French Drains
French drains and culverts for yards and driveways that stay wet after rain or snowmelt. We find where the water runs and give it a way out.
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Doberman Excavation and Services builds and repairs gravel driveways in Oak Hill, NY and across Greene County. We put in new gravel driveways and bring worn ones back with regrading and new stone. We also widen narrow drives and build gravel parking areas. Every dependable driveway starts with good ground under the stone.
Driveway work often ties into other work on the lot. A new drive through the woods may start with land clearing along the route. A drive that stays wet may need French drains or a ditch beside it. Call or text (518) 281-8003 with a few photos and the location for a free estimate.
Tell us about the job and where the property is. We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing.
Gravel driveway installation starts with the route and the ground under it. As an excavation contractor serving Oak Hill, we clear and grade the path before any stone goes down. Then we spread the stone and shape it into a firm, crowned drive. The same steps build private gravel roads and farm lanes.
A crown is a center a little higher than the edges, so water runs off to the sides. The Federal Highway Administration's guide for gravel roads recommends about half an inch of crown per foot, near 4 percent. Where needed, a ditch along the edge carries the water away.
New York's dig law counts machine grading as digging. A call to 811 must come two to ten working days before work starts, not counting the call day. Utilities do not mark private lines, like a buried line to a garage, so tell us where yours run.
Water does most of the damage. Without a crown, rain and snowmelt collect on the surface and soften it. Water held in the surface leads to ruts, the federal guide says, and those ruts can reach the soil below.
Dry spells cause a different problem. Traffic pushes loose gravel out to the edges, and the ridge it builds traps water on the drive. On a slope, that water runs down along the ridge and can carry off a lot of gravel.
Gravel under heavy trucks can fail in wet weather and in the spring thaw of cold regions, the guide notes. A drive that goes soft each mud season may sit on weak, wet soil. That takes more than a regrade. The guide's fixes are to dig out the soft soil or raise the drive with clean material that drains.
Driveway repair starts with the shape, then the stone. The federal guide advises against simply filling ruts and potholes with new gravel. We cut out the damage and reshape the crown first, then add stone where the drive has worn thin. Otherwise the old damage shows back up through the new surface.
Town rules can cover the end of the drive where it meets the road. In the Town of Durham, which includes Oak Hill, call the highway superintendent before a new driveway goes in. The town inspects the spot to decide whether a culvert is needed.
In the Town of Catskill, a new drive onto a town road needs an access permit from the highway superintendent. From the road to the ditch line, the drive must fall away at least 3/4 inch per foot. Where a drive crosses the ditch, the owner must install a culvert the superintendent or town engineer approves. When a town leaves the culvert to the owner, we install it as part of the driveway job.
Call or text for a written quote. We work about 35 miles around Oak Hill across Greene County and the northern Catskills.
(518) 281-8003From the first call or text to the finished work, here is how it goes.
Call or text (518) 281-8003, or send the form. Tell us where the property is and what the job is.
Send a few photos and a short description of the job. For land work, the approximate acreage helps too.
We look at the job and talk through how to handle it. Then we give you a free estimate.
We set a start date with you and bring the right machine for the job. The work follows the plan we talked through.
We finish with final grading and property cleanup. Debris gets hauled away when the job calls for it.
Common questions about gravel driveways around Oak Hill and the northern Catskills. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
French drains and culverts for yards and driveways that stay wet after rain or snowmelt. We find where the water runs and give it a way out.
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We clear the lot and cut a level building pad for homes, garages, barns and sheds. Then we dig the footings and the utility trenches for the build.
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We level yards and fields and slope the ground so water runs away from the house. We also bring in fill and topsoil and finish the grade smooth.
Learn MoreCall or text with the location and a few photos of the job. We talk through the best approach and give you a free estimate.
We can clear the lot, dig the footings and trenches, backfill and do the final grading. The dirt work on the whole site runs through one company.
We take small jobs, like post holes for a sign or a yard repair after construction. Send a photo of the spot, and we talk it through with you.
Oak Hill sits at the center of our service area. It covers Greene County and reaches Rensselaerville in Albany County and Saugerties in Ulster County.
Real reviews from real jobs, 2 reviews on Google.
Great service on time and was quick to get quotes over compared to waiting for 2 weeks for 2 others to get back
Highly Recommend.
Gravel driveway cost in upstate New York. See published market ranges per square foot and per ton, culverts, repairs and what drives the price.
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French drain cost in New York: national market ranges per foot for yard and curtain drains. See how rock and the outlet move the price in the Catskills.
Read more →Tell us where the property is and what you need done. You can also call or text (518) 281-8003 for a free estimate.
Tell us about the job and where the property is. We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing.