Howard's Excavating & Paving in Oklahoma City: Site Prep and Asphalt Work for Residential and Commercial Projects
Howard's Excavating & Paving is a general contractor specializing in earthwork and pavement installation for residential driveways, parking lots, and commercial site development across the Oklahoma City metro. The company handles the full scope of heavy equipment work: excavation, grading, drainage, concrete and asphalt placement, and site restoration. It operates as a regional contractor rather than a one-person shop, equipped to manage projects from subdivision preparation to driveway replacement on established properties.
What Howard's Excavating & Paving actually does
The company combines two skill sets that often require different equipment and crews. Excavation work includes land clearing, foundation digging, fill and grading, erosion control, and drainage system installation. Paving covers asphalt milling and removal, base preparation, hot-mix asphalt installation, and seal coating. Most projects involve both: a driveway replacement requires excavation to set proper grade and base, then asphalt application on top. The company operates within Oklahoma City and surrounding counties, serving homeowners, property managers, and developers who need reliable site work without hiring multiple specialists.
Services and pricing
Howard's Excavating & Paving quotes by project rather than hourly rate. A typical residential driveway replacement (removal of old asphalt, grading, new base, and 2 inches of hot-mix asphalt) runs $2,000 to $5,000 depending on square footage, soil conditions, and whether additional grading or drainage work is required. Larger commercial parking lots and site prep work start at $10,000 and scale with acreage and complexity. Seal coating for existing asphalt ranges $0.15 to $0.35 per square foot. The company provides free estimates on-site, which allows them to assess drainage, existing grade, and soil type before quoting. Obtain multiple quotes before committing; paving prices fluctuate with asphalt material costs, which rise and fall seasonally and annually.
How it compares to other Oklahoma City general contractors
Oklahoma City has several competing excavation and paving firms. Boral Asphalt and Concrete operates a larger commercial focus and primarily serves municipal and highway contracts, making them less accessible for a homeowner's driveway. Skirvin Paving handles residential and commercial work at a similar scale to Howard's but is based in Norman and typically adds travel time to OKC jobs. The choice between Howard's and a smaller local excavator often comes down to equipment availability (whether they own a paver or subcontract it) and responsiveness to residential work. Howard's maintains in-house equipment, which reduces project delays from equipment rental. For a homeowner choosing between Howard's and a landscape contractor who offers "paving services," verify that the contractor holds an Oklahoma Department of Transportation ODOT pre-qualification for asphalt work, or you risk hiring someone without the equipment or experience to compact base and apply asphalt to specification.
Who it suits and who it does not suit
Howard's Excavating & Paving fits homeowners with aging driveways, property managers overseeing multiple lots, and developers preparing land for residential or small commercial projects. It suits projects where the site requires significant grading or drainage work alongside paving. It does not suit customers seeking cosmetic concrete overlays, decorative stamped asphalt, or parking lot striping and signage alone; those are finishing work better handled by specialized pavement marking companies. It is also not the right fit for emergency pothole repair on an active parking lot; most general contractors schedule projects weeks in advance and do not maintain crews for same-day roadwork.
What the first visit involves
Call or email to request an on-site estimate. A company representative visits the property, assesses the current surface (if any), checks drainage and grade, notes soil type and compaction needs, and measures the area. Estimate turnaround is typically 5 to 10 business days. Once you approve a quote, the company will schedule a start date, which may be 2 to 6 weeks out depending on current workload and weather. Paving requires dry conditions and temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so summer and early fall are peak seasons and book faster. You should expect equipment staging on your property and some dust and noise during excavation and grading phases.
Hours, location, and logistics
Howard's Excavating & Paving operates Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with emergency contact available outside those hours for active project issues. The company is based in Oklahoma City proper, which keeps drive time to most metro jobs under 30 minutes. Parking and site access depend on your property; the company brings large equipment (excavator, paver, dump trucks) and needs clear entry and staging area. Confirm driveway width and any overhead clearance issues before the work begins.
Howard's Excavating & Paving has earned its position in Oklahoma City by maintaining owned equipment and completing projects on timeline, which eliminates the delays and quality issues that plague contractors dependent on subcontractors or rental equipment.
