Hillsborough, Somerset County
Excavation & Land Clearing in Hillsborough, NJ
Get a Free Estimate
Fast, easy, no obligation. Firm written price after a site walk.
Princeton Excavation covers Hillsborough's full spread: clearing rocky, wooded ground on the Sourland Mountain side and fixing drainage on the clay soils that hold water across the rest of the township.
Hillsborough is a big township, and the ground changes as you cross it. Along the Route 206 corridor and Amwell Road you get established neighborhoods and newer developments on gentler ground. Head southwest toward the Sourland Mountain edge and the lots turn wooded and rocky, with boulders in the soil, spring seeps, and grades that make water do unpredictable things.
The common thread is that Hillsborough soil doesn't drain well. Much of the township sits on clay-heavy ground near the Royce Brook, Neshanic River, and Millstone corridors, so yards pond, water migrates toward foundations, and driveways heave. Drainage work (french drains, regrading, swales) is a big part of what we do here, and it matters double because so many Hillsborough homes are on septic, where a saturated yard is more than a nuisance.
Every job is owner-operated and by appointment, from the first walk of the property to the final grade.
- Licensed & Insured
- Owner-Operated
- By Appointment
- Princeton-Area Specialist
Two kinds of ground in one township
On the Sourland side (the wooded lots out toward East Mountain Road and the preserve), clearing and digging mean dealing with rock. The diabase boulders that define the Sourlands show up in yards, and our 5–6 ton excavator is the machine for it: heavy enough to lift and pry what the ground gives up, tracked to work slopes, and still compact enough for a residential lot.
Across the Belle Mead, Flagtown, and Neshanic Station sides and the developments off 206, the work is more often water and grade: french drains for yards that stay soft, regrading around foundations, test pits and excavation support for the township's many septic properties, and clearing overgrown edges of the larger rural lots.
Also serving nearby: Montgomery · Belle Mead · Neshanic Station · Somerville
Excavation services in Hillsborough
The same disciplines, tailored to Hillsborough properties.
Foundation & Footing Excavation
Clean footings for additions, garages, pool houses, and sheds, dug to spec and ready for concrete.
View Service
Land & Lot Clearing
Brush, vegetation, and stumps cleared selectively, keeping the trees worth keeping.
View Service
Land Grading & Site Prep
Solid sub-base and yard grading for paver patios, pool decks, driveways, and level lawns.
View Service
Large Tree Planting
Mature, balled-and-burlapped trees set with an excavator. Privacy and shade now, not in ten years.
View Service- Tight-Access & Small-Job ExcavationBackyard digs through a 36-inch gate. The small excavation jobs big companies won't return calls about.
- French Drain InstallationExterior French drains built the right way: fabric, washed stone, perforated pipe, and an outlet that actually works.
- Yard Drainage SolutionsStanding water in the yard? We find where it's coming from first, then build the fix that matches.
- Driveway Excavation & Gravel DrivewaysFailed driveways dug out and rebuilt from the base up, finished in gravel or prepped for your paver.
- Inground Pool ExcavationPool digs to your builder's spec sheet, with the spoils and the access planned before the first bucket.
- Demolition & RemovalHouses, garages, interiors, commercial buildings, sheds, and decks taken down, hauled off, and graded where they stood.
- Pool Removal & Fill-InInground pools broken out, filled in compacted lifts, and graded back to lawn.
- Trenching & Utility TrenchesWater, sewer, electric, and gas trenches opened, bedded, and backfilled. Your licensed trade makes the connection.
- Septic System ExcavationTank pits, field excavation, and abandonment digs, done to your licensed septic contractor's plan.
- Test Pit & Perc Test ExcavationPits opened on schedule for perc tests, soil logs, and footing investigations, backfilled clean when the witness is done.
- Whole-Stump RemovalStumps pulled out whole, roots and all, then backfilled flush and ready for seed.
- Retaining Wall Excavation & Base PrepThe benched cut, compacted base course, and drainage that keep a wall standing straight.
- Shed Pads & Gravel BasesCompacted gravel pads for sheds, barns, and hot tubs, level to your installer's spec.
- Snow Removal & PlowingSnow plowing with a compact track loader for commercial lots, long driveways, and private roads.
How a job goes
From the first call to a clean handover
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.
Marking & Layout
We set the layout on the ground with laser accuracy. Depths, lines, and elevations are marked before anything gets dug.
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.
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.
Hillsborough: Common Questions
Yes. Long gravel and rural driveways are normal here, and our equipment is tracked and sized for residential access. We plan the staging when we walk the site, protect the driveway where it needs it, and keep the work footprint to the area you actually want cleared or dug.
Usually, yes. Our 5–6 ton excavator lifts and pries out most of the boulders that Sourland-edge soil produces, and we plan footings and trenches around what the ground shows us. If test digging hits true ledge rock, we tell you straight and talk through the options before anything else happens.
Yes. We're a licensed and insured New Jersey home improvement contractor (HIC# 13VH11625300) and work by appointment throughout Hillsborough Township, including Belle Mead, Flagtown, and Neshanic.
Service Areas
- PrincetonMercer County
- Hopewell TownshipMercer County
- Montgomery & SkillmanSomerset County
- West WindsorMercer County
- Lawrence TownshipMercer County
- PenningtonMercer County
- RobbinsvilleMercer County
- Hamilton TownshipMercer County
- PlainsboroMiddlesex County
- CranburyMiddlesex County
- South BrunswickMiddlesex County
- HillsboroughSomerset County
- EwingMercer County
Planning earthwork in Hillsborough?
Request a by-appointment site visit and we'll walk your Hillsborough property to plan the right approach.
Request a Site Visit