Septic Systems
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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Water pools in the low spots of your yard, or the ground tips toward the house. Land grading reshapes that ground. We cut down the high spots and fill the low ones. Then we set a slope that carries water away from the house.
Doberman Excavation and Services does land grading on house lots and farm fields. It is one of the excavation services we offer in Oak Hill. We serve Greene County and nearby towns, along the Hudson River and up on the mountaintop. Call or text (518) 281-8003 for a free estimate, and send a few photos of the ground.
Tell us about the job and where the property is. We look at the job and put a free estimate in writing.
Rough grading moves the bulk of the dirt. The excavator and the skid steer cut the high ground and push that soil into the low spots. This pass sets the shape of the yard and the direction the water runs.
Finish grading comes last. We spread topsoil over the rough grade and smooth it to the final height. New York's erosion and sediment control standards set a topsoil depth for a mowed lawn. The minimum is 4 to 6 inches, based on the soil underneath.
Fill builds up low ground, and backfill goes back into a trench or around a foundation. The same standards call for fill with no stumps or brush, packed in layers no thicker than 9 inches. Loose fill settles, so we pack it down as it goes in.
When water sits in the yard or runs toward the house, the grade is often the cause. For new homes, New York's residential code sets a minimum slope. The ground has to fall at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet from the foundation. Where a lot line or a slope leaves no room for that, the code calls for drains or swales.
We fill the low spots and reshape the ground so rain has a way off the yard. On one job we brought in dirt to level a backyard. Then we shaped the front and side yards to improve drainage.
Most of Greene County is glacial till over shallow bedrock or a dense layer called a fragipan. Water sits on that dense layer, so a yard on a slope can stay wet in spring. The state's erosion control standards keep fill off frozen or soaked ground, so grading waits until it thaws and dries. Grading handles the water on top, and French drains and yard drainage can catch what moves underground.
New York's dig safety rules count grading and backfilling with machines as excavation. Buried utility lines get marked through 811 first, and in Greene County that call goes to UDig NY. The rules ask for at least two working days of notice, and the day of the call does not count. The utilities mark only their own lines, so tell us where your private lines run.
Oak Hill sits on Catskill Creek in the Town of Durham. There, filling or digging in a mapped flood zone needs a floodplain development permit. FEMA's online flood maps show whether a lot sits in one. The town code enforcement officer answers the permit question for your lot, and we point you there.
Windham's zoning law calls for a town permit to grade or fill an acre or more, with a few exceptions. State stormwater rules can also apply once a job disturbs an acre or more of soil. Grading or filling in a regulated wetland, or within 100 feet of one, can need a state permit. A review by the DEC, the state's environmental agency, is the only way to confirm whether a wet spot counts.
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 land grading around Oak Hill and the northern Catskills. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
We install new and replacement septic systems across Greene County, built to the engineer's plan. We also repair septic tanks and leach fields.
Learn More
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.
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.
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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.