Site Prep
We take a lot from raw ground to a pad you can build on. Fill placed and compacted in lifts, rough grade set, and access roughed in for the trucks.
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Land clearing is opening ground that got away from you. J-Rod's Dirt Work handles it around Hammond and across Southeast Louisiana. Underbrush, briars, vines and small trees come out first. Then the excavator digs the stumps and root balls out of the ground. That last part matters here, because a cut stump left in the dirt sends shoots back up. What is left is open dirt you can build on, fence, mow or sell. We clear house lots, fence lines and overgrown acreage. We work residential and commercial. Estimates are free. Call or text (985) 500-4145.
Ground moves fast in this part of Louisiana. A lot you mowed two years ago is now chest high in briars and popcorn tree. Chinese privet fills the fence line and dwarf palmetto takes the low spots. Pine, sweetgum and water oak seed in behind them. Warm winters and heavy rain keep it all growing most of the year. Once it gets that thick, it takes a machine. Our Kubota SVL75-3 tracked skid steer pushes and stacks the material. The Case excavator pulls the roots. When the lot is open, our building pad work takes it to build ready. We cover a 50 mile radius of Hammond, out to Baton Rouge, Covington and New Orleans.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.
Clearing is the front end of most dirt work jobs we take on. We come out and look at the ground first. You show us the lines you want cleared and anything that stays. Trees you are keeping, the well head, the septic lid, the fence corners. Before any digging we file a free locate with Louisiana 811, which marks buried gas, power and phone lines. State law gives them two full business days. Then the skid steer starts on the outside edge and works in. Brush and small trees go into piles as we move across the lot.
Once the growth is off, the excavator goes after the roots. Stumps and root balls come out of the dirt instead of off at the top. That is the difference between clear ground and a lot that grows back. The holes get filled and the ground gets rough graded behind us. Small jobs run a day. A few acres of heavy growth takes longer, and wet ground slows everything down. We talk through what happens to the piles during the estimate, since burn rules change by parish and town.
Cut a stump off at ground level in Louisiana and it fights back. Popcorn tree, or Chinese tallow, is the worst of them. It sprouts from the cut stump and sends suckers up off the roots. One tree turns into a thicket. Chinese privet and sweetgum do the same thing on a smaller scale. Pine is the one that stays dead, but the root ball still sits there in the way. Anything you plan to build on or fence needs those roots gone. A slab poured over a rotting root ball settles later.
Pulling roots leaves holes, and holes have to be dealt with. The excavator backfills as it goes and the skid steer smooths the surface behind it. On a lot full of big root balls you may come up short on dirt. That is when we bring in fill dirt to make up the difference. We keep the ground shaped so water runs off it. Some jobs need more than a rough grade, and heavier digging falls under our excavation work. Tell us what the ground is for and we finish it to match.
The water table sits high across Tangipahoa Parish and the parishes around it. Flat ground, heavy rain and soil that holds water mean a lot stays soft for days after a storm. Tracks spread the machine's weight better than tires, so we can work ground that would bog a wheeled machine. We still pick our days. Clearing a soaked lot leaves ruts that someone has to fix later. After a wet stretch we would rather wait two days and leave the dirt in better shape. Access matters too, since the machines come in on a trailer.
Some low ground here is mapped wetland. Running a machine through it can need a permit from the Corps of Engineers. Sorting that out falls to the property owner. If your lot looks like it could be in that category, check before you set a date. There are jobs we hand off as well. A big tree leaning over the house belongs to a tree service. If there is an old house, barn or slab on the lot, that is demolition. We handle that part separately.
Free, no-obligation estimates across a 50-mile radius of Hammond.
(985) 500-4145From the first call or text to the finished ground, here is how it goes.
Reach us at (985) 500-4145. Tell us the address and what the ground needs. A photo or two helps us size the job.
We drive out and look the property over. We check how the machines get in and where the water goes, then size up what has to move.
You get a price for the work, with the scope spelled out. Take your time with it. The estimate is free either way.
Once you say go, we set a day that fits your build schedule and the weather. Wet ground can push a job, and we tell you when it does.
The crew runs the skid steer or the excavator and works the job through. Debris and extra dirt get hauled off as we go.
We smooth the ground to final grade and clean up behind us. Then we go over the finished job with you before the machines leave.
Common questions about land clearing across a 50-mile radius of Hammond. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
We take a lot from raw ground to a pad you can build on. Fill placed and compacted in lifts, rough grade set, and access roughed in for the trucks.
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Excavation covers cuts and fills, soft or bad material dug out, and ditches and drainage swales. A Case excavator and a Kubota SVL75-3 skid steer do the work within 50 miles of Hammond.
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We take down houses, mobile homes, sheds, barns and small commercial buildings. The debris gets loaded out and hauled off, so the lot is clear when we leave.
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We sell fill dirt and haul it to your property. Loads get dumped where you want them, spread out, and packed down so the ground holds.
Learn MoreNobody prices your job from behind a desk. We walk the ground, check the access and where the water goes, and price the work from what we see.
Send us the address and tell us what needs doing. We come look at the ground, then give you a price for the job. The estimate costs nothing.
We run out to Baton Rouge, Covington, New Orleans, and up into southern Mississippi. If your property sits inside 50 miles of Hammond, we can get a machine there.
We work house lots and job sites for builders and businesses. A backyard that holds water and a commercial pad both get the same machine time and the same attention.
Call or text (985) 500-4145, or send the form and we will get back to you. Tell us the address and what the ground needs, and we will set up a free estimate.
Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.