Skagit Project Connector · Mathew Baxter

Paid advice for any land concern — not a dig crew.

Clearing, drainage, land development, grading, demolition, access, or “something’s wrong with this land and I don’t know where to start.” Before you hire a crew, you need clarity. This page sells paid consultation packages that leave you with a clearer plan and, when you want them, intros to independently licensed contractors.

Entry = consult only. No dig contract is bundled into these packages. After your consult, if you want help running the whole job, we can discuss a separate general-contracting path or field work through BETR (Baxter Excavation & Tree Removal) or other licensed partners — never folded into the consult fee. Continued office or field help after the package closes is billed hourly at the rates below — separate from package overage.

Service area: entire Washington State, northern Idaho, western Montana, and Oregon (phone/photo or on-site by package).

Request a paid consultation
Call Mathew Text Mathew · Email Mathew

Tell us your state/county, lot size or acreage, and what is going wrong—or what you want the land to become. Not sure which package fits? Tell us the concern and we’ll help you choose.

Compare packages · Follow-up rates · How to book

Packages

Which package fits?

Start with Landing Check when you have a land concern and need an initial conversation or site visit before spending on work.
Choose Bid Second Look when you already have excavation or site bids and want the scope, access and staging gaps reviewed before signing.
Choose Full Site Connector when you want the approximately two-hour on-site walk, written landing/staging notes, planning cost bands and optional introductions to licensed partners.

Landing Check — $175 (phone/photo) or $375 (on-site, ~1–1.5 hr)

On-site Landing Check: $375 + $50 fuel/trip = $425 per visit, before any package overage.

Access, staging, equipment approach, and a clear verbal plan with short written notes. Best first step before you hire anyone to dig — or before you spend on drainage, development, or grading without a plan.

Call 360-899-8468 Text Mathew — say Landing Check.

Bid Second Look — $550

We review up to 2–3 excavation/site bids for landing, access, grading, and scope gaps, then a 45-minute call plus written flags so you know what’s missing before you sign.

Call 360-899-8468 Text Mathew — say Bid Second Look.

Full Site Connector — $850 (~2 hr included)

Full Site Connector: $850 + $50 fuel/trip = $900 per visit, before any package overage or separately quoted machine-assisted work.

On-site walk (~2 hr included), written landing/staging notes, indicative cost bands for planning, and optional intros to licensed partners. Upgrade credit: Landing Check applies toward Full Site Connector if you upgrade within 14 days.

Optional machine-assisted checks are quoted at a separate day-rate before the visit. They are not included in the $850 package or its approximately two-hour walk. Any physical machine work, including probe digs, soil sampling or stump/root exposure, is outside the advisory consultation and requires a separate agreement with an appropriately licensed provider before work begins. Excavation, clearing, grading, demolition and other crew work are also separate from the consultation package.

Call 360-899-8468 Text Mathew — say Full Site Connector.

Fuel/trip surcharge — add $50 per on-site visit. This is additional to the package or field hourly charge. It applies to on-site Landing Check, Full Site Connector, and on-site follow-up visits. It does not apply to phone/photo Landing Check or the call-based Bid Second Look.

Package overage (same visit only): $150/hr after included package time — only for time past the included walk or call on that same consult visit. This is not the rate for ongoing help after the package closes (see below).

After the package — office & field hourly

Once your package deliverable is complete, additional advisory help is billed separately:

Office — $125/hr: permits coaching, calls, paperwork and partner coordination.
Field advisory follow-up — $150/hr — further on-site consultation, follow-up walks and project questions after your package is complete. Add $50 fuel/trip per on-site visit. This is not an equipment or crew-work rate.

What is billed separately
Package overage is $150/hr only for time beyond the included walk or call during that same consultation. It is not ongoing post-package help. Machine-assisted checks have a separately quoted day-rate, and equipment, construction and crew work are not included in advisory hourly rates.

Who this is for

Landowners with any land concern they want paid advice on before hiring a crew — clearing, drainage, development, grading, demo, access, or “I don’t know where to start”
Owners dealing with standing water, soft spots, ditching, or drainage planning
People heading into land development — pad, shop, house, driveway, pasture, firebreak — who need a sound approach first
Owners comparing excavation, grading, or site bids who want a second set of eyes (Bid Second Look)
People planning demolition / structure removal sequencing with clearing and earthwork
Landowners who need clarity on access, gates, trucks, and seasonal limits
DIY-minded owners who will do some work themselves and want a sound approach before they spend (Landing Check / Full Site Connector fit that mindset)
Owners across Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana, and Oregon who want phone/photo or on-site consultation

If you already know you only need a crew quote, see the post-consult note below — this page sells consultation packages, not day-hire.

What we look at on the walk or call

Drainage — standing water, soft spots, ditching, where water goes, what soft ground means for machines and pads
Land development — pad, shop, house, driveway, pasture, firebreak — what’s realistic on this ground
Access — trucks, trailers, gates, turnarounds, seasonal limits, soft ground
Staging / landing — where machines and material sit, swing room, spoil space
Equipment approach — what can reach the work area without chewing up the wrong ground
Grading / earthwork — rough grade reads, bid second looks on earthwork scope gaps
Trees and vegetation to keep vs. clear — privacy, shade, firewise, view, build envelope
Structures and demolition (when relevant) — what’s coming out, utility disconnects to verify, haul vs. bury questions, sequencing with clearing and excavation
Intended after-use — pasture, homesite, shop pad, driveway, firebreak, recreation
Utilities and easements — known lines, septic, wells, shared access
County / city questions — clearing vs. grading vs. demolition, critical areas, tree rules, Forest Practices triggers (we coach; you own the determinations)
“Don’t know where to start” — we help name the problem and the next paid step

You leave with notes you can act on — not a vague “looks fine.”

How a paid consult works

Pick a package — Landing Check, Bid Second Look, or Full Site Connector
Book — call 360-899-8468 Text Mathew or email mathewbaxter@baxterexcavation.com with your state/county, lot or acreage, and what you want the land to do (or what’s going wrong with it)
Get your deliverable — verbal plan + short notes, bid flags + call, or on-site walk + written landing/staging notes (and optional partner intros on Full Site Connector)
Decide next — DIY with your notes, hire your own crew, take partner intros, book continued office/field help at the hourly rates above, or — separately — discuss GC / BETR / licensed-partner field work

Permits — plain honesty

You own the determinations. Counties and cities decide permits. Consultation does not include PE stamps, wetland delineations, SEPA packages, or “we get every permit approved.”

What we do:

Coach you on questions to ask planning / permitting staff (package time or post-package office hourly)
Help you spot when clearing vs. grading vs. critical areas vs. Forest Practices may matter
Introduce independently licensed engineers, surveyors, wetland specialists, and similar pros when the path needs them
Help you sequence work so you don’t clear or grade into a problem you can’t undo

Verify rules with your county or city.

Important — advisory only

Consultation services are advisory only. Mathew Baxter / Skagit Project Connector provides project advice, scope clarity, and introductions to independently licensed contractors. We are not the contractor of record for consultation engagements, do not direct, control, or supervise field crews, and do not perform excavation, grading, or construction under a consultation package. Any construction or general contracting work, if offered later, is under a separate written agreement with a properly licensed entity. Clients remain responsible for verifying licenses, insurance, and permits. This is not stamped engineering, geotechnical, or legal advice.

After your consult (optional — separate agreement)

After your consult, if you want help running the whole job, we can discuss a separate general-contracting or BETR / licensed-partner path — never bundled into the consult fee. Continued advisory help (permits coaching, follow-up walks) uses the office / field hourly rates above.

Excavation / land clearing crew work: Land Clearing · Contact
Tree / stump / demo on the tree site: Baxter’s Tree Services · Demolition

You can buy a consult without hiring anyone for field work.

Service area (consultation)

Washington (statewide)
Northern Idaho
Western Montana
Oregon

Phone/photo packages work well at distance. On-site packages are by arrangement.

How to book

Call 360-899-8468 Text Mathew or email mathewbaxter@baxterexcavation.com
Name the package: Landing Check, Bid Second Look, or Full Site Connector
Share your state/county, acreage or lot size, and what you want the land to become (or the problem you’re seeing)
We’ll confirm the package, phone/photo or on-site format, and applicable charges, including the $50 fuel/trip surcharge for an on-site visit, before you book.

FAQ

Can you help with drainage or land development—not just clearing?
Yes. We can help you talk through standing water, soft spots, access, grading questions and plans for a house, shop, driveway or pasture. Landing Check or Full Site Connector can be a starting point. This is advisory guidance, not engineered drainage design, geotechnical testing, a permit determination or a construction contract. Specialist services and physical work are separate.

Do I have to hire BETR or a partner if I buy a consult?
No. Packages are advice and introductions. Field work is a separate decision.

Is the consultation free?
No. These are paid packages at the rates listed above. Package overage is $150/hr after included package time on that same visit. Continued help after the package closes is Office $125/hr or Field $150/hr.

Is there a trip charge for on-site visits?
Yes. Add $50 per on-site visit. There is no fuel/trip charge for phone/photo Landing Check or Bid Second Look.

What are the rates after the package closes?
Office $125/hr (permits coaching, calls, paperwork, partner coordination) and Field $150/hr (on-site follow-up). Package overage $150/hr only covers time past the included walk/call on that same consult visit — not ongoing post-package help.

Are you the contractor of record on a consult?
No. See the advisory disclaimer above. Construction or GC work, if offered later, is a separate written agreement with a properly licensed entity.

Can you guarantee a permit will be approved?
No. Permits are decided by the county or city. Post-package permits coaching is available at the office hourly rate.

Do you sell a day of clearing on this page?
No. This page sells consultation packages only. Crew / dig work is separate via BETR, partners, or GC — never day-hire on this page.

Is this only for land clearing?
No. Land & Site Consultation covers clearing, drainage, land development, grading, demolition sequencing, access, and other land concerns before you hire a crew.

Does consultation cover demolition planning?
When demolition is part of your project, we look at sequencing with clearing and excavation, utility disconnect questions, and when to bring in specialists — still as advisory consult, not as the dig/demo crew under the package.

What states do you consult in?
Washington, northern Idaho, western Montana, and Oregon.

Can Landing Check credit toward Full Site Connector?
Yes — if you upgrade within 14 days.

Ready for a clear plan before anyone digs?