Brush & Debris Removal
Brush piles, limbs, overgrowth, and old wood piles cleared and hauled away.
Land Clearing & Grading · Maryville, Tennessee
Land Clearing & Grading in Maryville, Tennessee
Trees, brush, and stumps cleared for a new house, driveway, barn, or pasture, overgrown ground reclaimed, and the cleared ground graded. Selective clearing when you want to keep the good trees.
- Free estimates
- Send photos for a quote
- Price in writing before work starts
Get a free estimate
The basics and a few photos are plenty. We'll get back to you with a price.
About land clearing and grading
Building on a wooded lot in East Tennessee usually starts with clearing: the house pad, the driveway, room for the septic field, and a yard. Some folks want a clean slate. Most want to keep the best trees and clear around them.
We clear lots for homes and outbuildings, open up overgrown acreage and fence rows, and clear paths for driveways and utilities. We'll work from your builder's plan, or walk the property with you and mark what stays and what goes.
Our side of the job is the trees, brush, and stumps, hauling off the debris, and grading the cleared ground. On a new build, we work to your builder's site plan and around their schedule.
When to call
Clearing projects we take on
- New home sites
- House pad, driveway, septic area, and yard cleared to the builder's plan.
- Selective clearing
- The healthy, well-placed trees kept; the rest taken out. Good trees add value to a lot. Badly placed ones cause trouble later.
- Driveways and access roads
- A path cleared wide enough for construction traffic and the finished drive.
- Reclaiming overgrown land
- Pastures, fields, lots, and driveway edges taken over by saplings, cedars, and brush, turned back into usable ground.
- Fence rows
- Trees and brush cleared along property lines so a fence can go up or get fixed.
- Driveway edges
- Brush and saplings that have crept over a driveway's shoulders cut back, stumps taken out, and the edge graded so it can be mowed.
- Grading
- Cleared ground smoothed and graded so it drains and can be mowed, fenced, or built on.
- View clearing
- Hillside and mountain-view lots opened up selectively, leaving enough cover to hold the slope.
The process
How land clearing usually goes
Step 1: Walk the property
With you or your builder, flagging what stays and what goes.
Step 2: Protect what stays
Trees you're keeping get a buffer so equipment doesn't damage trunks and roots.
Step 3: Cut and clear
Trees felled or taken down in sections, with brush hauled off or piled as agreed.
Step 4: Deal with stumps
Ground, or dug out with an excavator where the ground will be built on or regraded.
Step 5: Grade the ground
The cleared area smoothed and graded, as far as the plan calls for.
Step 6: Haul or leave the wood
Logs and brush hauled off, or usable wood stacked at the edge of the woods if you asked for that.
Pricing
What affects the cost of land clearing
Clearing is priced by the job, not by the acre. Two one-acre lots can be completely different jobs.
- Tree size and density
- A few big trees versus a thicket of saplings.
- Terrain
- Steep slopes, rock, and wet ground slow equipment down and limit what can be used.
- Selective or full clearing
- Working around trees you're keeping takes more care.
- Stumps
- How many need grinding or removal, and where.
- Grading
- Rough smoothing costs less than finish grading to a builder's plan.
- Debris removal
- Hauling everything away, or leaving usable wood stacked at the woods line.
- Access
- Whether equipment can drive in from a road or needs a path cut first.
What to photograph
Land clearing is almost always quoted after walking the property. Photos and a rough site plan help us get ready.
- Wide shots from a few corners of the area
- The edges: where clearing should stop, and any trees to keep
- The biggest trees and stumps
- The way in, including slopes and soft or wet ground
The work
The right equipment for the land
Land clearing is where equipment earns its keep. Depending on the job, that can mean a machine to move logs and brush, a stump grinder, or an excavator to dig out stumps and grade. Anything more specialized is identified in the estimate.
On the steep or soft ground that's common in the foothills, tracked machines spread their weight and tear up less than wheeled equipment.
After the work
What you're left with
When the work is done, the ground should be ready for what comes next, whether that's a lawn, a fence, or a build:
- Trees and brush out of the cleared area
- Stumps ground or removed as agreed
- Cleared ground graded, if that's part of the job
- Brush and logs hauled off, or usable wood left as agreed
- The trees you're keeping still standing, with their roots protected
Where we work
Land clearing & grading around Maryville and East Tennessee
Home base is Maryville. We also work in Alcoa, Knoxville, Farragut, Louisville, Friendsville, Seymour, Lenoir City, Townsend, and Walland, plus the areas in between.
Questions
Questions about land clearing & grading
Do I need a permit to clear my lot?
It depends on where the property is and how much ground gets disturbed. Cities, subdivisions, and land near streams often have rules, and state stormwater requirements generally kick in once a project disturbs an acre or more. Check with your builder or the city or county planning office before clearing starts.
Can you clear just part of my land?
Yes. Selective clearing is common. The trees you want to keep get flagged, and the clearing happens around them.
What happens to the trees that get cut?
Brush and logs can be hauled off, or usable wood left on site if you tell us before the job. Timber worth selling is rare on small lots, but if you've got big, straight hardwoods, it's worth asking a forester before anything gets cut.
Do you grade the lot after clearing?
Yes, grading the cleared ground is part of what we do, from smoothing a reclaimed driveway edge to leveling a cleared area. On a new build, we grade to your builder's plan; foundation digging and utility trenching are for your site contractor.
How long does land clearing take?
A small residential lot may take a day or two. Bigger or steeper property takes longer. You'll get a time estimate with the price.
Related work
Often part of the same job
Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade so the spot can be mowed, planted, or sodded. One stump or a whole yard full.
Tree Removal
Dead, leaning, and hazardous trees taken down and cleaned up after, with the wood handled the way you want.
Clearing land for a build or a pasture?
Call, or send a few photos. Estimates are free.