Lot Clearing
You cannot cut a pad through standing timber. The footprint, driveway and septic field need trees, stumps and roots out first, usually in the days right before grading. See residential lot clearing services.
View Lot Clearing
Excavation Company in Knoxville, TN
Bought a lot and need a house pad cut before the concrete crew shows up? Need footers, a water line or a driveway dug by a crew that will still answer the phone next year?
Google ReviewsSuperior Land Management handles excavation for landowners, lot buyers and builders across Knoxville and East Tennessee, working out of north Knox County near Halls and Gibbs. As the excavating contractors on your job, we cut house pads, dig footers and basements, trench for water and electric, build gravel driveways and fix drainage that runs the wrong way. Owner Chandler Humphrey runs the excavator himself, and because our Knoxville land clearing and excavation company also clears land, one small crew can take a wooded lot all the way to footers ready for concrete. You get an itemized quote before any dirt moves, from a crew that would rather spend an extra day getting grade right than come back later. Call or text Chandler at (865) 412-7121 to walk your property.
Signs Your Property Needs Excavation Before the Next Step
Land excavation is the step everything else sits on. A pad that was never compacted, a footer dug into loose fill, or a yard that drains toward the house shows up later as cracked slabs, a wet crawl space or a rutted driveway. In East Tennessee red clay, every hard rain makes a bad grade worse.
- You just closed on a lot and the builder needs a level, compacted pad and footers.
- Water stands against your foundation or runs into the garage after storms.
- Your driveway ruts or washes out because it has no crown, ditch or culvert.
- You need a water, electric or sewer line run to a house, barn or shop.
- A hillside has to be cut back for a building, retaining wall or level yard.
- Your septic permit is approved and the site needs clearing and grading.
- A water line broke underground and needs to be dug up now.
What Our Excavation Service Includes
Residential excavation means moving soil and rock to set the ground at the right grade, depth and density for what gets built on it, and our excavation services cover four main jobs.
- 01
Site Excavation, Cut and Fill, and Grading
First we strip the topsoil and stockpile it, because organic soil under a slab or driveway rots and settles. Then we cut the high ground into the low spots, compacting fill in lifts so it holds. Finish grade slopes away from the pad on every side so rain heads to a swale or ditch, not your foundation. For big cuts we have rented a Cat D6 dozer and a Cat 323 excavator to move the volume.
- 02
House Pads and Footers
The pad is set slightly above the surrounding ground so water runs off. Chandler works with an engineer who marks the footers, and we dig footings to undisturbed soil below frost depth per local code. Basement digs include over-dig so the waterproofing crew has room. Our foundation and basement excavation page covers depth, rock and backfill.
- 03
Trenching, Driveways and Drainage
We trench for water lines, electric conduit and sewer lines, plus French drains and downspout lines. Every dig starts with a TN811 locate, and trenches 5 feet and deeper get sloping, shoring or a trench box under OSHA rules. Driveways get organics stripped, a shaped subgrade, fabric where clay is soft, crusher run base, a crown and ditches. See our trenching services and driveway excavation pages.
- 04
Septic Prep, Retaining Wall Digs and Turnkey Lots
We clear and grade septic areas and coordinate the install. We have built 13 retaining walls on a commercial project out toward Hardin Valley and 11 walls over three months in Kingsport. You do not need to be home while we work; just have gates, pets and livestock sorted the morning we start.
The Dirt Problems We See Most in Knoxville and East Tennessee
Red clay that turns to grease
Wet clay pumps under a machine and will not compact. We time grading around wet spells and bring in stone where subgrade stays soft, instead of covering mud with gravel.
Limestone ledges and sinkholes
Knox County has 1,663 sinkholes mapped on topographic maps, according to Tennessee Landforms sinkhole data, and ridge lots often hide rock ledges. When we hit rock or a soft spot, we stop and walk you through options, like a rented hydraulic hammer or shifting the footprint, before spending your money.
Steep wooded hillsides
Many Knoxville lots start as a slope full of trees. Our lot clearing pulls stumps and roots from the pad, driveway and septic areas, because buried wood rots and settles.
Grading permits people do not expect
Knox County Stormwater requires a land disturbance permit over one acre, and on smaller sites with 5 feet or more of cut or fill or more than 10,000 square feet of planned impervious area. Other small jobs need a Small Lot erosion control plan. We tell you which applies before we bid.
Before and After: Excavation Projects
Talk to the owner, not a call center
Estimates are free, and you'll be talking with the owner from the first call.
Why Knoxville Landowners Choose Superior Land Management as Their Excavating Contractor
Plenty of earth moving companies can rent a machine. Here is how we run a job differently.
The Owner Runs the Machine
Chandler Humphrey founded Superior Land Management in 2021 and still runs the excavator, with a crew of three alongside him. The person who quoted your job is the one setting your grade.
You See Every Line of the Quote
Every quote is itemized, line by line: clearing, cut and fill, pad, footers, trenching, stone and hauling. You can compare it honestly against any other bid.
Clearing to Footers, One Crew
We clear land and do the dirt work, so one crew takes a raw lot from trees to a pad ready for footers, septic and concrete. Nobody gets to blame the last contractor for a soft pad.
We Come Back If Anything's Wrong
If something we built is not right, we come back and fix it. In five years, no customer has called us back about a problem. Tennessee requires a contractor license for projects of $25,000 or more; check any contractor on the state license lookup.
How Our Excavation Works
Walk the Property With Chandler
Chandler meets you on site and walks where the house, driveway, utilities and septic will go, checking slope, drainage, soil and exposed rock. Bring your survey, plans or septic permit if you have them. You get an itemized written quote. Settling the layout on the ground now prevents change orders later.
Call TN811 and Line Up Permits
We place a TN811 locate request, which needs at least three working days' notice, and white-line the dig area. We confirm whether you need a county land disturbance permit and set silt fence where runoff could leave the site. This is how buried lines stay intact and jobs stay open.
Clear, Strip and Stockpile
Trees, stumps and roots come out of the pad, driveway and septic areas, and topsoil goes to a stockpile for final grading. Organics left under fill are the main cause of settling pads, so this always comes first.
Cut, Fill, Compact and Dig
We cut high ground, place fill in compacted lifts and shape the pad to drain on every side. Once footers are marked, we dig footings and utility trenches and lay crusher run on the driveway subgrade. Chandler checks grade as he goes instead of eyeballing it at the end.
Final Walkthrough and Hand-Off
We walk the finished site with you: pad, footers, trenches, driveway and drainage. Topsoil goes back on disturbed areas outside the pad, and the site is left clean for the next trade. You get an itemized invoice that matches the quote.
How Much Does Excavation Cost in Knoxville?
Excavation cost depends on how much dirt moves, how far, and what is under it, so we price after walking the site. Small jobs, like a day of moving dirt, run $1,500 per machine day. Larger projects get an itemized bid; a turnkey lot with a hillside cut, large pad, footers and septic was recently quoted around $30,000. If you want the cheapest bid, we are probably not your crew. If you want the dirt work done once and done correctly, we are.
What Changes the Price
- Volume of cut and fill, and whether soil is hauled off or brought in
- Limestone ledges that need a rented hydraulic hammer
- Slope and access for the excavator, dump truck and trailer
- Wet clay or soft subgrade that needs stone or fabric
- Trench depth (5 feet and deeper means shoring or a trench box)
- Permits, erosion control and stone quantities
Quoted Separately
- Tree and stump removal, through land clearing
- Rock hammering and hauling off unsuitable soil
- Septic installation and permit fees
- Concrete, waterproofing and framing
Estimates are free. We take cash, check and Venmo.
Often Paired With Excavation
Site clearing and excavation usually happen back to back. These three come up most.
Foundation and Basement Excavation
Once the pad is set and footers marked, the footings or full basement dig come next, with rock and over-dig driving the schedule. Read about our footer and basement digging.
View Foundation & Basement ExcavationDriveway Excavation
Concrete trucks and lumber deliveries need a solid road in, so most lots get a stone driveway early. Explore gravel driveway excavation and culverts.
View Driveway ExcavationExcavation Across Knoxville and East Tennessee
We work within about 50 miles of our base in north Knox County, covering Knox, Loudon, Sevier, Jefferson, Grainger and Hamblen counties, and travel farther when the job warrants it. Corryton and the House Mountain area are a short run east across north Knox County, and Knoxville jobs from Fountain City to Hardin Valley are reached by I-75, I-640 and Pellissippi Parkway. Need an excavation company in Blaine? We head northeast on US-11W (Rutledge Pike), the same road that runs on to Morristown. Jefferson City is east on US-11E through Strawberry Plains and New Market. Looking for excavating contractors in Sevierville? We take I-40 East to Exit 407. Lenoir City is down I-40/I-75 west to Exit 81.
The ground is mostly the same story everywhere: red clay, limestone near the surface on ridges and sinkholes in the valleys, so every bid accounts for rock and drainage. Call (865) 412-7121 to get on the schedule.
Based in Knoxville, TNService-area business, about 50 miles around Knoxville. Pins open each area page.
View us on GoogleExcavation FAQ
How much does excavation cost in Knoxville?
Small jobs run $1,500 per machine day, and larger projects get an itemized, line-by-line quote after a site walk. Rock, hauling, slope and stone quantities cause the biggest swings. A full turnkey lot can land around $30,000. Estimates are free.
How long does residential excavation take?
A trench or small grading job can take a day. A pad with footers usually takes several days, and a turnkey lot can take a few weeks. Wet red clay will not compact, so we wait out rain rather than build a soft pad.
Do I need a grading permit in Knox County?
You need a land disturbance permit for more than one acre, or on smaller sites with 5 feet or more of cut or fill or over 10,000 square feet of planned impervious area. Other small sites use a Small Lot erosion plan. Driveway connections and septic systems have their own permits. We sort out which apply at the site walk.
Who runs the equipment on my job?
The owner runs the equipment. Chandler Humphrey operates the excavator himself with a crew of three, and he is the same person who quoted your job.
Can you handle everything from clearing to footers?
Yes. Clearing to footers, one crew is how we prefer to work: clear the lot, strip topsoil, cut the pad, dig footers and prep for septic and concrete. Everything except framing can stay with us.
What happens if you hit rock or a sinkhole?
We stop and talk with you first. Limestone ledges can usually be broken with a rented hydraulic hammer, priced separately. A sinkhole near the footprint may mean shifting the house or bringing in an engineer.
Do you take emergency digging calls?
Yes, we answer 24/7 for urgent digging like a broken water line; we once dug up a leaking line in a front yard at 3 a.m. Scheduled excavation is booked after a site walk.
Do you stand behind your excavation work?
We return if anything's wrong. If something we built is not right, we come back and fix it. In five years, no customer has called us back about a problem.
Still have a question about excavation? Call (865) 412-7121.
Let's Get Your Lot Ready for Footers
The next step is a site walk. Call or text Chandler, tell him what you are building, and he will walk the ground with you and put an itemized number in your hands. Prefer to write? Contact Superior Land Management online and we will call you back.
Open 24/7, including storm cleanup and emergencies
