Anyone who has hand dug post holes in central Indiana clay knows exactly why this service exists. The first six inches go fine. Then the clamshell digger hits that dense, tan hardpan and every hole after that is a fight. Augering is the machine answer: a powered auger that drills post holes, pier holes, and footing holes straight, clean, and to a consistent depth, in a fraction of the time hand digging takes.
Sterling's Affordable Excavating augers holes for fences, decks, porches, pole barns, and pavilions all over Hendricks County. It is a small service with an outsized payoff, because everything built on posts depends on the holes underneath it. A fence line with holes at uneven depths waves at you forever. A deck footing that is not where the plan says invites problems from the first joist on. Casey and Ashley Jones run this company as a husband and wife team, and we treat a day of drilling holes with the same attention as a week of moving dirt.
What's Included
Our augering work covers the holes that residential projects run on:
- Post holes for privacy fences, farm fencing, and gate posts
- Footing holes for decks, porches, and pergolas
- Pier holes for additions, pole barns, and pavilions
- Holes drilled to consistent diameter and depth, matched to your plan
- Layout confirmation before we drill, so every hole lands where it should
- Spoil cleanup at each hole, piled neatly or hauled off
We drill in open fields and in tight, established back yards. If your project is a long fence line, we move down it efficiently. If it is four deck footings behind a house with one narrow gate, we size the equipment to fit and still drill true.
When Do You Need Augering?
Are you building or replacing a fence?
Fence quality starts below the grass. Machine augered holes are uniform in depth and diameter, which means posts set plumb, rails run straight, and the whole line goes up faster. Many fence projects around here stall at the digging stage, and this is the way past it.
Are you adding a deck, porch, or pergola?
Footing holes carry the whole structure, so their placement and depth are not the place to improvise. We drill each hole where your plan calls for it, at the diameter and depth the design needs. Your builder or inspector sees clean, correct holes instead of ragged craters.
Do your footings need to get below the frost line?
In Indiana, footings have to reach below the local frost depth so freezing and thawing soil cannot heave the structure above. That is deeper than most people want to dig by hand, especially times twelve holes. An auger reaches that depth quickly and hits it consistently, hole after hole.
Did you start digging by hand and think better of it?
No shame in it. Our clay humbles everybody, and dry summer ground can be nearly as stubborn as rock. Plenty of our augering calls start with a homeowner, a sore back, and two finished holes out of ten. We will happily drill the other eight.
How We Work
Call or text (317) 503-6782 with the basics: what you are building, roughly how many holes, and where. Casey comes out, walks the line or the layout with you, checks access and soil, and gives you a free estimate on the spot or shortly after. Before drilling day we make sure utility locates are done, because an auger does not negotiate with buried lines.
On the day, we confirm the layout with you first, then drill. Each hole gets checked for depth, the spoil gets piled neatly beside it or loaded and hauled off, and the site gets left clean and ready for posts or concrete. Most augering jobs are done and gone the same day.
What Affects the Cost
Augering estimates are refreshingly simple. The count of holes matters most, followed by their diameter and depth, since a wide pier hole moves a lot more earth than a fence post hole. Soil comes next: clay, roots, and rocky pockets slow the drill down. Access between holes plays a part, because open pasture drills faster than a back yard threaded through gates and landscaping. Finally there is the spoil, which we can leave neatly piled or haul away.
Do not bother estimating any of that yourself. Estimates are free, so call with your project and we will put a number on it.
Why Sterling's
Sterling's is a family owned company run by Casey and Ashley Jones, a husband and wife team, and we bring the same standard to a row of post holes that we bring to a full excavation. Our reviews tell the story better than we can. One customer wrote, "Casey and his team worked quickly, taking pride in respecting our request and property." When the machine leaves, you get your holes and your yard, both in good shape.
Common Questions
What diameters and depths can you drill?
We handle the common range for residential work, from fence post holes up through deck footings and pier holes. Tell us what your plan calls for and we will confirm the exact sizes during your free estimate.
Do you set the posts too, or just drill?
Our job is the holes: located right, drilled straight, and at depth. Most customers have their fence or deck contractor handle the posts from there, and we coordinate timing so the holes are fresh when the crew arrives.
What about buried utilities?
Locates happen before any drilling, every time. We make sure the marks are on the ground and we adjust hole positions with you if a line runs through the layout.
Can you get into a fenced back yard?
Usually, yes. We match the equipment to the access, and a standard gate opening is workable for a lot of our drilling setups. Send us a photo of the access and we will tell you quickly.
If your project needs holes in the ground, skip the sore back and the crooked fence line. Call or text, tell us what you are building, and we will get you a free estimate and a drilling date.
Free Estimate: (317) 503-6782