Excavation Contractor in Charlotte, TN

Excavation and Foundation Digs on Charlotte's Hills

Under the western Highland Rim, the bedrock is chiefly limestone, chert, shale and sandstone. Where rock sits close to the surface, it changes how a basement or a footing trench gets dug. We look at the ground before we price the dig and plan the cut around what is there.

Charlotte counted 1,656 people in 2020, up from 1,153 in 2000. Builders and commercial contractors bring us most of our excavation work. That work means digging foundations and basements, cutting building pads and moving dirt around the site. Site prep and grading then shapes the lot so water runs off the right way.

Town Branch, a small stream in the Cumberland River watershed, runs through Charlotte from west to east. Lots near a creek can fall in a floodplain. Outside the city limits, a county building site in a floodplain has to show its lowest floor's elevation. That rule comes from the Dickson County Floodplain Zoning Resolution, and it goes on the site plan.

Land Clearing and Forestry Mulching Around Charlotte

General James Robertson built the first furnace at Cumberland Furnace, north of Charlotte, in 1793. Montgomery Bell bought the iron works in 1804. By 1808 he was buying wood for charcoal to fuel his furnaces. Charlotte itself is named for Robertson's wife, Charlotte Reeves Robertson.

A wooded lot has to be opened up before a pad or a drive goes in. We clear house sites, lot lines and acreage of trees, brush and stumps. An excavator with a thumb pulls the stumps, and the cleanup leaves the ground usable or build-ready.

Where you want the big trees to stay, forestry mulching grinds brush, saplings and undergrowth in place. The ground-up brush stays on the site as mulch. We wrote a guide to Tennessee land clearing permits that covers burn permits and the state stormwater rule.

Building Permits, Septic and Utility Trenches in Charlotte

The legislature established Charlotte in 1804 as the Dickson County seat, and it was once considered for the state capital. On May 30, 1830, a tornado destroyed most of downtown. The courthouse roof was found 13 miles away, and most of the county's early records were lost. The new courthouse, finished in 1833, still stands as the oldest functioning courthouse in Tennessee.

Outside the city limits, Dickson County issues building permits, and only to the land owner or a contractor. The deed must be recorded in the owner's name before the owner applies. The county also wants a copy of the septic permit or proof of sewer, plus a 911 address. A site plan shows the lot's shape and dimensions and every structure on it.

Inside the city limits, the City of Charlotte handles building, planning and zoning. It uses a consultant, a Planning Committee and a Board of Zoning Appeals, and it runs its own sewer system. Check with the city about your lot before the dig gets scheduled.

On a septic lot, we clear the area and dig for the system. A licensed septic installer puts the system in. For underground utilities, we trench and backfill for water lines, electrical conduit, and sewer and septic lines. Tennessee 811 gets notice at least 3 and no more than 10 working days before digging starts.

Gravel Driveways, Access Roads and Demolition Near Charlotte

Charlotte thrived as a stagecoach hub for much of the 1800s, until the railroad shifted industry to Dickson. Today State Route 48 and State Route 49 meet just west of the court square. SR 48 runs north to Clarksville and southwest to Dickson and US 70. From Vanleer, SR 49 runs through more hills and farmland before it enters Charlotte.

A new driveway that connects to a county road needs a Dickson County driveway permit before it is built. The county highway department issues it, and the Planning, Zoning and Codes Department can too. Every driveway has to be at least 20 feet wide. The county also requires erosion control that keeps material out of the road and its ditches.

The county does a final inspection of the finished drive. We build gravel driveways and access roads, including farm roads and construction entrances. Our roots are in building roads for a timber company's log trucks and heavy equipment.

If an old house, barn or shed stands where the new work goes, demolition comes first. We take down old houses, barns, sheds and other outbuildings, load the debris out and clear the spot. After a house comes down, we can regrade the lot for what gets built next.