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Princeton Excavation

Princeton, Mercer County

Excavation & Earthwork in Princeton, NJ

Princeton Excavation takes a careful, right-sized approach to foundations, land clearing, and grading on the town's trickier properties.

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A SANY mini excavator and a skid steer working a Princeton-area residential site beside a home, with fresh soil and ground protection over the lawn.

Few towns are less forgiving of careless excavation than Princeton. Old shade trees, stone walls, slate walks, and additions tucked between protected setbacks mean there's rarely room to swing a full-size machine, and rarely any patience for damage to what's already there.

That's the kind of work we set up for. A fleet that runs from a gate-width skid steer up to a 5-ton excavator lets us reach footings for an addition behind a 1920s colonial, or clear an overgrown corner of a bigger lot, with a machine sized to the access instead of one forced into it.

Every job is owner-operated and by appointment, so the person who walks your property to price it is the same person running the machine on the day.

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

Working around what's already there

From the tight, tree-lined streets near the University and the Western Section to the bigger wooded parcels out toward the Princeton Ridge, it's the same story: narrow access and a lot to lose. Side yards are tight, root zones are protected, and hardscape isn't cheap to replace.

So we plan each job around the property. We lay ground protection, route the equipment along the least sensitive path, and keep the spoils contained, so when we're done it looks like the only thing that changed is the part you wanted changed.

Also serving nearby: Princeton Junction · Lawrenceville · Pennington · Hopewell

What we do here

Excavation services in Princeton

The same disciplines, tailored to Princeton properties.

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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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.

Princeton: Common Questions

Usually, yes. Our most compact machine is a tracked skid steer that fits through standard gates and narrow side yards, so we can work fenced backyards near the University, the Western Section, and similar areas, often without taking down fencing. We confirm the access for the right machine when we walk the site.

Planning earthwork in Princeton?

Request a by-appointment site visit and we'll walk your Princeton property to plan the right approach.

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