Excavation Contractor in Saugerties, NY

What is under the ground in Saugerties?

The ground climbs from the Hudson shore to over 1,000 feet on the town's west side. The federal soil survey shows a few kinds of ground along the way. Near High Woods, Blue Mountain, Centerville and West Saugerties, it maps Arnot soil, with bedrock 10 to 20 inches down. It maps patches of rock outcrop there too, and quarries near High Woods and Fish Creek.

Along the river north of the village, around Malden-on-Hudson and West Camp, the ground changes. There the survey maps Hudson and Rhinebeck soils, formed in silt and clay from an old glacial lake. Rhinebeck soil is somewhat poorly drained, and water moves slowly through its subsoil. Around the village center, it maps Riverhead fine sandy loam, a well drained soil.

That mix shapes the work. Shallow ledge can change where a trench or a leach field goes, and clay slows the drainage. The town building department lists the frost line at 4 feet, so footings go below it. Site preparation for a new house or garage starts with finding out what is down there.

Older homes in the village and new houses in the town

The village sits inside the larger Town of Saugerties. The 2020 Census counted 19,038 people in the town, including 3,899 in the village. In the Census Bureau's housing survey, about 29 percent of the town's homes were built before 1940. In the village, the share is about 61 percent, and the median home dates to 1938.

Some older lots come with a barn or an old garage that is past saving. We take those down, haul off the debris and grade the site after. The town's building permit form covers demolition, and inside the village, demolition permits come from the village code enforcement officer. The village also has a Historic Review Board, so ask the village office first.

New houses still go up here. The Census Bureau's permit survey counts 34 new houses permitted by the town in 2025, and 15 in the village. A new house on a wooded lot needs clearing and a driveway first. Where no sewer line runs, it needs a septic system too.

The Census Bureau's housing survey also estimates several hundred homes in the town are kept for seasonal or occasional use. Our property maintenance work keeps up the land and the drive for owners who live out of the area.

Gravel driveways and drainage along the Esopus Creek

The Esopus Creek winds through town and meets the Hudson at Saugerties. The town posts the creek's level and turbidity for residents. Heavy rain and releases from the Ashokan Reservoir upstream both change its flow.

FEMA maps a small share of the town as flood zone, along the Esopus Creek and the Hudson. The town's permit application asks whether a lot sits in a flood hazard area. Check the map before you regrade or bring in fill near the water.

Away from the water, clay and slope do the damage. Runoff cuts ruts down a sloped gravel drive, and water sits on clay until the yard turns to mud. Our gravel driveway repair starts with a crown on the drive and ditches along it. French drains and yard drainage carry off the water the clay holds.

A driveway entrance onto a public road needs approval from the road's owner: the town, Ulster County or the state. On a state road such as Route 32, that is a state Department of Transportation permit. The town building department notes a private road may not need one.

Who issues permits for excavation work in Saugerties?

It depends on where the lot sits. Outside the village, the Town of Saugerties Department of Safety and Buildings issues building permits. Its inspection list includes the footing excavation, and plot plans must show erosion control. Inside the village, the village code enforcement officer issues building permits.

Septic systems go through the Ulster County Department of Health. Where no sewer is available, a design professional, such as a professional engineer, draws the system. The county witnesses the deep hole test pit, and a perc test is run for the field. Most towns in the county want the approved plan before they issue a building permit.

We dig and install the system to the approved plan. A county field representative checks the work, down to the length of the laterals. Our septic system installation page covers new and replacement systems.

Under New York law, the contractor calls 811 two to ten working days before digging starts. The day of the call does not count, and UDig NY takes those calls for Ulster County. The utilities do not mark private lines on your property, such as a line out to a barn.