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Western Pennsylvania Residential Excavation and Land Management: Your Complete Guide

“The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes.”

At Stengel Excavating, after dealing with hundreds and hundreds of customers in the area, the single thing that stays the same is that every project is different. The needs and goals are ever-changing.

New Wilmington farmland needing some finishing before the new pasture?

Neshannock grading and leveling for a problematic yard?

Living in Greenville and need better drainage for your property?

Your Grove City cottage needs 3 acres of brush clearing ASAP?

All of these are different needs in the excavating world. However, they all have a few things in common. Specifically, land management.

In this article we are going to talk about residential excavation and land management. We will discuss what tools, services and solutions we at Stengel Excavating use to meet our customers’ needs.

And, you might get some insight into solutions for your next project!

Laying the Groundwork for Your Property Dreams

When I talk to people and I get to explain my business, I’m often met with a repeating question…

“So you dig a lot?”

Well, maybe just a similar question to this.

The truth is that, yes, we do dig. We actually dig a lot. But we aren’t trusted by the area homeowners, Amish community, local property owners and other land owners for our digging along.

Stengel Excavating, after all, meets the needs of local Butler County, Mercer County and Lawrence County residents by:

Handling the rolling nature of our Western Pennsylvania lands
Dealing with clay soil and silt properly
Helping to solve the aspect of harsh weather on our properties
Doing all this while fully insured, licensed and legal

This is why as a local excavating company, we are also one that is trusted. We know the varying needs of different properties and can handle what Pennsylvania weather and soil throws at us.

One thing to remember…

Not every excavating company in Western Pennsylvania can take an all-in-one approach to solving your problems. Many excavation companies can talk about how they help, but unless the person you choose has been around for years, they just won’t know.

Essential Services for New Homeowners and Land Developers

When you are developing land, whether the land is new to you and is now home, or you’re developing land at scale as a business, understanding the choices you have is important.

Considering changing seasons and weather matters.

Considering the grade and level of the land you are building on matters.

Considering the location and clearing for roadways and walkways matters.

What are the major considerations that you need to make? How does choosing a professional, local excavating company help?

Residential Land Preparation: Building from the Ground Up

Showing up to a project and erecting a building is how a simple world would operate, right?

But, no project will ever be that simple or easy. There are steps that go into creating a dream home on dream land.

And, there are specialized services that an excavating company can choose to use to make the project a success.

Foundation Excavation

Primarily, this means we are digging and shaping basements and crawl spaces according to engineering specifications. We literally are building the foundation of your project.

Site Grading

An excavator will not just be focused on digging and setting foundation. The entire property will be considered – and rightfully so. We establish proper slope and elevation for structures, driveways, and surrounding landscape. This helps to prevent drainage issues, erosion damage and other costly future repairs and fixes.

Utility Trenching

To safely supply a property with utilities, digging trenches for water, sewer, gas, and electrical lines is necessary. Not every project may need certain utilities dug, but choosing the right company that can do it safely is important.

Water Management: Protecting Your Investment

Water management is, in my opinion, at the top of considerations for excavating needs in the area. Our Winters are cold and snow-filled, and our Summers might be hot. But those intervals of Spring and Fall are filled with very wet weather – and it can sometimes feel constant.

With the proper water management in Western Pennsylvania, you might literally be sunk!

Water Control Solutions

When we are talking about water control solutions, overall, we are talking about designing and implementing strategies to manage surface and subsurface water flow. This can mean everything from downspout location discussion to digging culverts.

Drainage Management

Drainage means installation of culverts, catch basins, and downspout extensions to divert water away from structures and prevent erosion. And, at Stengel Excavating, we are always ready to install French Drains for maximum water movement and control.

Erosion Control

Erosion is a major after-effect of weather and ongoing rains in the area. By utilizing silt fences, straw wattles, and temporary seeding during and after excavation we help our clients make erosion a second thought.

Residential Land Clearing and Transformation

For our local customers that choose land clearing, they are really choosing land transformation. We work our best to match the finished land that our customers have in their head. This means two specific services that help to take away the unwanted to reclaim more land, upgrade the aesthetic of the land or simply to provide a clearer base for future projects.

Brush Clearing and Removal

Brush clearing and removal might not be the sexiest work to be done on a property, but it is very beneficial. We efficiently clear overgrown areas, woods, and fields of your most entangled growth.

Tree and Stump Removal with Grubbing

Trees can be a beautiful addition to your landscape. But when you are building, expanding or just laying the groundwork for next year’s project, trees and stumps get in the way.

Stengel Excavating offers a complete removal option for trees, stumps and roots to prepare for construction or landscaping.

Small Demolition Services

“The only thing more fun than building something new is ripping something down.”

Digging, clearing land and grading are great for resetting land back to square one. Occasionally, you will have other structures that need more care to remove.

Targeted Demolition

Choose an excavating company that provides safe and controlled removal of smaller structures

Stengel Excavating offers:

Small home demolition
Shed removal
Barn tear downs
Camper and trailer demo

Debris Hauling

A demolition project has two parts: 1) the demo itself and 2) cleaning the property of those materials and debris that the soil can’t reclaim. Comprehensive removal and disposal of all demolition waste is essential in completing a project.

The Stengel Excavating Advantage

The Stengel Excavating Advantage is simple – and something your neighbors in Mercer, Butler and Lawrence County have already discovered…

Stengel Excavating combines experience, approach and affordability into a local solution that meets your needs while understanding the local landscape.

How do we do this? What else can you benefit from by choosing Stengel Excavating?

Local Expertise

We understand the local zoning, permitting, and challenging regional geology (e.g., shale, clay). We are also familiar with and friends of local Amish communities and other groups.

Equipment and Safety

Safety is a priority at Stengel Excavating. Not only are our machines expensive, but your property is priceless. We use specialized, modern equipment scaled for residential properties.

Commitment to Communication

If you don’t know what we are going to do, what we are doing and when we’re done, how can we ever call a job complete? The process from initial consultation to project completion is filled with clear communication and open feedback.

Ready to Start Your Project?

At Stengel Excavating, we offer complete residential land preparation to specialized soil preparation for pastures, water management solutions and residential land clearing.

Use the form below for a free property assessment, or call us today at (412)973-9327 to schedule an appointment.

Essential Excavating Services for Western PA Homeowners

“Kevin, how do I know if I need that?”

This, above… I’ve heard it a lot when working in Lawrence County, Mercer County and Butler County as an excavator!

There are all of the excavating services you theoretically could use, and then there is the truth – there are only so many essential excavating services that your property needs.

Today, we are going to look at some specifics that make excavation challenging and successful. We will look at everything from preparation, to residential land clearing, to soil prep, to drainage concerns.

Finally, we are going to talk about choosing local, and why a local excavating company in Western Pennsylvania makes more sense than some bigger outfit from Pittsburgh, Youngstown or Erie.

The Western PA Landscape Challenge

So, here is a situation: a big excavating outfit shows up to the local Western Pennsylvania area (Lawrence, Butler, Mercer Counties, etc). The crew is from out of state and has never worked in Pennsylvania before.

What happens?

Usually they run into soil types they are not used to, drainage and erosion issues that they can’t fix with the machinery they brought. In the end, they tell you after working on your project that they want to bring in larger equipment “because you need it”.

Or, you could go local, with someone that understands the land types and needs in Western Pennsylvania, because they’ve been working in them for decades!

What are some common issues?

The biggest problems I see in working with homeowners in Western Pennsylvania is poor drainage, erosion, and uneven grading.

The other big problem is that the weather around here is just crazy. In 12 months we go from ten degrees below zero to 110 temperatures back down to negative temps in the Winter.

This all means that we are constantly dealing with thaws, freezing, heavy rains and agricultural stresses. Year after year, and these events make our lands have hidden issues that only seasoned pros will know how to deal with.

Introducing Stengel Excavating

When you are ready to create the perfect landscape, develop a hardscape with the right retaining wall and driveway, or need residential land clearing that makes sense, Stengel Excavating is the one to call.

Why?

First, we have a local focus (Western Pennsylvania: Lawrence, Mercer, Butler Counties, etc.). We don’t employ state-wide and national crews. We are also not affiliated with national companies as a local branch. I’ve lived here my whole life, got taught on machines on this land and I could probably tell you what city I’m near by the dirt!

Next, our main commitment. That commitment is to solving homeowner land problems safely and efficiently. We don’t cut corners, we only value speed when it is fast AND right, and we never promise what we cannot deliver.

Now, let’s get into the meat of an excavating company – let’s detail essential services for property improvement. Our focus is on residential land management and preparation using excavating services for Western Pennsylvania.

Solving Pennsylvania Residential Land Preparation Needs

“I just want a blank slate…”

Congratulations! You’ve just encapsulated what residential land preparation can be defined as!

What do we offer to solve your biggest excavating and land issues?

Land Preparation, Clearing, and Grubbing

These are primarily the “reset” buttons for your land.

For those looking for preparation for new construction, fresh landscaping, hardscaping foundations and new additions, residential land clearing is the best service for you.

Residential land clearing involves creating a blank slate for residential property. Stengel Excavating can clear debris, remove stumps, grubbing, brush removal and leveling and grading service.

While we use professional tools and machinery to get the job done, we also don’t use commercial machinery – what we call “the big boys”. No land destruction, no worries about escalating and hidden costs. We use the right tool for the right job.

That is an important point about hiring the right local excavating company: receive professional land preparation services for stability and future project success.

Water Control and Drainage Solutions

Some would call water control and drainage the Pennsylvania essentials for residential excavating. These are the main problems we run into as an excavating company, and as a local homeowner as well!

Really, the biggest benefit of turning to a professional water control solution is protecting your basement and foundations, as well as landscaping and hardscaping, from water damage. And, in Western Pennsylvania, there is a LOT of water damage!

Proper Grading Services

The single goal for grading is simple: to redirect surface water away from structures. But, we take that a step further. We grade to prevent road and walkway erosion. We also take into account your landscaping and hardscaping needs on your property.

French Drain Installation

Installation of subsurface water management is key in any drainage solution. We offer many choices for your French Drain needs.

Piping and Trenches (digging)

We can install culverts, dig trenching for piping and drainage material and other drainage systems.

Brush Clearing and Site Cleanup

Residential land preparation in Western Pennsylvania is fairly similar. While many projects have specific needs and unique challenges to complete, for the majority, there are the following elements:

Overgrown brush and trees
Leveling land to the point of able to built upon
Natural foliage and soil being cleared for future uses

We also use a mixture of mechanical clearing with heavy machinery and vehicles, while also using a chainsaw and a rake.

When choosing brush clearing and site cleanup services, you need to ask yourself ‘what is the main benefit of choosing this and not doing it myself?’

The largest benefits exclusive to brush clearing and various site cleanup in the area is for mainly increasing usable yard space and improving property aesthetics. When you need your yard to be cleaned up, brush clearing is not something we would suggest. When you need your property cleared, cleaned and have debris removed, choosing this service from Stengel Excavating makes sense.

Specialized Site Work and Property Improvement

While specialized residential excavating services can start with land preparation, brush clearing and water control, there are more services that can be added to meet your needs. Every property’s project will need specific actions to complete, and with specialized services.

At Stengel Excavating, we don’t only perform the main services mentioned above, but we also offer extended services.

Small Site Demolition and Debris Removal

For homeowners and property owners in Lawrence County, Mercer County and Butler County, we offer small / residential demolition. This can include, but is not limited to the following:

Small home tear downs
Barn demos
Shed tear downs
Garage demos and removal
Mobile home demolition

Included in this service is not only tear down in the demolition, but also new lot preparation available.

Soil Conditioning and Preparation

On the finish side of building a house or clearing land for pasture or even just more yard amount, you have additional tasks. These additional actions likely include finish grade, probably spread topsoil, and in most cases, we use a Harley Rake or “soil conditioner” – these can seed and add straw to the yard and finish the yard fully.

Conclusion & What’s Next

From initial grading and land clearing to final cleanup, excavating services can help your project for your property. At Stengel Excavating, we’ve helped many landowners and homeowners meet their project goals.

When you are ready to have your project’s excavating problems solved, and your land prepared the right way, contact Stengel Excavating today at (412)973-9327.

Quality information from your most trusted local excavating company in Western Pennsylvania