You’re not getting someone who just pushes dirt around with a bulldozer. You’re getting precision grading that creates the right slope for drainage, proper compaction to prevent settling, and site preparation that supports your new home for decades.
When your foundation contractor shows up, they’ll find ground that’s ready to work on. When the first heavy rain comes, water flows away from your house instead of pooling around your foundation. When you’re ready for landscaping, the grades are already set up for success.
That’s what happens when you hire a grading contractor who understands that your land preparation affects everything that comes after it. Poor grading creates expensive problems that show up months or years later.
We’ve served the Bemis Heights area since 1997. We started as a logging operation, which taught us how to read terrain and work efficiently in challenging conditions. In 2020, we transitioned to full-time excavation, and in 2022, Josh’s son joined as a partner.
What makes us different from other grading companies in the Capital Region? Josh is on-site for almost every job. Not just when things go wrong, but throughout your project to make sure everything meets our standards and your expectations.
We know Bemis Heights terrain. From the elevated areas near the historic Saratoga battlefield to the drainage challenges that come with our local soil conditions, we’ve worked on properties throughout this area. We’re not just completing your current project—we’re building a relationship for future work you’ll need done.
First, we walk your property together. You show us your building plans, and we assess what needs to happen to prepare the site properly. You’ll understand the scope of work and timeline before we start.
Land clearing comes next if needed. We remove trees, brush, and obstacles while preserving anything you want to keep. Our logging background means we handle this phase efficiently without unnecessary damage to your property.
Then we move to precision grading using GPS-guided equipment. We create the exact elevations and slopes your project requires, including drainage patterns that direct water away from your future foundation. Finally, we compact everything properly so your foundation contractor can begin work with confidence in the site preparation.
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Your grading project includes comprehensive site evaluation, land clearing as needed, precision grading to engineering specifications, drainage planning, and final compaction. We use GPS technology to ensure accuracy that meets your contractor’s requirements.
In Bemis Heights, we understand the terrain challenges that come with building in the Capital Region. Properties near the elevated areas around the historic battlefield require different drainage approaches than sites in the lower-lying areas toward the Hudson River valley. Local soil conditions vary significantly, even within a single neighborhood.
Our integrated approach means you don’t need to coordinate multiple contractors for different phases of site preparation. We handle everything from initial clearing through final grade, ensuring each step builds properly on the previous work. This prevents the delays and complications that often happen when different contractors work in sequence without understanding how their work affects the next phase.
Land grading for new home construction typically ranges from $2,500 to $8,500 depending on your lot size, terrain challenges, and clearing requirements. A quarter-acre lot with moderate vegetation and relatively level terrain usually falls toward the lower end of this range.
Your final cost depends on factors specific to your property: elevation changes that need management, whether soil needs to be imported or exported, and drainage complexity. Bemis Heights properties vary significantly due to natural topography, so we always provide on-site estimates rather than phone quotes.
We include all equipment, labor, and basic cleanup in our pricing. Additional services like septic system preparation or driveway grading are quoted separately so you know exactly what each phase costs and can prioritize based on your budget and timeline.
The optimal window for grading in our area runs from late spring through early fall—roughly May through October. During this period, soil conditions are most favorable and weather delays are minimized, which keeps your project on schedule.
Spring grading allows disturbed soil to settle and stabilize over summer before construction begins. We can work year-round when your timeline requires it, but winter grading may need additional considerations for frozen ground and material availability.
We evaluate current soil moisture before beginning any work. Grading wet, saturated soil creates compaction problems that affect drainage and stability. Sometimes waiting a few days for better conditions prevents weeks of problems later in your construction process.
Most residential grading projects in Saratoga County require building permits, especially when connected to new home construction. Specific requirements depend on work scope, proximity to wetlands, and local zoning regulations.
We help guide you through the permit process and provide technical drawings and specifications that building departments typically require. Our experience with local requirements means we know what documentation is needed and can often speed up the approval process.
For larger projects or properties near environmentally sensitive areas, additional state permits may be required. We identify these requirements during our initial site evaluation so there are no surprises that could delay your construction timeline.
Preserving valuable trees while creating proper drainage requires careful planning and specialized techniques. We start by identifying which trees can realistically be saved given your construction plans and their current health condition.
For trees we’re preserving, we maintain existing grade within their critical root zones while creating smooth transitions to new grades needed for your home site. This often involves retaining walls or terraced grading to manage elevation changes without damaging root systems.
We install drainage systems that work around tree locations, ensuring water management doesn’t depend on areas where we can’t disturb soil. This integrated approach protects your existing landscape investment while achieving the proper site preparation your new home requires.
Rock ledge and underground obstacles are common in the Capital Region, and we encounter them regularly. Our equipment includes hydraulic hammers and rock-breaking attachments that handle most subsurface conditions without bringing in additional specialized contractors.
When we discover unexpected obstacles, we stop work immediately to assess the situation and discuss options with you. Sometimes rock can be broken and removed economically. Other times, adjusting the building location slightly or modifying foundation design makes more sense.
We include reasonable rock removal in our estimates based on what we observe during site evaluation. For extensive ledge conditions that weren’t initially apparent, we provide clear pricing for additional work needed. Our goal is solving the problem efficiently while keeping your project moving forward.
Most residential grading projects are completed within 3-7 working days, depending on lot size, complexity, and weather conditions. A straightforward quarter-acre site with minimal clearing typically takes 2-3 days, while larger properties requiring extensive clearing may take up to two weeks.
The timeline includes land clearing, rough grading, fine grading to specifications, and final compaction. We schedule work in phases that align with your construction timeline, so the site is ready when your foundation contractor needs to begin.
Weather affects our schedule, particularly during spring when soil conditions change rapidly. We maintain flexibility in scheduling to take advantage of good working conditions while ensuring we don’t compromise quality by rushing work during marginal weather periods.
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