For commercial facilities & operators
Commercial Under-Slab Tunneling for Plumbing & Structural Access
When a restaurant, clinic, school, or retail space has a slab plumbing or structural problem, the real cost is downtime. Interior demolition closes the doors. Tunneling from outside keeps the slab — and the business — working while the repair happens underneath.
Commercial buildings — restaurants, schools, churches, clinics, retail, warehouses, offices — all run on slab plumbing, and when a line fails, tearing up the floor means closing the space. We tunnel the access so a licensed plumber or a foundation crew works below the slab while the business stays open. We plan around operating hours, keep the work zone contained and to OSHA practice, and backfill so floors, drives, and walks settle right. Same measure-first discipline we bring to foundation repair, scaled to a commercial slab.
When you call us
The jobs that need a tunnel.
Restaurant sewer or grease-line failure
A kitchen line fails and the floor can't come out during service. We tunnel from outside so the plumber repairs it below the slab while the kitchen keeps running where possible.
Clinics and schools that can't close
Healthcare and education spaces can't take demolition during hours. We dig the access on a schedule that respects operations.
Retail and office downtime
Tearing up a sales floor or office means lost revenue and displaced staff. Tunneling keeps the space usable.
Interior structural access
A commercial slab needs interior support or an engineer's look. We tunnel to it without demolishing the floor above.
Phased work around operations
Big footprints need staged access. We sequence the dig so the business absorbs it.
What you get
How we work with you.
Commercial work lives or dies on coordination, so we plan the dig like an operator would: access points that don't block the entrance, work zones fenced and signed to OSHA Subpart P, after-hours or phased digging where the business needs it, and backfill compacted in lifts so the floor slab, the drive, or the parking above doesn't settle later. The licensed plumber owns the pipe repair and the engineer owns the structural call; we own getting them safe, workable access with the least possible interruption to the business. For any flatwork that has to come out for access, our concrete crews put it back.
SCOPE OF WORK
- Access dug below the slab with the business staying open where possible
- Work phased around operating hours when needed
- Fenced, signed, OSHA-compliant commercial work zones
- Backfill and compaction so slabs, drives, and parking settle right
- Flatwork replacement available for sections removed for access
How every bore is held
Velocity, precision, OSHA, quality control — and the standards behind them.
Tunneling is the slow, risky part of a plumbing or foundation job. We run it like a discipline, not a dig.
Velocity
Hand-tunneling is the slow part of a plumbing or foundation job. We staff the bore to the schedule, dig in clean shifts, and hand the plumber an open, ready trench so their billable hours aren't spent waiting on a shovel.
Precision
We dig to the plan — depth, width, and pitch shot before the first spade, then verified as we go. The pipe run, the pier location, or the engineer's access point lands where the drawing says it should, the first time.
OSHA safety
Tunneling and trenching carry real cave-in exposure. We work to OSHA Subpart P excavation practice — protective systems, safe access and egress, spoil set back from the edge, water and air managed, and daily competent-person inspection.
Quality control
Every bore is checked against the drawing: width to work in, clean floor and walls, true pitch, and a documented hand-off. Backfill is placed and compacted in lifts so the ground — and anything on it — settles right.
Standards & compliance
Texas 811 is called and lines are located before we dig. We sell the access, not the licensed pipe work — your plumber stays the plumber. Permits, locates, and clean documentation come standard.
Why a foundation crew digs a better tunnel
We come out of foundation repair, and we've dug alongside plumbers for years — so we know how to dig it.
We know how a sewer line under a slab actually runs, where the belly usually hides, and how much room a plumber needs to set a fitting, swing a saw, and lie comfortably to make a joint. We open the work area wider where the repair is, shore it, keep it dry, and light it — then get out of the way. The plumber shows up to a tunnel they can work in, not a hole they have to fight. That's the difference between a bore dug by people who've only moved dirt and one dug by a foundation crew who has watched the pipe work happen a hundred times.
- We open the work area wider where the repair is — room to set, slope, and joint
- Shored, dry, and lit so the plumber works in a tunnel, not a hole
- We dig it and back-fill it; your licensed plumber does the pipe work
From locate to backfill
How an under-slab tunnel runs.
Locate & plan
We call Texas 811, locate utilities, and shoot the depth, width, and pitch the repair needs before a spade hits the ground.
Open the entry
A compact entry pit goes in at the chosen point — usually outside the foundation — so the floors above stay whole.
Tunnel to the work
We hand-tunnel to the pipe run, pier location, or access point, widening the bore where the repair happens.
Shore & hand off
The bore is shored and inspected, then handed to your licensed plumber, foundation crew, or engineer — open, dry, and workable.
Backfill in lifts
Once the repair passes, we place backfill in compacted lifts so the slab, drive, or walk above settles correctly.
Clean & document
Spoil hauled, site restored, and the access and backfill documented for your file or warranty.
LICENSING & SAFE DIGGING
In Texas, plumbing repairs are regulated by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners — Tradesman, Journeyman, Master, and Inspector licenses. Motmot sells under-slab tunneling and access excavation; we partner with your licensed plumber for the pipe repair itself. And before any dig, Texas 811 is contacted at least two business days ahead so gas, water, and utility lines are located first.
Industry FAQ
Commercial facilities tunneling — questions answered.
From real jobs
What this access looks like on real jobs.
Tunneling for other industries
Plumbing companies
Under-slab tunneling for plumbers.
See plumbing companies tunneling →Foundation repair
Foundation repair tunneling.
See foundation repair tunneling →Structural engineers
Engineer-access excavation for under-slab evaluations.
See structural engineers tunneling →GCs & remodelers
Under-slab access for remodel plumbing.
See gcs & remodelers tunneling →Property mgmt & multifamily
Low-disruption under-slab tunnel access for rental and multifamily properties.
See property mgmt & multifamily tunneling →Investors & flippers
Pre-sale and investor property tunneling for plumbing/foundation access.
See investors & flippers tunneling →Realtors & inspectors
Under-slab access for repair work before closing.
See realtors & inspectors tunneling →Restoration & insurance
Access excavation for slab leak and water-damage repairs.
See restoration & insurance tunneling →Backfill & cleanup
Tunnel backfill and cleanup.
See backfill & cleanup tunneling →Need under-slab access? Tell us the run.
We'll scope the tunnel, dig it to plan, shore it, and back-fill it clean — so your licensed repair goes in smoothly and the floors above stay whole.
Now booking free inspections in Central Texas.