I did my due diligence when I needed to have a section of our sewer line replaced. I got quotes from 4 different companies in the Amherst Area. Just getting the estimates was a bit of a struggle requiring me to make many follow up calls. To be fair, all the companies were not great at communication. Karl's bid was the lowest and they seemed to have a ton of experience in this work. The work was delayed by eversource because there was a utility pole nearby - not Karl's fault. On the day of the project, Karl's arrived when they said they would, completed the project in a timely manner and did an excellent job of leaving our yard clean and freshly seeded. I was looking over their shoulder some of the time and they answered all of my questions. The whole dig was done skillfully. Then, to my surprise, when the final bill arrived the total we were charged was $1,000 LESS than quoted! I'd use them again and recommend them to others. read more

I would not recommend Karl's Excavating. My husband and I bought a house in late 2021. The septic system had failed a Title 5 inspection and needed to be repaired. We agreed with the previous owner that the repairs would be done after we moved. The previous owner, who was paying for the repairs, selected Karl's Excavating to do the work, and we ended up having numerous problems dealing with them. Karl's took a saw to anything in our yard that they thought was in their way, without our permission. We were told that in order to access the back yard, Karl's would need to cut down some trees, and they told us which ones they would cut. However, on the first day that they came to do work, they cut down a tree that they had not told us they were going to remove. If they really needed to cut it in order to access the back yard, we would have given them permission, but they cut it without even letting us know. Similarly, there is a wooden retaining wall and attached set of wooden stairs in our back yard near the septic tank. Karl's took a saws-all and cut off the bottom step. Not only did they not tell us ahead of time that they would be doing this, but they did a sloppy job of it, leaving a jagged edge where the step met the wall. Again, if they needed to do this in order to access the septic tank, we would have authorized it, but they never gave us a heads-up. Additionally, when we later mentioned that we might just take out all of the stairs, the workers warned us that we might not be able to do that because the stairs--one of which they had cut off without permission--were structurally tied in to the retaining wall. No one at Karl's seems to be in charge of project management or communicating with customers. The only person who seems to have any idea what is going on at Karl's is the owner, Steve. But Steve does not communicate effectively with either customers or his own employees. When we would reach out to ask questions, Steve would rarely get back to us, instead delegating that task to one of his employees, who didn't have adequate information to answer our questions. On a couple of occasions, when we mentioned to workers at our house that we had emailed Steve to ask him a question, they rolled their eyes and told us, "Good luck with that." I'm sure everyone at Karl's was sick of us trying to contact them, but we wouldn't have kept contacting them if they had just answered our questions. There are other problems that I could get into, but this review is long enough as it is. So far, we haven't had any issues with our septic system itself, so hopefully the work that Karl's did on that was okay. But nothing about my interactions with Karl's gives me confidence in the quality of their work. read more

I needed to have footing drains installed around a 36 year old addition on my existing house. I call Karl's excavating and they came out and gave me a excellent quote for what had to be done. They completed the job on time as quoted and even helped me finish up the up the final grading around the addition. The team of worker's were very courteous and could handle the equipment as to not damage the house or surrounding plants as they excavated next to the foundation. Nice to know there are still excellent contractors out there. Thank you Steve and your team.... 5 stars +++ read more

Was driving behind this truck in a parking lot & he stops suddenly and turns on his reverse lights. I turn off to the side to let him back up. He gets out of his truck saying "what the heck" with a rude tone. I told him I backed up so he could move. I now am sitting in my parked car and he's driven by giving nasty looks to me. Very Unprofessional. read more

These guys SUCK. They're supposed to know what they're doing, yet they rip off people, with cleaning out septic tanks 3 times a year for people who don't know better. You would think they would be honest to their customers, about how long you can wait between clean outs of your septic tank. But, they take advantage of people when they know better. They're just ripping people off. Plus they're WAY over priced. My advice is to hire an honest company to do your work. Call anyone else and ask them how long you can wait until your next clean out. It's anywhere from 3 to 5 years. NOT 3 times a year. They should be ashamed of themselves. read more

Used them to have my septic tank pumped a couple of times and would recommend them. This ain't rocket science. They come when they say they will and they pump it out and leave. They're about as cheap as they come for this dreaded service and make it as painless as it possibly be. read more

Have used them at two different houses. Feels so good to call the office and have a friendly voice understand any urgency and schedule work quickly. read more

Overcharged me. I was present when two laborers were onsite for no more than 45 minutes. I was charged for two laborers for two hours. Didn't complain because I don't ever plan on using their service again. If you have septic problems in the Franklin County area, I highly recommend Bostley Sanitary Service. They don't charge for work not done. read more

Karl's Excavating repaired my septic system in 1997. The system had problems almost immediately, which the owner refused to admit were due to his poor work. The dirt they used to cover the septic field was filled with broken glass and bricks. Their fees for pumping the system are a good deal higher than anybody else's, and they cheat their customers by saying they have pumped more gallons than are actually in the tank. (I have a 1000-gallon tank and they charged for 1500 gallons.) If you complain, they are very rude. Don't ever use these people. read more

Have been using them since I bought my house back in 1998. When I call they can usually come out in a day or two. They charge by the hour so if you have the cover accessible and ready to pump it saves time. They always come out when I'm at work so I have never seen them in person but I have never had an issue with time delays or excuses. They come when they say and get the job done. All I do is call them, get the access cover accessible and then re cover it. The pricing seems fair to me considering what they are pumping. read more

I wish we had a similar experience as John R's review, but this was not at all our experience. The amount charged was not only twice what was expected, the bill had untrue claims such as we asked for them to empty the pumping chamber when we didn't - and they certainly didn't ask us. They claimed that we had a backup due to a clogged filter: not true. In the end, all that needed to happen was an outside electrical switch to be reset, that was saved for the very last after all the other unnecessary, and expensive, work was done. I know this because I was there the whole time waiting to see what was wrong. What a surprise to receive the bill! I called to see if they somehow mixed us up with another house; nope, they 'assured' us that it was our house and bill. Would not recommend septic pumping from them. read more