Land Clearing
We clear overgrown lots, acreage, fence lines and trails in Oak Hill and across Greene County. The brush is mulched on site or hauled away, whichever fits the job.
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Digging in Hunter often means hitting rock. The USDA soil survey maps much of the town as very rocky soil over shallow bedrock. Other spots can hold water on a dense layer of subsoil, and many slopes are steep. Every trench and footing here takes planning, and every driveway needs a way to shed water.
Doberman Excavation and Services is an excavation contractor serving Hunter, Tannersville, Haines Falls and Lanesville. The Town of Hunter is part of our service area, where we dig footings and trenches and repair washed-out driveways. Many owners live out of the area, so our property maintenance for vacation homes keeps the land in shape. 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.
The 2020 Census counted 3,035 residents and 2,703 homes in the Town of Hunter. More than four in ten of those homes were held for seasonal or occasional use. That is about twice the share for Greene County as a whole. The town also requires a permit and a fire and safety inspection for short-term rentals.
Census Bureau estimates show about half the town's homes were built before 1970. More than one in four went up before 1940. On an older place, the outbuildings and the septic system may be as old as the house.
Older buildings take an extra step before they come down. The town's demolition permit asks for an asbestos survey on buildings put up before 1974. Buildings from before 1978 also need a lead survey. Our demolition work on old barns and sheds starts once those surveys are done.
The USDA soil survey maps nearly half the town as a mix of Vly and Halcott soils. Halcott soils sit only 10 to 20 inches over bedrock. In Vly soils, bedrock sits 20 to 40 inches down.
So a footing or a utility trench can hit ledge a short way down. About a fifth of the town is Elka soil, which is deep but very stony. We look at the site before we quote, because rock can change the depth and the route of a dig.
Some ground stays wet. Lewbeach and Onteora soils carry a dense layer called a fragipan, 10 to 36 inches down. Water moves slowly through it, so yards and drives above it can stay soft. French drains and drainage ditches give that water a way out.
Outside the villages, building and demolition permits go through the Town of Hunter's code enforcement office in Tannersville. The Village of Hunter has its own building inspector, so inside a village, ask the village office first. FEMA's flood maps for the town and both villages date from 2015. Near the Schoharie Creek or any stream, ask the code office about the flood zone before digging.
The town and both villages have land in the Schoharie Reservoir watershed, part of New York City's water supply. For a new house, the town's permit checklist asks for DEP approval of the sanitary report. DEP is the city's Department of Environmental Protection, and it reviews new septic systems and certain repairs. Its rules keep a new system for a single home off natural slopes over 15 percent.
DEP can send someone to watch the soil tests, which cannot run while the ground is frozen. A licensed engineer or architect designs the system. Our septic system installation follows that approved plan. The Catskill Watershed Corporation may help with certain septic costs in the watershed.
NOAA keeps climate records for a station at Platte Clove, inside the town, near 2,000 feet up. Its 1991 to 2020 normals list about 68 inches of rain and melted snow a year. Snowfall there averages about 86 inches a year.
That much water is hard on a gravel drive. Runoff cuts ruts and carries stone into the ditch, and spring thaw softens the base. Our gravel driveway repair puts the crown back and adds stone, with ditches and culverts to carry water off.
In winter, our work turns to snow plowing for mountaintop driveways. We plow by the season or by the storm. The snow gets pushed to the edges and stacked on the property.
Communities and areas we serve around Hunter: Village of Hunter, Tannersville, Haines Falls, Lanesville, Elka Park, Onteora Park, Twilight Park, Platte Clove, Edgewood, Hunter Mountain, Kaaterskill Clove, Route 23A.
Hunter ZIP codes served: 12442, 12485, 12436, 12450, 12427.
Hunter is part of our service area. We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing.
(518) 281-8003 We clear overgrown lots, acreage, fence lines and trails in Oak Hill and across Greene County. The brush is mulched on site or hauled away, whichever fits the job.
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Our CAT 255 skid steer with a CAT HM215 forestry mulcher grinds brush and saplings into mulch where they stand. The mulch stays on your land, and the trees you want kept stay standing.
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We brush hog overgrown fields and pastures across Greene County and the northern Catskills. Saplings up to 4 inches thick come down with the grass and brush.
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We build new gravel driveways and repair rutted, washed-out ones in Oak Hill and across Greene County. We shape the crown and the ditches so rain and snowmelt run off the drive.
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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.
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We install new and replacement septic systems across Greene County, built to the engineer's plan. We also repair septic tanks and leach fields.
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We take down old barns, sheds, garages and outbuildings, plus concrete slabs and old foundations. The debris gets hauled away, and the ground is graded after the demolition.
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We take down hazard and fallen trees with our machines and pull the stumps out with their roots. The wood and debris get hauled away when the work is done.
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We keep up Catskills vacation homes, rentals, second homes and land for owners who live out of the area. We mow fields, fix driveways, clean ditches and clear storm damage, then send you photos.
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We plow driveways, private roads, parking areas and lots across Greene County and the mountaintop. We plow by the season or by the storm, and gravel drives keep their stone.
Learn MoreReal 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.
A few of the questions we hear most around Hunter. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
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.