Messina Plumbing & Mechanical
Water lines · Sewer lines · No shortcuts underground

What goes in the ground has to be right the first time.

Underground work is where corners get cut, because nobody sees it after the dirt goes back. We dig, bed, lay, and inspect like the next person to see that pipe will be an inspector, because usually it is.

Messina backhoe excavating a water line in Springfield
Our backhoe on a Springfield water main job.

"Joe did a great job. He put a lot of care and expertise in to the project. My yard is on a hill so that brought on many challenges. Through it all joe did not give up."

Catrina · Google review

When digging is the job

  • Failed sewer laterals: the line between your house and the main, when the camera shows it's collapsed, bellied, or root-broken beyond clearing.
  • Water service lines: leaks between the meter and the house, and old lines that are done.
  • New lines for additions, shops, barns, and rural properties where the run is long and doing it wrong is expensive.
  • Septic connections on the many Ozarks properties outside city sewer.

Because one shop is accountable for the plumbing and the digging both, there's no finger-pointing between a digger and a plumber. One number to call, from the tap to the trench to the inspection.

Before any digging, anywhere: utilities get located first. Missouri's 811 locate service marks buried gas, power, and phone lines at no cost, and no shovel touches your yard before the locates are in. That rule protects your house and everyone on the crew.

Our ground in the Ozarks

This is limestone country. Some digs go easy and some hit rock two feet down, and slope changes everything about how a sewer line has to be laid to keep its fall. That's why nobody serious quotes an underground job sight unseen; Joe looks, then gives you a real number.

What moves the price

Length and depth of the runA short shallow lateral and a long deep one are different days and different dirt.
What's in the wayRock, mature tree roots, driveways, and landscaping all change the approach.
SlopeSewer lines live and die by their fall. A hill lot can mean more digging to keep the grade right.
Surface repairWe're straight about what your yard will look like after, and what putting it back involves.

Typical ranges around Springfield

Water main replacement$3,000 to $4,500
Sewer line replacement$7,000 to $10,500
French drain installation$900 to $5,000
Read these the right way: they're typical ranges for our area, not quotes, and they're wide on purpose. Real on-site conditions move real numbers up or down: rock, depth, slope, what the locates find. Joe prices your exact job before any digging starts.

Joe's typical ranges for the Springfield area, calibrated against the TheFatBook Cost Index.

"Joe did a great job. He put a lot of care and expertise in to the project. My yard is on a hill so that brought on many challenges. Through it all joe did not give up."

Catrina · Google review · March 2026

Common questions

How do I know the line actually needs replacing?
You see it yourself. We run a camera and show you the footage before anyone talks about digging. If clearing it will do, that's what Joe will recommend; see the drain and sewer page.
Will my yard be destroyed?
A trench is a trench, and we won't pretend otherwise. What you'll get is an honest picture of the disturbance before we start, a tidy backfill, and no surprises about what's on you versus us.
Do you handle the permits and inspection?
Underground work gets inspected before it's covered, and we handle that process as part of the job. It's your proof the work was right while it could still be seen.

Burst pipe? No hot water? Sewage backup?

Call now, day or night (417) 987-8740 Text us a photo →
While you wait: 1 · Shut off the main water valve, usually at the meter or where the line enters the house 2 · Open the lowest faucet to relieve the pressure 3 · Move what you can out from under the leak
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