That's how Black Mountain Dirt Works got started. A small beginning that's grown slowly over the last four years.
Four years ago, Michael Mackrell walked into a Home Depot, bought a shovel and a rake, and started Black Mountain Dirt Works. One truck, one phone, and a lot of hours ahead. No business plan, no investors. Just a willingness to work and learn as he went.
The early jobs were small and hands-on. Clearing lots. Digging trenches. Taking on whatever work came up, putting in long days, and reinvesting everything back into the business. It was slow going at first, which is usually how these things go.
Michael still runs the day to day. He's on sites most weeks, he's the one picking up the phone, and he's the one walking the property with you before any work starts. It's a small-company way of operating, and it's worked for us so far.
When you call Black Mountain, you're dealing directly with the owner. There's no sales team or layers of coordinators in between. It keeps things simple and lets us sort out decisions quickly when something comes up on site.
Every project starts with a phone call to talk about what you're looking at. If it seems like a good fit, we'll come out, walk the property, and put together a plan. If it's not something we're the right company for, we'll tell you that too.
We run our own crews and bring in the right equipment for the job. Sometimes that's our gear, sometimes it's contracted equipment for specialized work. Either way, the goal is the same: handle the project properly from prep to cleanup.
Straightforward answers. We'll tell you what we think the job will take and flag anything we're uncertain about. Construction work has variables, and sometimes things come up once we're in the ground — when they do, we'll bring them up before we make any calls about them.
Solid base prep. Most of the parts of a job that matter long-term are the ones nobody sees — the base, the drainage, the compaction. We try to get those right because they're what makes the work hold up.
Regular communication. We'll keep you in the loop as the work moves along, send photos if that's helpful, and make it easy to reach us if you've got questions.
Finishing the work. We aim to leave every job in a state the customer is happy with. Clean site, no debris, and another pass if something needs it.
Fully licensed and insured. Owner-operated. Vancouver Island.