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Princeton Excavation
A SANY mini excavator and JCB skid steer working a residential excavation site in the Princeton area, with a fresh soil pile and ground protection over the lawn.

Princeton, NJ · Residential Earthwork

Princeton Excavation: Digging, Grading & Land Clearing in Princeton, NJ.

Princeton Excavation provides residential excavation, grading and site prep, land clearing, foundation digs, and bulk material delivery for homeowners in Princeton, NJ and the surrounding Mercer and Somerset County towns. Our fleet runs from a skid steer that fits a backyard gate up to a telehandler and dump truck, so the right machine shows up for your job. By appointment.

Call (609) 438-8064Request a Site Visit

Get a Free Estimate

Fast, easy, no obligation. Firm written price after a site walk.

Your information is never shared.

  • Licensed & Insured
  • Owner-Operated
  • By Appointment
  • Princeton-Area Specialist

Firm Written Prices

The number we quote after the site walk is the number you pay — and NJ One Call marks the utilities before every dig.

What We Do

Excavation & Earthwork Services

A handful of things we do well, each with the same care for the property around the work.

A SANY mini excavator and a JCB skid steer working a residential foundation site, with a fresh soil pile and ground protection laid over the lawn.

Foundation & Footing Excavation

Clean footings for additions, garages, pool houses, and sheds, dug to spec and ready for concrete.

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A mini excavator clearing a lot and loading demolition debris into a roll-off dumpster under a bright sky.

Land & Lot Clearing

Brush, vegetation, and stumps cleared selectively, keeping the trees worth keeping.

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Freshly graded, track-marked soil worked smooth right up to a home's foundation, ready for finish work.

Grading & Hardscape Site Prep

Solid sub-base and yard grading for paver patios, pool decks, driveways, and level lawns.

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Mini excavators working a cleared lot edge with newly planted evergreens and a staked shade tree in a residential yard.

Large Tree Planting

Mature, balled-and-burlapped trees set with an excavator. Privacy and shade now, not in ten years.

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Tight-Access & Small-Job Excavation

Backyard digs through a 36-inch gate. The small excavation jobs big companies won't return calls about.

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French Drain Installation

Exterior French drains built the right way: fabric, washed stone, perforated pipe, and an outlet that actually works.

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Yard Drainage Solutions

Standing water in the yard? We find where it's coming from first, then build the fix that matches.

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Driveway Excavation & Gravel Driveways

Failed driveways dug out and rebuilt from the base up — finished in gravel or prepped for your paver.

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Inground Pool Excavation

Pool digs to your builder's spec sheet, with the spoils and the access planned before the first bucket.

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Small Demolition & Removal

Sheds, decks, garages, patios, and pools taken down, sorted, and hauled — filled and graded where they stood.

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Utility Trench Excavation

Water, sewer, electric, and gas trenches opened, bedded, and backfilled. Your licensed trade makes the connection.

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Septic System Excavation

Tank pits, field excavation, and abandonment digs, done to your licensed septic contractor's plan.

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Test Pit & Perc Test Excavation

Pits opened on schedule for perc tests, soil logs, and footing investigations, backfilled clean when the witness is done.

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Whole-Stump Removal

Stumps pulled out whole, roots and all, then backfilled flush and ready for seed.

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Retaining Wall Excavation & Base Prep

The benched cut, compacted base course, and drainage that keep a wall standing straight.

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Shed Pads & Gravel Bases

Compacted gravel pads for sheds, barns, and hot tubs, level to your installer's spec.

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Bulk Material Delivery

Topsoil, fill and stone, delivered by the load

Need material for a project? We deliver bulk topsoil, fill dirt, sandy fill, and 3/4" clean stone across Somerset, Middlesex, and Mercer County. Prices are listed by the yard and the ton. Put in an order and we'll confirm the delivery fee and a drop-off time.

Order Bulk Material
  • Topsoil$45/yd
  • Sandy / Fine Fill$30/yd
  • 3/4" Clean Stone$70/ton
  • Fill Dirt$15/yd
A compact mini excavator working in a residential side yard, with the lawn and plantings around the work area protected.

The right-sized fleet

Good earthwork comes down to bringing the right machine, not the biggest one. Ours ranges from a tracked skid steer that fits a backyard gate up to a telehandler and dump truck. So we can get into tight residential spots and still handle foundations, clearing, grading, and material on the same property.

  • The right machine for the job

    Our fleet runs from a tracked skid steer that fits a backyard gate up to a 5-ton excavator, telehandler, and dump truck. We match the equipment to your access and scope instead of forcing one machine to do everything.

  • Reaches tight spots

    For fenced backyards and narrow side yards, our compact machines get into spaces full-size equipment can't. That means we can work close to the house and plantings without taking the garden apart to get in.

  • Careful around the work

    We lay ground protection, plan the access route, and keep the work zone tidy. The lawns, trees, and hardscape around the dig are part of the job, and we leave the site clean.

  • Ready for the next trade

    Spoils contained, work zone tidy, grades set with a laser. The next crew or your inspector finds the site ready to go.

How a job goes

From the first call to a clean handover

  1. 1. Site Walk

    We come look at the property by appointment, check the access and any constraints, and go over your plans or what you have in mind.

  2. 2. Marking & Layout

    We set the layout on the ground with laser accuracy. Depths, lines, and elevations are marked before anything gets dug.

  3. 3. The Work

    We bring the right machine for the access, lay ground protection where it's needed, and keep the mess around lawns, trees, and hardscape to a minimum.

  4. 4. Clean Handover

    You're left with a site that's ready to go and a yard that's still in one piece, set up for whatever's next.

Recent work

A few recent jobs around the Princeton area: foundations, clearing, grading, and planting.

A mini excavator and skid steer grading bare soil beside a home under construction, ground worked smooth around the foundation.
Grading bare soil tight against the foundationPrinceton
A compact mini skid steer grading bare soil in a residential backyard next to the house, with a protective tarp staged nearby.
Tight-yard grading beside an occupied homeHopewell Township
A mini excavator parked on a gravel residential drive beside a barn-style home, staged for a clearing and grading job.
Mini excavator on a gravel drive at a clearing jobSkillman
A row of mature balled-and-burlapped evergreen and shade trees freshly planted and mulched along a residential fence line.
Mature privacy row planted along the property lineSomerset County

Princeton, Hopewell Township, Montgomery & Skillman, and surrounding Mercer and Somerset County, NJ.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We work throughout the greater Princeton, NJ area. That includes Princeton, Hopewell Township, Montgomery, and Skillman, plus the surrounding Mercer and Somerset County towns. Everything is by appointment.

Let's walk your site.

Every property is a little different. Set up a time and we'll come look at the access, talk through what you have in mind, and tell you the best way to go about it.

Request a Site Visit
Call (609) 438-8064Site Visit