EXCAVATION AND SITE WORK
Nobody sees excavation when it is done right. Everybody sees it when it is not. Water in the wrong place. A slope that will not hold. Ground that is not ready to build on. Grading, drainage, land clearing, and site prep across Sparta, Morris County, and surrounding areas, by the same crew that builds our retaining walls.
Drainage & Regrading
Water ends up somewhere. When that somewhere is your basement, your lawn, or the low corner of your patio, the fix is almost never a pump. It is grade.
• Regrading and Swales
• French Drains and Dry Wells
• Downspout and Surface Water
• French Drains and Dry Wells
• Downspout and Surface Water
Land Clearing & Site Prep
Ground that has to be ready before anything gets built on it. Clearing, stripping, stump removal, and rough grade for an addition, a garage, a pool, or a new outdoor space.
• Land Clearing
• Stump and Debris Removal
• Rough and Finish Grade
• Stump and Debris Removal
• Rough and Finish Grade
Excavation & Trenching
Foundation and pool digs, utility and water line trenching, and demolition with haul away. Working to engineered plans, on machines small enough to reach the back of the property.
• Foundation and Pool Excavation
• Utility and Water Line Trenching
• Demolition and Haul Away
• Utility and Water Line Trenching
• Demolition and Haul Away
WHY TLS STANDS OUT
What You Are Actually Paying For
Since 2009
Fifty years of combined experience on the crew, and a company that has been working this terrain long enough to know what is under it.
Machines That Fit Your Yard
A Cat 299D3, a Cat 305, a Bobcat E20, and a Dingo TX1000. The small end of that fleet gets into places most excavation contractors will tell you are unreachable, and if a gate is in the way we take it off and put it back.
Shelvie Is On Your Job
The owner walks your site, prices the work, and is there at final grade. If something is not right at the end, you are talking to the person who can fix it.
EXCAVATION FAQS
Do I need a permit for excavation in New Jersey?
It depends on scope and town. Grading and drainage work often requires a soil disturbance or grading permit, and anything near wetlands or a stream needs additional review. We tell you what your town requires before we start.
How much does excavation cost?
It varies more than any other work we do. Access, soil, rock, how much material comes out, and whether it stays or leaves all move the number, and two jobs that look identical from the street can price very differently. We come out, look at the ground, and give you a real number. The estimate is free.
Do you call for utility markouts?
Always. New Jersey law requires a call to 811 before any digging, and we place that call on every job. It is free and it takes about three business days, which is built into our schedule.
What kind of work do you take on?
Trenching, land clearing, grading, foundation excavation, and pool excavation. Utility and water lines, drainage, clearing overgrown or wooded ground, cutting and filling to correct grade, and digging to spec for whatever is going in next.
How long does a grading job take?
It depends on the job. Access, weather, and what is under the surface all affect the schedule, and utility markouts add about three business days before anything starts. We give you a timeline with the estimate.
What will my property look like when you are done?
Rough grade, then finish grade, then seed or the surface you chose. Machines leave tracks, and on a wet job the lawn takes a season to fully recover. We tell you that at the estimate rather than after.
Do you design the plans?
No. We execute them. With engineered plans in hand we can dig most anything, and we work alongside the licensed engineers who draw them. Same arrangement we use on septic systems. Knowing where our work starts is part of why it comes out right.
Can you get equipment into my backyard?
Usually, yes. Our fleet runs from a Cat 299D3 down to a Dingo TX1000, and the small machines fit through openings that stop most excavation contractors. If a gate or a fence section is in the way, we remove it and reinstall it when the work is done.
Do you haul the material away?
Yes. Hauling and disposal are priced separately, since the cost depends on how much material comes out and where it has to go, and we give you that number in the estimate rather than at the end. We do not bring fill in.
THE TLS PROCESS
Site work starts with a site visit. From markouts and permits through final grade, we handle the parts most homeowners did not know the job included.
Get in Touch
Call or fill out the form. We will discuss your property and what the water or the ground is doing.
Site Evaluation & Markouts
We walk the property, read the grade, identify where the water is going, and call in utility markouts. If permits are required, we tell you which and handle them.
Excavation & Grading
The machines go in. Clearing, cutting, filling, trenching, or drainage, done to the plan we agreed on.
Final Grade & Cleanup
We bring the site to finish grade, restore what we disturbed, and walk it with you before we leave.
CONTACT TLS
Start With a Site Visit
Excavation, grading, and drainage for Sparta, Morris County, and surrounding areas. Tell us what the ground is doing and we will come look at it. Drainage and grading are best done before the ground freezes. Once it does, most of this waits until spring.
Prefer to talk? Call or text 973 261 9579