts up the structure.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Selah. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us about the job and where it is, and we will set a time to look at it. Call or text (509) 439-2533 or use the form, and the quote comes to you in writing.
Tell us about the teardown, dirt work, pad or building project and where it is. We look at the job and put the quote in writing.