Why People Try to Dig on Their Own

It’s Saturday morning in Billings. The weather’s good, you’ve got fence posts to set or a trench to dig for new irrigation. The shovel is right there. Calling in a professional feels like an unnecessary delay. After all, how hard can it be to dig a hole?

That mindset is exactly why so many DIY excavation projects go wrong. What looks like dirt and grass on the surface often hides electrical cables, gas lines, water pipes, and communication conduits. Some belong to public utilities, but many are private — running through your yard, past your meter, and completely invisible without proper detection.

What Usually Happens With DIY Excavation

When people skip locating and dig anyway, the risks show up fast.

• Hitting irrigation lines: Even shallow digging often intersects sprinkler systems, leaving a property owner with unexpected repairs.

• Damaging buried electrical: Outdoor lighting and low-voltage wires are common but easy to forget until a shovel severs them.

• Gas leaks and safety scares: In older Billings neighborhoods, abandoned or undocumented gas lines sometimes linger underground. Striking one is more than an inconvenience — it’s dangerous.

• Project delays and hidden costs: That “weekend project” suddenly turns into emergency calls, repair bills, and stalled progress.
  

DIY digging is framed as a shortcut, but more often it’s a detour into costlier and riskier territory.

What Professionals Do Differently

Professional locators like Last Call Locating bring more than equipment — they bring a process that keeps projects predictable.

• Full utility sweep: Both public and private lines are identified, not just the ones flagged by 811.

• Tools beyond guesswork: Ground penetrating radar and electromagnetic locators detect metallic and nonmetallic lines.

• Depth awareness: It’s not enough to know where a line is — professionals estimate how deep it runs, which changes how a project is planned.

• Documentation: Instead of relying on a memory of spray paint marks, clients get real notes and maps they can reference later.

• Adaptability to Montana soil: Clay-heavy or frozen soils common around Billings affect detection, and professionals know how to adjust methods for accuracy.
  

Where DIYers gamble, professionals create certainty.

When You Should Absolutely Call Last Call Locating

Not every hole in the ground needs a crew of specialists. Planting flowers or setting a shallow garden bed isn’t the same as trenching. But there are clear situations where calling a locator isn’t optional — it’s essential:

• Installing pools, spas, or septic systems
  

• Digging for irrigation, water, or gas lines
  

• Setting deep fence posts or building decks
  

• Landscaping with excavation deeper than one foot
  

• Any commercial or multi-family construction project

If the work involves machinery, trenching, or cutting into unknown ground, it’s time to call.

A Local Perspective: Why This Matters in Billings

In Billings and the surrounding Montana communities, private utility lines are everywhere. Rural properties often have private water, septic, and electrical extensions that were never formally mapped. Older neighborhoods may still have abandoned lines underground, creating confusion when scanning.

This means DIY excavation here is even riskier than in other parts of the country. What isn’t marked can hurt your project — or worse, your crew.

Key Takeaways

DIY excavation looks like a money-saver, but it’s usually a cost multiplier once hidden lines are hit. Professionals add speed, safety, and certainty by detecting both public and private utilities before digging begins.

For homeowners and contractors in Billings, Lockwood, and Hesper, the question isn’t whether to call a professional — it’s when. And the answer is simple: before the first shovel breaks ground.