Service 01
Excavation
in Mount Pleasant, SC
Grading, drainage, clearing, and driveway prep for Lowcountry yards. We move dirt so water moves away from your house instead of pooling against it.
Standing water, washed-out driveways, and low spots that never dry out are a fact of life in the Lowcountry. Our excavation work fixes the ground itself — regrading yards, cutting drainage, and clearing overgrowth so water has somewhere to go.
This is the work Firm Foundation was built on. Josiah grew up running a tractor alongside his Uncle Donnie, and that same dirt work is what we bring to every grading, drainage, and clearing job today. We locate utilities through SC811 before any digging starts.
What's included
The work
itself
Everything we handle under excavation.
- Yard Grading & LevelingRegrade low spots and slopes so water runs away from your house, not toward it
- Drainage & French DrainsFix standing water and soggy yards with drainage planned around the Lowcountry's high water table
- Brush & Lot ClearingClear overgrown brush, undergrowth, and small trees to reclaim usable yard
- Driveway & Pad PrepGrade and prep gravel driveways, shed pads, and small equipment pads
- Irrigation Trenching & RepairTrench and set new irrigation lines, and dig up and fix broken ones
- Trenching & Ditch CleanoutTrench for drain lines and clear clogged ditches and culverts so storm water can move
- Haul-Off & Debris RemovalLoad out spoils, fill dirt, and cleared debris so the site is clean when we leave
What people call about
Common
questions
Straight answers, and what Josiah would look at on the visit.
Why does water stand in my yard after it rains?
Almost always the grade rather than the soil. The ground slopes so that water collects somewhere instead of leaving, and in the Lowcountry a high water table means it has nowhere to soak away to once it gets there.
Regrading the low areas so water runs off, and cutting drainage where the grade alone can't carry it. Which of the two does the work depends on how much fall there is to play with.
Get a quote for thisHow do you fix a spot in the yard that stays soggy?
Usually a low pocket holding water long after the rest of the yard has drained, sometimes fed by a downspout or a neighbouring slope. Occasionally it is the water table sitting close to the surface, which is a different conversation.
A French drain to give the water a path out, or regrading to remove the pocket. Drainage here has to be planned around the high water table — a trench that fills from below solves nothing.
Get a quote for thisWater runs toward my house — what can be done about it?
The grade falls the wrong way near the foundation. Common on older yards where beds have been topped up with soil and mulch over the years until the ground beside the house sits higher than it did.
Re-establishing fall away from the foundation, and drainage to carry water to somewhere it can leave. This is the one worth looking at soonest — it is the problem that gets more expensive the longer it runs.
Get a quote for thisHow do you stop a gravel driveway from rutting and washing out?
Either water crossing the drive instead of running alongside it, or a base that was never built to hold up under traffic. Adding stone on top of a soft base washes out again by the next storm.
Regrading the drive with a crown so water sheds to the sides, cutting drainage along it where needed, and prepping a proper base before any new stone goes down.
Get a quote for thisCan you prep a level pad for a shed or parking?
Not a problem so much as a job: something needs to sit on ground that is level, compacted, and drains, so it doesn't settle or sit in water later.
Clearing and grading the footprint, building a compacted base, and setting the grade so water sheds off the pad rather than sitting under whatever goes on it.
Get a quote for thisCan you clear overgrown brush and small trees?
Lowcountry undergrowth reclaims unused ground quickly, and once small trees establish in it, hand clearing stops being realistic.
Clearing the brush, undergrowth and small trees, then hauling the debris off so the ground is usable and you can actually see what you have.
Get a quote for thisWhere we work
Excavation across Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Daniel Island, Charleston, West Ashley, James Island, Johns Island, and Folly Beach. Josiah is based in Mount Pleasant, and quotes are free and on-site.
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Free on-site quotes across Mount Pleasant and the greater Charleston area.