Excavating in Jasper, AL
Hillside benches, footings, trenches, culverts and stump pulling in and around Jasper. Walker County is next door to us in Berry, and the work is done with our own excavator and dozer. Call or text (205) 535-6376.
Excavating on Walker County hills and old mine ground
Dig a hole near Jasper and you may hit shale, a sandstone ledge or dirt that somebody else already moved. Walker County lies over the Warrior Coal Field, and a newspaper count from 1891 already listed six coal mines and two sandstone quarries around town. Some of that ground has been mined and reclaimed since. So the first job on any dig here is finding out what is under the surface.
We take excavating jobs across Jasper and Walker County, which is next door to us: a level bench cut into a hillside for a shop or a shipping container, footings dug to plan, trenches for water and power, culverts under drives, and stumps pulled out whole. The excavator does the digging and the Cat dozer shapes the ground after. For the full list, see our excavating contractor page.
Free estimates, priced off the property once we have seen it. Hillside work costs more than flat work, and you hear that before the job starts. A minimum applies on small jobs, and we give you that number up front. If the site is still in timber or brush, our Jasper land clearing page covers that side. If your job is not listed here, call or text and tell us about it.
Excavating jobs we take around Jasper
- Level benches cut into hillsides
- Footings dug to plan
- Water and power trenches
- Driveway culverts set and covered
- Stumps and root balls pulled
- Drainage ditches and swales
What is under the surface around Jasper
Shale, sandstone and shallow rock
The Encyclopedia of Alabama describes Walker County as narrow valleys and broad plateaus on the Cumberland Plateau. USDA's Sipsey soil, first described in Walker County, sits on narrow ridgetops and side slopes with soft sandstone bedrock only 20 to 40 inches down. That is shallower than many footings and water lines want to be. Rock that an excavator can rip is one thing. A solid ledge is another. We find out what is there as we dig and tell you, and if it changes the price you hear that before we go on.
Reclaimed mine ground
Walker County has a long history of coal mining, and some land around Jasper is reclaimed mine ground. USDA describes the soil that forms in coal mine spoil in north Alabama as 40 to 90 percent rock fragments, mostly shale with broken sandstone and coal, in pieces from gravel size up to boulders. It drains fast and it can change within a few feet. A bench cut into spoil needs its fill side built in thin lifts and packed, and the water steered off it. See land grading for how we shape a site.
City permits, county offices and the highways
Inside the city, the Jasper Building Inspections Department issues building permits and inspects the work, and the city's planning office handles zoning. Outside the cities, the Walker County engineering office, the health department and the state each have rules of their own, so ask each one before you build. A drive or culvert on Highway 69, 5, 118 or 269 needs an ALDOT permit, and county roads go through the county engineer. Get an Alabama 811 locate on the ground before the first bucket, and show us any private lines.
Real Job Photos
Phone pictures from real jobs, captioned with what they show. See more recent work or read about our full excavating service.
Can you dig on reclaimed strip mine land near Jasper, AL?
Yes. Reclaimed ground is dirt that has been moved once already, so it can be loose spoil, broken rock or old fill, and it can change within a few feet. We find out what is there as we dig and tell you what we find. Fill is placed in lifts and packed so a shop or container has something firm under it.
What happens if you hit rock digging a footing in Walker County?
It depends on the rock. Weathered shale and thin sandstone often come out with the excavator. A solid ledge is slower and can change the plan for the footing. Either way you are told what we found before the work goes on, and if it moves the price you hear the new figure first.
Can you cut a level spot on a hillside in Jasper for a shop or container?
Yes. The uphill side is cut down to firm ground, and the downhill side is built up in lifts and packed. Then the bench is graded so water runs away from the building and the drive comes in at a slope you can use. Our shop and barn pads page explains the steps.
Who issues permits for building and driveways in Jasper, Alabama?
Inside the city limits, the Jasper Building Inspections Department issues building permits. A drive onto a state highway needs a permit from ALDOT, and a drive onto a county road goes through the Walker County engineer. Rules change with the job and the address, so call the office and confirm before work starts.
Jasper and Around
We cover Jasper and the country around it, including:
Forestry Mulching in Jasper
Brush, briars and small timber ground to mulch where they stand. No piles, no hauling.
See the Jasper pageHouse Demolition in Jasper
Old houses and outbuildings torn down, hauled off, slab out, lot filled and graded.
See the Jasper pageTree Removal in Jasper
Dead, leaning and storm-damaged trees taken down by machine, stumps pulled, ground left level.
See the Jasper pageGravel Driveways in Jasper
Gravel drives and access roads cut in, based, crowned and ditched so they last.
See the Jasper pageHouse Pads in Jasper
Pads cut, filled in lifts and compacted to grade for houses, shops and mobile homes.
See the Jasper pageAll Services in Jasper
Everything we do in Jasper and Walker County.
Jasper overviewWalker County
Land clearing, mulching and dirt work across Walker County.
County overviewExcavating
Footings, trenches, culverts, stumps and the digging jobs that have no name.
The full serviceExcavating in other places
Need Excavating in Jasper?
Call or text, or send a few details. Estimates are free.