For restoration & water-mitigation contractors
Access Excavation for Slab-Leak & Water-Damage Repairs
Behind a lot of water-damage jobs is a leak under the slab that still hasn't been reached. You handle the dry-out and the rebuild; we dig the access so the licensed plumber stops the source for good.
Water-damage and mitigation companies are experts at drying a structure and putting it back — but the slab leak or failed under-slab line that caused it sits under concrete, and that's a different trade. We're the excavation partner: we tunnel to the failure so the licensed plumber makes the repair, then backfill so your rebuild sits on solid ground. We position ourselves clearly as the access and excavation contractor, not an adjuster or a mitigation firm, so we slot cleanly into your job without stepping on your scope.
When you call us
The jobs that need a tunnel.
Slab leak behind a water-damage claim
The carpet's dry but the leak under the slab isn't fixed. We tunnel to it so the plumber stops the source before you rebuild.
Under-slab line failure after a loss
A failed drain or supply line caused the damage. We open the access to the run for the licensed repair.
Rebuild can't start until the source is fixed
There's no point putting flooring back over an active leak. We dig fast so the repair clears the way for your reconstruction.
Documenting the cause of loss
The opened access shows what failed. We photograph it so it can support the file.
Keeping trades in their lanes
You mitigate, the plumber repairs, we excavate. Clean scope boundaries keep the job — and any claim — tidy.
What you get
How we work with you.
We make your job easier by owning exactly one piece of it well: getting to the failure underground. We schedule the dig so it doesn't stall your dry-out or your rebuild, we shore and work the bore to OSHA practice, we photograph the opened conditions so the cause of loss is documented, and we backfill and compact so your reconstruction sits on ground that won't move. The licensed plumber makes the repair; we never cross into the pipe work or the mitigation. One accountable excavation partner, clean boundaries, no surprises.
SCOPE OF WORK
- Access dug to the slab leak or failed under-slab line
- Scheduling that fits your dry-out and rebuild sequence
- OSHA-compliant, shored excavation
- Photo documentation of opened conditions for the file
- Backfill and compaction so reconstruction sits on solid ground
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
Restoration & insurance 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 →Commercial facilities
Commercial under-slab tunneling for plumbing and structural access.
See commercial facilities 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.