Pipes under the yard are where Ernie’s Excavation keeps showing up. In Manchester, the company says it handles excavation, site work, and sewer and water-line installation, repair, and replacement for residential and commercial properties. It also says Shawn Carrier took over ownership in March 2024 after Ernie Smith spent more than 40 years building customer trust; the website says 25 years in business, while BBB lists 21.
This reads less like a broad dirt-work shop and more like the crew people call when a sewer line collapses or a water service starts leaking. Google shows 4.8 stars from 47 ratings, and recent homeowners describe callbacks within an hour, same-day site visits, estimates turned around within hours, and crews scheduled the next day or within a few days for broken sewage pipes, exterior drains, and street-to-house water-line failures. Several of those jobs ran into the street or the city connection, and customers said the company handled permits, city coordination, and paving logistics that can drag a project out.
The reviews also get specific about how the work is carried out. A recent August 2026 customer said Kevin and his crew stayed on a garage excavation until it was finished and explained what they were finding as they went; other recent reviews describe sewer and water-line replacements completed on schedule, with early starts and steady communication. In 2025 reviews, homeowners said the crew worked through freezing weather and even a snowstorm to finish urgent utility jobs.
Property cleanup shows up almost as often as speed. In 2025 reviews, customers said yards were left in good shape after trenching, and in 2024 one homeowner said the crew worked around a large bush to save it while another said they straightened a crooked mailbox after replacing a sewer pipe. That matters on this kind of job, because much of the praise is for work that cuts through lawns, driveways, sidewalks, or the street before it gets put back together.
The main thing to pin down before booking is jobsite logistics. One recent 1-star complaint said a crew blocked two driveways on a tight street, so if your house sits on a narrow road, ask where the trailer, dump truck, and spoil piles will go. If your project reaches the roadway, also confirm whether they are pulling permits themselves, coordinating with the city, and handling paving or bringing in a paving company.
They make the most sense for homeowners dealing with a failed sewer line, a leaking water service, a city-sewer hookup, or another dig-now utility problem where response time matters. Before the job starts, confirm who is running it under the post-2024 ownership and exactly what restoration is included when the trench is closed.
