Excavation Services in Glens Falls, NY: Foundations, Site Work and Grading
Foundation Digs, Site Development, Trenching, Gravel Driveways and Drainage for Properties Around Glens Falls
Call (518) 760-1339
Excavation Contractor for Glens Falls, Queensbury and Saratoga Springs
When you need excavation done around Glens Falls, call Elevated Outdoors at (518) 760-1339. Excavation is the main part of our work, and it covers foundation digs, trenching, gravel driveways and pads, drainage along foundations, and the grading that finishes a site. We work in Glens Falls, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Fort Ann, Argyle and nearby towns, on jobs that range from one trench to a complete site for a new home. If you're planning to build this year, an early call makes it easier to fit the ground work into your schedule.
Owner Doug Durkee spent 15 years in construction and excavation, most of it running jobs for larger companies, before he started Elevated Outdoors. On a new house, we handle everything except the structure itself. That usually starts with land clearing, and it can include the concrete work that goes with the dig and the demolition of anything old that stands in the way.
Call (518) 760-1339Excavation Work We Can Help With
Foundation Excavation for New Homes and Additions
A foundation dig sets the height, the drainage and the footprint for everything built on top of it. The topsoil is stripped and saved, and the hole goes below the frost line with room outside the walls for the footing forms, on a firm, level bottom. Once the walls are up, the outside gets waterproofed and drain pipe goes in along the footing before the dig is backfilled. If the hole turns up rock or groundwater, we'll tell you what we found and what it means before the work goes on.
Site Development for New Construction
Site development covers the ground work around a new house as well as under it. Elevated Outdoors can take a lot from the first tree down to the final grade: clearing, the foundation dig, trenches for footing drains and utilities, the gravel base for the driveway, backfill around the walls, and shaping the yard so water runs away from the house. Doug's way of putting it is that besides the structure, we handle everything else, and having one crew handle that sequence keeps each step in the right order.
Trenching and Drainage Work
Trenches carry footing drains, water lines and buried power, and they are also how most drainage problems get fixed. A basement that takes on water often has a cause outside the house, such as ground sloping toward the foundation, downspouts emptying against the wall, or a footing drain that has clogged or was never installed. Regrading the yard, or digging along the wall to replace the drain, usually solves it. Before any trench is dug in New York, the utility lines have to be marked through 811.
Gravel Driveways, Pads and Grading
A gravel driveway or pad lasts when the ground under it is dug out and built back up properly. The soft topsoil comes out, a base of larger stone goes down, and finer crushed stone goes on top and gets packed, with the surface pitched so water runs off instead of pooling. The same approach works for shed and garage pads, parking areas and turnarounds. Grading is the last step on most excavation jobs, and we shape the ground to fall away from the house before the topsoil goes back on.
Send a requestHow a Foundation Dig Comes Together
Marking and Staking
Before the dig, the utility lines are marked through 811 and the corners of the house are staked out from the survey. The topsoil comes off first and is piled to one side, so it can go back on at the end of the job.
01Digging Below the Frost Line
The hole goes below the frost line, with room outside the walls for the footing forms and the waterproofing. If the dig hits ledge or groundwater, you'll hear what it means for the schedule and the price before work continues.
02Footings, Walls and Drainage
The footings are poured first, then the foundation walls. Before anything is buried, the outside of the walls is waterproofed and drain pipe is laid along the footing to carry water away from the house.
03Backfill and Final Grade
The dig is backfilled in layers and packed so it won't settle against the house. The ground is then graded to fall away from the foundation, about six inches in the first ten feet, and the topsoil goes back on.
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Planning Your Excavation Project
A little preparation before your first call makes the price more accurate and the schedule easier to hold.
Send a request- 01
When to Call About Excavation
Call before anything gets built, whether it's a new house, an addition, a garage, a driveway or a yard project that needs the ground dug or leveled first. Summer and fall are the main digging seasons around Glens Falls, so the earlier we see your plan, the easier it is to fit the work in.
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What Affects the Cost of Excavation
The amount of ground that has to move is the starting point. Ledge and large boulders slow a dig down, groundwater can mean pumping, and a tight lot means a smaller machine and more hours. Trucking is the cost people forget, whether that's hauling extra soil away or bringing in stone for a base.
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Utility Marking and Permits
Every dig in New York has to be called in to 811 at least two full working days ahead, so the buried utility lines get marked. New homes, additions and garages need a building permit from the town, and lots that drain to Lake George fall under the Lake George Park Commission's stormwater rules.
Why Hire Elevated Outdoors for Excavation
Clear Communication on Every Dig
Doug started Elevated Outdoors after years at larger construction companies where, in his words, the communication was not there. On an excavation job, you'll know when the machine is coming, what the crew is working on, and what changed if the dig turns up rock or water. That matters most on a new house, where the concrete work, the framing and the inspections all depend on the ground work staying on schedule.
One Crew From Clearing to Final Grade
Because Elevated Outdoors also handles land clearing, tree removal, demolition, concrete work and landscaping, a building lot doesn't have to pass between several companies before the house goes up. The same crew can clear the trees, dig the foundation, set the driveway base and grade the yard at the end, which keeps the steps in order and gives you one number to call.
Excavation Services in Glens Falls, Queensbury and Nearby Towns
Elevated Outdoors provides excavation services in Glens Falls, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Fort Ann and Argyle, across Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties. We also take jobs over the line in Vermont, including Castleton, and have worked as far north as Middlebury. If you're not sure we cover your property, give us a call and ask.
Call (518) 760-1339Excavation and Site Work From Recent Jobs
Other Services From Elevated Outdoors
Towns we serve around Glens Falls: Queensbury, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Fort Ann and Argyle.
Tree Removal
We take down dead, leaning and unwanted trees safely, whether they stand near the house or in the way of new construction.
Lawn Care
We provide regular lawn maintenance from the first spring cut to the last one in the fall, with grading and seed where the lawn needs it.
Land Clearing
We clear trees, brush and undergrowth for a house site, a driveway or open ground, ready for the excavation that follows.
Landscaping
Our landscaping covers grading, garden beds, mulch, river rock, stone edging and new seed, on ground that drains the way it should.
Hardscaping
We build retaining walls, walkways and paths on a base that's dug, packed and drained to hold up through the frost.
Snow Removal
We clear snow through the winter so you can get in and out after a storm. Call before the first snow to get on the list.
Demolition
We take down what has to go before new work starts, then fill, pack and grade the ground for what comes next.
Concrete
Our concrete work goes with our site work, with the dig and the packed stone base under it handled by the same crew.
Frequently Asked Questions About Excavation
It depends on how much ground has to move, what's in it, and how easy the site is to reach. Ledge, groundwater and trucking material in or out all add to the price. Call us with the size of the job and where it is, and we'll talk through what it involves and what it will cost.
Yes. On a new home, Elevated Outdoors handles everything except the structure itself, from clearing the lot and digging the foundation to the driveway base and the final grade.
Yes. We do land clearing and tree removal, so the same crew can clear a wooded lot and then dig it. That keeps the schedule in one place and avoids waiting on a second company.
Footings have to sit below the frost line, which is about four feet in most of the Glens Falls area. Your town's building department sets the required depth, and it will be shown on the approved plans.
Often, yes. The cause is usually outside the house: ground that slopes toward the foundation, downspouts emptying against the wall, or a footing drain that's clogged or missing. Regrading, or digging along the wall to fix the drainage, is the usual repair. Call and tell us where the water comes in.
New houses, additions and garages need a building permit from the town, and some towns want one for larger grading jobs too. Lots near Lake George can fall under the Lake George Park Commission's stormwater rules, so check with your town early.
Yes. Every dig in New York has to be called in to 811 (Dig Safely New York) at least two full working days ahead. 811 doesn't mark private lines such as a well line, a septic line or a wire out to a garage, so tell us where yours run.
The plan changes, and you'll hear about it before the work goes on. Ledge can mean more time or different equipment, and groundwater can mean pumping or extra drainage stone. We'll explain what we found and what it means for the schedule and the price.
Summer and fall are the easiest seasons around Glens Falls. Spring mud season is the hardest, and some town roads are posted with weight limits that keep loaded trucks off them. Winter digs are possible, but footings can't go on frozen ground.
Yes. Gravel driveways and pads are a regular part of our excavation work. The soft ground comes out, a stone base goes in and gets packed, and the surface is pitched so water runs off.
Elevated Outdoors works in Glens Falls, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs, Lake George, Fort Ann, Argyle and nearby towns, and crosses into Vermont for jobs in Castleton and as far north as Middlebury. If you're not sure we cover your town, call and ask.
Call Elevated Outdoors for a Quote on Excavation
If you're planning a foundation, driveway, addition or site work anywhere around Glens Falls, call us at (518) 760-1339. Tell us what you're building and where, and Doug will talk through the job with you and what it will take.
Call (518) 760-1339