Digging a hole up to ten feet deep (or is that 3 metres) and seven feet square does cause a mess, especially when excavated during wet weather. There is also upwards of ten tonnes of concrete to be mixed and used to bed in the equipment, and at least the same quantity of soil to be removed, so to be fair the horror stories can be true.
Having said this, the mess and the upheaval is only temporary. Most installations take a week to two weeks . At sensitive sights, our landscaping can make signs of our work disappear very quickly as turf and plants recover.