Frequently asked questions

We charge by the machine hour. The Caterpillar 265 skid steer starts at $125 an hour, the Caterpillar 305 mini excavator starts at $135 an hour, and the Vermeer mini skid steer with augers and a trencher is $85 an hour. Those are starting points. After we walk the site, you get a final number for the job, in writing.

Two jobs that sound the same on the phone can be very different on the ground. Slope, rock, wet spots, access for the trailer and where the water needs to go all change the work. We walk the property with you so the number fits the real job, not a guess from a photo.

Ask when you call; it depends on the job and how far the site is. A small job close to town and a small job at the far end of our area are not the same trip. We will tell you plainly before we schedule anything.

The written number is based on what we saw and agreed to at the site visit. If you add work, or we hit something nobody could see from the surface, like buried debris or rock, we stop and talk with you before going further. You hear about it from us before it goes on the bill.

Yes. Tennessee law requires a call to Tennessee 811 at least three working days before digging. You can call 811 or file online at tn811.com. It is free. Utility companies then mark their buried lines with paint or flags so nobody hits a gas, power or water line.

No. 811 marks public utility lines up to the meter. It does not mark private lines, such as a line to a shed or barn, a well line, a septic line, a sprinkler system or underground dog fence wire. Show us where those run, or where you think they run, before we start.

It depends on the job and where you live. Grading, demolition, new building and work near streams can need a permit. Rules differ between cities and counties, so check with your county or city codes office before the job starts. If you have an HOA, check with them too.

Property lines or a survey if you have one, so we work on your side of the line. For footers, have the house or addition plans, or your builder's layout. For drainage, think about where water collects now and where you want it to go. Point out anything buried that 811 will not mark.

We run our own equipment: a Caterpillar 265 skid steer, a Caterpillar 305 mini excavator, and a Vermeer mini skid steer with 10 inch and 24 inch augers and a trencher. The smaller machines fit through gates and into backyards where a big machine cannot go without tearing up the yard.

Our own crew, on our own equipment. We do not hand your job off to another company. The same outfit that walks the property and writes your number is the one that shows up to do the work, so what we talked about at the site visit is what gets done.

Red clay does not work well soaked. Running machines on wet clay leaves ruts, packs the ground and makes a mess that takes longer to fix than to wait out. After heavy rain we may move your job a day or more until the ground firms up. We will let you know as soon as we know.

Footers, grade work, site prep, bush hogging, demolition and clean-up, trenching, driveway repair and maintenance, Harley rake soil prep, rough and final grade, drainage and land clean-up. If your job is something else, ask when you call and we will tell you straight if it is work we do.

We work in Knox, Blount, Loudon, Sevier, Anderson and Roane counties. That includes Knoxville, Maryville, Farragut, Oak Ridge, Lenoir City, Sevierville, Clinton, Powell and the rural land around them. If you are close to the edge of that area, call and ask.

Call (865) 346-6688 or send the form on this site. Tell us where the property is and what you want done. We set a time to come walk it with you, then give you a straight number for the job in writing.

It changes with the season and the weather. Ask when you call and we will give you an honest answer for your job. If you are working around a builder's schedule, tell us the dates you need so we can plan for them.