Traverse City & Northern Michigan
Directional Drilling in Northern Michigan
Directional drilling is how we put a line underground without digging a trench. We drill from one small pit to another, under your lawn, driveway, trees, or road, and pull the pipe or conduit back through. We're based in Williamsburg and work all over Northern Michigan.
We got our start in fiber optic internet service. Thousands of feet of bores later, burying lines by directional drilling is what we specialize in, for homes, farms, businesses, and other contractors. For internet, we now serve businesses only.
Typical bore up to 150 ft: $3,000, done in a day or less. Free estimates.
What we drill for
If it belongs underground, we can usually get it there without a trench.
Water lines
To the garage, pole barn, shop, or a new house. Below the frost line, and a deeper bore costs about the same as a shallow one.
Power
Underground conduit to outbuildings, shops, and new construction.
Gas and propane
Residential and commercial propane and natural gas lines.
Fiber and internet
Fiber or cable out to a pole barn or office. Fiber is also our founding trade.
Septic
Septic lines and pump-up systems, bored under the lawn instead of trenched through it.
Irrigation
Irrigation lines for farms, golf courses, and large properties.
Under driveways and roads
We cross driveways, roads, and culverts without cutting or patching them.
Conduit for contractors and utilities
Conduit runs for electricians, excavators, builders, internet providers, and campgrounds.
How directional drilling works
1
Find what's already buried
MISS DIG marks the public utilities. Our own locating specialist finds the private lines MISS DIG won't mark. Where we need to cross something, the hydrovac exposes it first so we see it instead of guessing.
2
Dig two small pits
One where the drill goes in and one where it comes out. That's all the digging there is.
3
Drill the path
The drill steers a head underground from pit to pit, under the lawn, trees, driveway, or road. Nothing in between gets touched.
4
Pull the line back
Your pipe or conduit gets pulled back through the hole. We fill the pits, clean up, and go home. Most jobs are done in a day or less.
The drills
We own five Vermeer directional drills, so the machine fits the job. A compact rig for a tight backyard, bigger rigs for long utility and fiber runs. We pull back pipe and conduit up to 10 inches in diameter, and our own hydrovac exposes existing lines before we drill near them.
Vermeer 10x15
2024Small residential bores in tight spaces
Vermeer 20x22
2018Mid-size utility and residential boring
Vermeer 20x22
2019Mid-size utility and residential boring
Vermeer 23x30
2018Large utility and commercial boring
Vermeer 23x30
2024Large utility and commercial boring
For homeowners
Most of our home jobs are a line to a garage, pole barn, or shop. You get a free estimate and a real number. We're usually on site within 3 days of the MISS DIG marks, and most jobs are done in a day. When we leave, your yard looks like we were never there.
Lines we installFor contractors, utilities & businesses
Electricians, excavators, plumbers, and builders sub their bores to us or hand them off for a 10% referral. Internet providers and telecoms use us for mainline and drops. Campgrounds have us bore fiber, water, and power in the off-season. Same crews, same care, any size of job.
Work we've done
145,000 feet of fiber duct
Installed in three and a half months on a fiber-to-the-home build for a regional network contractor, plus 150+ home drops. Every foot GPS-tracked.
110,000 feet of conduit in winter
For a local internet provider across Missaukee and Benzie Counties. Frozen ground doesn't stop a directional drill.
Conduit under a parking lot
Lighting conduit bored under existing pavement in Manistee for an electrical contractor. No asphalt cuts.
Where we drill
We're in Williamsburg, just east of Traverse City. Most of our work is in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Kalkaska, Benzie, and Wexford counties.
Within about an hour
One to two hours out
Common questions
How much does directional drilling cost?
A typical bore up to 150 feet runs $3,000, done in a day or less. That covers drilling the path, pulling your pipe or conduit through, and cleanup. There's no restoration bill afterward because nothing gets torn up. Every property is different, which is why estimates are free.
Does directional drilling damage the yard?
No. The only digging is two small pits, one where the drill enters and one where it exits. Everything in between stays as it is: lawn, trees, flower beds, irrigation. We fill the pits before we leave. Your lawn looks like we were never there.
Can you drill under a driveway, septic field, or trees?
Yes. That's the whole reason directional drilling exists. The drill head travels underneath driveways, sidewalks, mature tree roots, septic tanks and drain fields, decks, and landscaping from pit to pit. A trench has to go around those things or through them. We just go under.
What size pipe can you install?
We pull product up to 10 inches in diameter, from a half-inch water service up to irrigation mains and large casings. We run five directional drills, so there's a right-size machine for a backyard water line or a long commercial run.
What area do you serve?
We work within about 80 miles of Williamsburg, MI. That covers Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Gaylord, Grayling, Cadillac, Kalkaska, and the Leelanau Peninsula, plus everywhere in between.
Tell us where the line goes.
Free estimates, no obligation. We usually schedule within 3 days of MISS DIG marking, and most jobs are done in a day or less.