- Vancouver 360-369-3586
- Portland 503-925-3504
Trenchless Boring Vancouver WA
Directional Boring Under Driveways, Landscaping & Utilities — One-Day Install
- Fast Same Day Service
- No Obligation Estimate
- Commercial & Residential Plumbing
Check out our
coupons!
We Offer
*0%
Financing
-
off
Any service for new customers!
(*Minimum Purchase Required)
EXPIRES 6/26 -
off
Main Water Service Replacement
Call now for details!
EXPIRES 6/26 -
off
Water Heater Replacement
Call now to schedule!
EXPIRES 6/26 -
off
Rain Drain Clearings
(*Minimum Purchase Required)
EXPIRES 6/26 -
off
Seniors & Military
(*Minimum Purchase Required)
EXPIRES 6/26
How It Works
Call Us
Call anytime, 24/7. A real person answers and schedules your appointment.
We Diagnose
Our plumber inspects, identifies the problem, and explains what is needed.
Upfront Quote
You get options with prices before any work begins. Your choice.
Expert Repair
Licensed plumber completes the work, cleans up, and walks you through it.
Trenchless Boring — Vancouver & Portland
What Is Trenchless Boring and When Do You Need It?
Trenchless boring, also called horizontal directional drilling, is a method of installing new underground pipes without digging an open trench along the pipe’s path. A specialized drilling machine bores a horizontal hole underground from one point to another, then pulls the new pipe back through the bore path. The surface above the bore remains completely undisturbed. This technology is essential when a new pipe needs to cross under a driveway, sidewalk, road, or area of mature landscaping where trenching would cause unacceptable damage and expense.
Unlike trenchless pipe repair (which rehabilitates existing pipes), trenchless boring is used to install entirely new pipes where no pipe currently exists or where the old pipe’s route needs to be abandoned. Common applications include new water service lines from the street meter to the house, new sewer connections from the house to the city main, utility conduit installation, and irrigation line routing. Sarkinen Plumbing provides trenchless boring services throughout the Portland-Vancouver metro area for both residential and commercial projects.
Learn about boring services
How Trenchless Boring Preserves Your Property
The primary advantage of trenchless boring is that it preserves everything above the pipe path. A new water line that needs to cross under your driveway does not require cutting the concrete, excavating a trench, installing the pipe, backfilling, and repaving. A sewer connection that runs under mature landscaping does not require removing trees, ripping out plantings, or disturbing root systems. The bore runs several feet below the surface, well beneath driveways, sidewalks, root zones, and other underground features.
The only excavation required is small entry and exit pits at each end of the bore — typically four to six feet long and three to four feet wide. These pits provide access for the drilling machine and the pipe pullback operation. After the pipe is installed and connected at each end, the pits are backfilled and restored. Everything between the pits — your driveway, your yard, your garden — remains exactly as it was before the project started.
Protect your property
Trenchless Boring for Portland-Vancouver Soil Conditions
The Portland-Vancouver metro presents a diverse range of soil conditions that our boring operators navigate on every project. The west side of Vancouver and much of Portland have clay-heavy soils that bore well but require specific drilling fluids to prevent the bore hole from collapsing during pipe pullback. East Vancouver, Camas, and the foothills toward Washougal have mixed soils with increasing rock content that may require specialized drill bits. Sandy, alluvial soils along the Columbia River floodplain in Ridgefield and Woodland require careful bore management to maintain hole stability.
Our boring crews have completed projects in every soil type found in the metro area. This experience allows them to select the right drill bit, boring fluid, and bore speed for each project before drilling begins. Soil assessment is part of our pre-project planning, and we discuss any soil-related considerations with you during the quoting process. The right approach for each soil type prevents bore failures, cave-ins, and surface settling that can occur when boring is attempted by operators unfamiliar with local ground conditions.
Local boring experts
Our Trenchless Boring Services
New Water Service Line Installation by Boring
When a new water line needs to be run from the city water meter at the street to your home, the pipe path typically crosses under a driveway, sidewalk, or both. Traditional installation means cutting through and replacing the paved surfaces, which adds significant cost and leaves visible repair lines in the concrete. Trenchless boring installs the new water line underneath these surfaces without cutting or disturbing them at all.
The bore starts at the meter end and runs horizontally underground to an exit pit near the house foundation. The depth is calculated to provide adequate cover over the pipe while maintaining the grade needed for the connection at each end. After the pilot bore reaches the exit pit, the hole is enlarged to accommodate the new pipe, and a continuous length of copper or HDPE pipe is pulled through the bore path. We make the connections at the meter and the house entry, pressure test the line, and restore the entry and exit pits. Your driveway and sidewalk remain untouched.
Water line boring
Sewer Connection Boring Under Roads and Right-of-Way
Connecting a home to the city sewer main in the street often requires the pipe to cross under a public road or right-of-way. Traditional trenching across a road requires a road closure permit, traffic control, pavement removal, pipe installation, backfill, and repaving — a process that can take days and cost thousands in permits and restoration. Trenchless boring completes the same road crossing in a fraction of the time and often avoids the need for a road closure permit entirely.
We create an entry pit on the house side and an exit pit at the city sewer connection on the street side. The bore runs under the road at the depth required to meet the sewer main elevation and maintain the downhill grade needed for gravity flow. A new HDPE sewer pipe is pulled through the bore, connected at both ends, camera-inspected to verify grade and alignment, and the pits are restored. The road surface above is never disturbed. This approach is particularly valuable on busy streets where road closure would disrupt traffic and require expensive traffic control measures.
Sewer line boring
Boring Under Mature Landscaping and Trees
Mature trees and established landscaping represent years or decades of investment and growth that cannot be easily replaced. A traditional trench through a carefully maintained garden, under the root zone of a large tree, or across a professionally landscaped yard can cause damage that takes years to recover from — if it recovers at all. Severing major roots can destabilize or kill trees that have taken 30 or more years to reach maturity.
Trenchless boring runs the new pipe several feet below the root zone, avoiding contact with root systems entirely. The bore path does not disturb surface plantings, garden beds, irrigation systems, or lawn areas between the entry and exit pits. For homeowners who have invested significant time and money in their outdoor spaces, trenchless boring is often the only acceptable installation method. We plan the bore path to maximize distance from tree trunks and major root zones, providing an extra margin of protection for your most valuable plantings.
Preserve your landscaping
Utility Conduit Installation by Horizontal Boring
In addition to water and sewer pipes, trenchless boring is used to install underground conduit for electrical, communication, and irrigation lines. This application is common in commercial projects, new subdivisions, and residential properties where multiple utility lines need to be routed underground without trenching through paved surfaces or landscaping. A single bore can accommodate a conduit that houses multiple utility lines, reducing the number of bore operations needed.
We install PVC, HDPE, and steel conduit using the same horizontal boring process used for pipe installation. The conduit size depends on the number and type of utility lines it needs to carry. After the conduit is installed and connected, the utility lines are pulled through it by the electrician, telecommunications installer, or irrigation contractor. We coordinate with these trades to ensure the conduit is properly sized, positioned, and accessible for their pullback operation.
Utility boring service
Permits and Utility Locating for Boring Projects
Every trenchless boring project requires careful coordination with existing underground utilities and, in most cases, permits from the local jurisdiction. Before any bore begins, we coordinate with One-Call utility locating services to identify and mark all existing underground utilities in the bore path — gas, electric, water, sewer, telecommunications, and any private utilities. Hitting an existing utility line during a boring operation is not just costly; it can be life-threatening if the line carries gas or high-voltage electricity.
Sarkinen Plumbing handles all permitting and utility coordination as part of every boring project. We pull right-of-way permits for road and sidewalk crossings, plumbing permits for water and sewer connections, and coordinate with utility companies to verify the marked locations before drilling. Our operators also perform hand-digging at the entry and exit pits to physically verify the location of nearby utilities before starting the bore. This systematic approach to safety and compliance is included in our project pricing — you do not need to coordinate any of it yourself.
Fully permitted boring
What Our Customers Say About Trenchless Boring
Portland & Vancouver’s Best Local Plumber
-
“The team was professional and worked well together. I thought each worker knew his job well. They were respectful and I was impressed. I would reccomend your company to others.”
Susan Pointer“Very timely and professional. Thankyou.”
Susan Evans“Mick and Alex were awesome, and super professional! They saved us from our plumbing problem. So happy we called Sarkinen Plumbing! Worth it, we’ll be calling them again when we have the funds for a re-pipe and a riser on our septic tank. If I could give them 10 stars I would.”
Camille & Shane Angel“Prompt, friendly, and competent service! Thank you for fixing our heat!”
William Irvin (Dub) -
“Quick response, high-quality work, fair price”
Vicki Barron“I have no complaints! They were able to get us on the schedule in a timely manner and the whole experience was great.”
Em Lockwood“Every experience I have had with Sarkinen has been excellent. They are flexible with scheduling, on time, efficient and professional and friendly. They get the job done right and are a pleasure to work with! Today was dishwasher installation but I have had them out several times for different jobs.”
Vanessa Hawkins“James and Loren were the very best!! Fast accurate and very pleasant.! You just can’t get better service. Thanks for A great job well done!! Re pipe house . Jim and Jan Robirts”
Jim Robirts -
“Quick service, good communication, clear and concise and to the point on options and work. Will return if anything else is needed. Specific shout out to Mick for the service!”
Michael Shinall“They are always there when I need them. Thank you.”
Tim Taylor“Chris was great right to the point got her fixed.”
Adam Lowery“Quick service from Langdon, very polite and professional!”
Chris Collins
Why Vancouver & Portland Homeowners Choose Sarkinen
Upfront, Fair Pricing
No hidden fees, no overtime charges. You get a clear, written price before any work begins. Same rate day or night.
Licensed in WA & OR
Dual-state licensing (WA #SARKIPI946MF, OR #170052) means we serve the entire Portland-Vancouver metro.
24/7 Emergency Service
We answer the phone day and night. A licensed plumber is dispatched immediately — at your door within 60-90 minutes.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Every repair backed by our workmanship guarantee. Background-checked, drug-tested plumbers who treat your home with care.
Cities We Serve for Trenchless Boring
Washington
Trenchless Boring Questions & Answers
Trenchless boring, also called horizontal directional boring or horizontal directional drilling (HDD), is a method of installing new underground pipes and utility lines without digging an open trench. A specialized drilling machine bores a small pilot hole underground from one point to another, then pulls the new pipe back through the bore path. This allows us to install pipes under driveways, roads, sidewalks, and landscaping without disturbing the surface.
We can install water supply lines, sewer lines, gas lines, and conduit for electrical or communication cables using trenchless boring. The most common application for plumbing is installing new water service lines from the street meter to the house and new sewer connections from the house to the city main. We can bore through most soil types, including clay, sand, gravel, and fill.
Yes. Boring under driveways is one of the most common applications of this technology. Whether your driveway is concrete, asphalt, or pavers, we can install a pipe underneath it without cutting or removing any of the surface. The bore path typically runs three to four feet below the surface, well below the driveway foundation.
Our boring equipment can install pipes at depths ranging from two to over ten feet, depending on the soil conditions and the requirements of the project. The depth is determined by the depth of the connections at each end and the grade requirements of the pipe being installed. Sewer lines in particular require a specific downhill grade to maintain proper flow.
The primary advantage is that trenchless boring preserves surface features. You do not need to tear up and replace driveways, sidewalks, landscaping, or other improvements. It is also faster in many cases, as there is no excavation, backfill, or surface restoration involved. For pipes that cross under roads, boring avoids the need for road closure permits, traffic control, and pavement replacement.
Schedule Trenchless Boring Today
Call now or schedule online. Same-day service available.
- Vancouver 360-369-3586
- Portland 503-925-3504
Vancouver Location
Proudly Serving
Portland and Vancouver
from Wilsonville to Longview &
Hillsboro to Gresham
UBI # 602-521-027
OR Contractor Lic# 170052 (CCB)
WA Contractor Lic# SARKIPI946MF
OR Plumber Lic# PB115
Customer Satisfaction
4.6 stars - Based on 227 Reviews
Quick Links
Plumbing Services
SW Washington Service Areas
Oregon Service Areas
Contact Information
Sarkinen PlumbingVancouver
9502 NE 72nd Ave
Vancouver, WA 98665
Phone: 360-369-3586
Portland
Phone: 503-925-3504
Hours of Operation
Monday - Sunday 24-hours