We self-perform with our own operators and machines (excavators, skid steers, dozers, rollers, and tri-axles) across all tasks including foundation and footing excavation, utility trenching, and topsoil, fill dirt and hauling so schedules do not slip waiting on a rented machine or third-party trucker.
Bucks County, PA
Site Work, Excavation
Site Work, Excavation
& Grading
At L&M Paving Contractors, we know that before a single yard of asphalt or a foundation footer goes in, the ground underneath has to be cut, shaped, compacted, and drained correctly. Our crews handle site work in Bucks County from residential excavation in Bucks County to large-scale commercial site work in Bucks County from the first survey stake through final grade.
- Free written estimates
- Licensed & fully insured
- Owner on every job
Site Work
Everything Above Ground
Everything Above Ground
Depends On This
This makes sure what gets built on top of our work sits level, drains away from structures, and passes inspection the first time. We have been moving dirt in this county for decades, and we know where the shale ledge starts and where the water table sits high.
We got into excavation and site work in Bucks County because we kept being asked to pave over ground that could not carry it. A driveway laid on a subgrade that was never properly prepared will fail regardless of how good the asphalt was, and the only honest way to quote that job is to price the groundwork too.
So we do the whole sequence: land clearing, strip and excavate, complete rough grading, establish final elevations through precise finish grading, deal with the water, build a compact base, and then pave. One contractor, one responsibility, and nobody standing on your property explaining that the problem is the other trade’s fault.
Grading is about water
Land grading looks like moving dirt around and is really about deciding where water goes for the next thirty years. With our professional grading services in Bucks County, handling both rough grading and finished grading, we make certain that the proper pitch is away from foundations, positive fall to somewhere it can safely leave, and no low spots where it can pool and sit. Get that wrong and you get wet basements, standing water in the yard, and pavement that fails from underneath.
Bucks County ground
Our grading services in Bucks County know to focus on the varying soil conditions over short distances. The clay-heavy soils across the upper townships hold water and heave; areas closer to the river are sandier and drain freely but can be unstable in different ways; and shallow bedrock turns up often enough that it is worth allowing for. That variability is why an experienced excavation contractor in Bucks County like us looks at the ground before starting land clearing, site excavation, or site grading in Bucks County, rather than pricing from a standard build-up.
What we can and cannot do
As a premier provider of excavation services in Bucks County, we handle site preparation, grading, drainage, base construction, and paving. We are not engineers — where a job needs a stormwater design, a survey, or a soils report for a permit, that comes from a licensed professional and we build it. We will tell you early if your job is one of those, because finding out late is expensive.
Grading
Grading Is Where
Grading Is Where
Most Sites Go Wrong
Roughly nine out of ten wet basements and cracked driveways we get called about trace back to pitch, not materials. As a trusted grading contractor, our grading services in Bucks County start with the finished elevations and work backward, holding a minimum fall of 6 inches over the first 10 feet away from any foundation, which is the slope the HUD residential standards and most local codes expect.
From initial rough grading to final rough finishing, we shoot grades with GPS-guided machines and laser levels rather than eyeballing them off a string line. On parking lots and driveways, we target 1.5 to 2 percent cross slope, enough to shed water without feeling tilted underfoot. Flat spots that pond are the ones that fail first in February.
Why L&M
Why Bucks County Chooses
Why Bucks County Chooses
Our Excavation Team
Choosing an excavation contractor in Bucks County mostly comes down to whether the crew will still be reachable when something needs adjusting. A few things that set our work apart:
Because we also pave, the subgrade we build is the subgrade we later warranty. That tends to make crews honest about compaction.
You get one point of contact from the estimate through a punch list, with photos of buried work before it gets covered.
Pricing
Excavation & Site Work
Excavation & Site Work
Cost Guide: Bucks County
Pricing swings with access, haul distance and how much rock we find, but these ranges cover most of what we quote:
Residential lot clearing
typically $3,500 to $9,000 per acre depending on tree density and stump disposal.
Rough and finish grading
usually $0.75 to $2.50 per square foot on open, workable ground.
Foundation excavation for a new home
most fall between $6,000 and $18,000, higher where rock or dewatering is involved.
Drainage systems
a typical French drain or dry well install runs $2,500 to $8,000.
Free Estimate
Get Your
Get Your
Site Priced
Send us the address, a rough scope, and any engineered plans you already have. We will walk the property to review your needs for site grading, site work, or excavation services in Bucks County, and return a line-item estimate with the soil and drainage risks spelled out. Contact L&M Paving Contractors to schedule a site visit anywhere in Bucks County.
Questions
Site Work
Site Work
Questions
Do I need a permit for excavation or grading?
It depends on how much earth you are disturbing and what you are changing. Most townships in Bucks County have a threshold above which an earth disturbance or grading permit is required, and anything that alters stormwater runoff or creates a new access onto a road generally needs approval regardless of size. A new access onto a state road needs a PennDOT highway occupancy permit.
We will tell you what we think your job triggers, but the township is the authority and it is worth a call to them early.
Can you fix standing water in my yard?
Usually. The fix depends on the cause — sometimes it is a regrade to create fall, sometimes a swale to intercept and redirect, sometimes a french drain where there is nowhere to grade to. What we cannot do is make water run uphill, so occasionally the honest answer is that the only real solution is a drain to a point of discharge, which is a bigger job than people hope.
How much base does a driveway need?
For a typical residential driveway on reasonable soil, 6 to 8 inches of compacted modified stone. On clay, on soft ground, or where the drive takes heavy vehicles, more — sometimes considerably more, occasionally with a geotextile between subgrade and stone to stop the two mixing. The number depends on what is under it, which is why we look rather than quote a standard.
Do you handle the paving as well?
Yes, and that is the point of doing both. When one contractor is responsible for the ground and the surface, there is nobody to blame when something settles. It also means the base gets built for the pavement that is going on it rather than to a generic spec.
How long does site work take?
Anywhere from a day for a small regrade to several weeks for a full commercial site. Weather matters more here than on most work — you cannot compact saturated ground, and a wet week genuinely stops excavation. We build that into the schedule rather than promising dates we would need luck to hit.
Free Estimate
Let's Talk About
Let's Talk About
Your Pavement
Tell us what you're working with and we'll get back to you within one business day — usually faster. Or skip the form and call (215) 997-1258.