Thunderbolt, Lot 70
A house site start to finish: trees out, lot cleared, foundation dug.
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1Tree removal -
2Cleared, ready to dig -
3Foundation dig finished
Callister Construction · McCall & Valley County, ID
Excavation & Site Work
New-construction sitework for McCall & Valley County — lot clearing, foundation excavation, utilities, septic, driveways and final grade. Owner-operated, with the fleet to match.
Owner-operated
Licensed & insured · ID Reg. #3881123
Serving McCall, Donnelly & Cascade
Replies within 48 hours
Season · Valley County
In season
Peak season in Valley County — house sites, subdivisions, roads, septic and grading. Call (208) 350-9860.
Working season runs from April through freeze-up, usually the first week of December.
Scope of Work
Four things we do, done right
New-construction sitework is most of it — house sites, subdivisions, roads and ponds all get scoped line by line, so nothing changes once the machine is on site.
EX‑01
Site Prep & Excavation
Lot clearing, basement and crawl-space excavation, footings, backfill and rough-to-finish grading for new mountain builds — cut/fill balanced to your plan set.
EX‑02
Septic & Utility
Septic system installs to health-district permit, plus water and sewer line trenching to depth in frost-prone ground.
EX‑03
Driveways & Grading
Driveway cuts, base prep, and drainage grading built to hold up through spring runoff and heavy snow load.
EX‑04
Demolition & Land Clearing
Structure demo, tree and stump removal, and lot clearing to get raw land ready for the next phase.
Recent Work
Jobs on the ground
House sites, subdivision roads, ponds and county work — all of it in and around Valley County, photographed on the job.
River Fork Ranch — Donnelly
Subdivision road, from standing timber to finished gravel.
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1Cut through the timber -
2Graded to subgrade -
3Road base & ditches
Road cut — Star, Idaho
Cut and fill through a foothill to put a road where there wasn't one.
See all work photos
For Builders & GCs
Sitework capacity for production and custom builds
Callister Construction runs as a sitework sub for builders across McCall and Valley County — lot clearing through final grade, on your schedule, off your plan set.
How we work with builders
- Plan-set ready Works from architect and engineer drawings — foundation layout, cut/fill, utility depths and slopes to spec.
- One crew, full fleet Three excavators, a track loader, four dump trucks, water truck and roller on hand. No waiting on rentals.
- Schedule discipline Three seasons as foreman on a 30-lot development — we know how to sequence with concrete, plumbing and framing.
- Paperwork in order Idaho GC Reg. #3881123, insured. COI and W-9 on request.
Need sitework on short notice? Call to check availability.
Scope we handle
- Lot clearing & stripping
- Basement, crawl & footing excavation
- Backfill & compaction
- Water, sewer & dry-utility trenching
- Septic system installation
- Driveways & road base
- Final grade & drainage
- Material hauling — four 6-yd dumps
Local Knowledge
Built for McCall's terrain, not a flatland spec sheet
Valley County ground doesn't play by lowland rules — steep grade changes and a construction season that closes fast once the snow moves in. Every site plan gets read against that reality before a bucket ever touches dirt.
- Steep lots Cut/fill sequencing planned for slope stability, not just speed.
- Short season Jobs scheduled and staged around McCall's real weather window.
Who We Are
The Operator & The Fleet
The Operator
Dakota Callister
Dakota started in excavation at 13 as a laborer and never really left the dirt. Through high school he ran side jobs, then worked as a laborer and operator before spending three summers as foreman on a 40-acre, 30-lot subdivision development — lead operator on every machine on site, from clearing through roads and utilities.
He started Callister Construction in 2026 to bring that production-scale sitework experience to new home builds in McCall and Valley County. Owner-operated means the person who quotes the job is the one running the machine.
The Fleet
- Sany SY22522-ton excavatorMass excavation, basements, big cuts
- Sany SY15515-ton excavatorFoundations, utilities, septic
- Sany SY606-ton mini excavatorTight lots, trenching, finish work
- Cat 299D3Track loader + mulcherClearing, grading, backfill
- 4 × dump trucks6-yardHauling, import & export
- Water truckSupportDust control & compaction
- RollerCompactionBase & sub-grade
Questions
Before you call
Do you work as a subcontractor for builders?
Yes. Most of our work is new-construction sitework for builders and GCs in McCall and Valley County — lot clearing through final grade, working from the plan set on your schedule.
What areas do you serve?
McCall, Donnelly, Cascade and the rest of Valley County, Idaho — including nearby communities like Whitetail Club, Tamarack Resort, and Jug Mountain Ranch.
Can I reach you in winter?
Yes. Fieldwork stops, but plans and calls don't — send a plan set over the winter and we'll have your quote ready for spring.
When is your season?
April through freeze-up, usually the first week of December. We don't do winter work or snow removal.
How do septic permits work?
The property owner or builder pulls the permit through the health district. We install to the approved design and coordinate the inspection before the system is covered.
How fast will I hear back?
Within 48 hours. A finished quote may need plans, photos or a site visit — sending them up front speeds it up.
What should I send for a quote?
A property address or subdivision, a short description of the work, and any plans or photos you have. If you're early in the process, a call works fine.
Do you take smaller residential jobs?
The focus is new-construction sitework, but we take on driveways, septic systems and lot clearing when the schedule allows. Ask.
Get Started
Request a quote
Fastest way in is a call. Otherwise send the form — it comes straight to us, and you'll hear back within 48 hours.
Call or text
Have photos of the lot? Text them over — it's the fastest way to get an accurate number back.
Text a Photo of the Site