Do I even NEED an excavator for my project?

That all depends on the project, how much time you have, and how much you like shovels.

A few things to consider -

1. What kind of soil do you have? Is it relatively loose and easy to work with, or is it hard, compact and rocky?

2. What kind of terrain is your property? Is it nice and flat, or sloped and multi-level?

3. How big of a hole do you need? Is it shallow, or pretty deep?

4. Are you on a timeline? Do you have other trades that will be held up or rescheduled if the excavation portion of your project takes longer?

5. Is there concrete, asphalt or trees/stumps in the way that need to be removed?

If you said NO to most of those questions, then go ahead! Grab a shovel and get started. Good old fashioned elbow grease never hurt anyone, and hey - now you can skip a weeks worth of workouts.

If some of the above points applied to you, you may want to consider hiring an excavator to help complete your project.