Excavation Contractor in Erin, TN

Excavation on the Ridge Between Two Rivers

The Tennessee Ridge runs north and south through Houston County. It is the watershed between the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, and the Tennessee River forms the county's western line. Wells, Guices and Yellow creeks drew the first settlers in the late 1700s. Later settlers crossed the ridge to White Oak, Cane and Hurricane creeks, which run to the Tennessee.

Erin lies on the Western Highland Rim, the hilly band west of Nashville that reaches the Tennessee River valley. The rock under it is mostly limestone, chert, shale and sandstone. Basement and footing digs can reach that rock, so every estimate starts with a look at the site.

A level pad on a hillside is part cut and part fill. Soil from the uphill cut becomes fill on the downhill side, packed in layers so it can carry a house. Builders and commercial contractors bring us most of this dig work, for houses and commercial buildings.

Basement and Footing Digs Near Wells Creek

In the 1850s, blasting for the railroad bed turned up rock layers set at an angle instead of lying flat. State Geologist James Safford studied the find and named the site Wells Creek Basin. Geologists now count it as an impact crater, about 7.5 miles across.

The crater's center sits about 5 miles north-northeast of Erin, near Cumberland City. Rings of faults surround it, and the rock at its core is broken as well as tilted. With layers like that, rock depth can change across a single house site.

For a basement or a deep footing near Wells Creek, the surface gives few clues about what lies below. We size up the ground in person first, then price the dig and plan the cut around what turns up.

Land Clearing and Timber Roads in Houston County

Erin grew as a lime and timber manufacturing center, and the community of Stewart started the county's lime industry. Timber is still a big part of the county economy. The creek valleys hold rich soil, and the ridges carry lighter ground that suits grass.

Land clearing around Erin turns a grown-up lot into ground you can build on or graze. After the trees are down, the thumb on an excavator pulls each stump before cleanup. Forestry mulching on Houston County land grinds undergrowth down to a layer of chips right where it grew. Bush hogging cuts a field of weeds and briars back to pasture.

The 2020 census counted Erin and nearly all of Houston County as rural. A creek-bottom or ridge-top home site needs a drive that holds up in hard rain. Our roots are in timber roads, built to carry loaded log trucks for a timber company. That is why gravel driveways and access roads for Erin properties are a specialty for us.

Erosion Control and Drainage on Erin Slopes

Cut slopes in these hills have a history of moving. Slides in the railroad cuts west of Tennessee Ridge stalled construction. The line to Paris was not finished until April 1861.

A normal year at Tennessee Ridge brings about 55 inches of rain. March is the wettest month, when Erin holds the weeklong Irish festival it started in 1962. Erosion control around Erin keeps fresh cuts and ditches from washing out.

Silt fence catches loose soil, and rock check dams slow the water in ditches. A stabilized entrance keeps mud off the road. Where water leaves the site, riprap keeps the outlet from scouring. Bare ground gets seeded and covered with matting.

Water causes trouble around houses too. If water pools by the foundation, regrading and French drains carry it downhill, clear of the house. For underground utilities, a water line or conduit goes in a trench we cut and backfill.