Hear from Our Customers
Most drainage problems on Edgmont properties aren’t random bad luck. They’re the result of grading that didn’t account for the slope, the soil, or where the water actually goes when it rains. On a one-acre-plus lot with rolling terrain and a wooded perimeter, that’s not a minor oversight it’s a problem that compounds every season until it’s forcing water toward your foundation or washing out the yard you’ve invested in.
Proper excavation and land grading in Edgmont, PA means understanding the terrain before a machine moves. It means knowing that Ridley Creek runs through the eastern edge of this township and carries a High Quality stream designation that makes stormwater runoff a regulatory concern not just a property damage one. When we grade properly here, drainage moves away from structures, slope is stable, and the ground is ready to support whatever comes next.
For homeowners in Edgmont who are planning an addition, a retaining wall, a patio, or a major outdoor project, site preparation is the work that determines whether everything built on top of it holds up. Get it right the first time and the rest of the project goes cleanly. Skip it or rush it and you’re looking at repairs before the project is even finished.
We’re based in Aston, PA a few miles down Route 352 from Edgmont Township. I run the operation personally, which means when you call, you’re talking to the person who will actually be on your property. That’s not a small thing in a trade where homeowners regularly describe being handed off to a crew they’ve never met after signing a contract.
We hold a verified Pennsylvania contractor license and carry a BuildZoom score of 102 placing us in the top 11% of over 125,000 licensed contractors in the state. That’s a third-party number you can look up yourself. Reviewers across multiple platforms specifically call us out by name, describe us showing up on time or early, and note that the work came in as quoted.
What separates us from most excavation contractors serving Edgmont is the full-service range. We don’t just dig and leave. From land excavation and grading through retaining walls, patios, and complete outdoor living spaces, the same team handles the whole project which matters on large Edgmont lots where the earthwork and the finished build are part of the same vision.
It starts with a site visit. Before any estimate is written, we look at the ground slope, drainage patterns, access points, and anything that could affect how the work unfolds. On Edgmont properties, that often includes identifying the location of in-ground septic systems, which are common on large-lot rural and semi-rural parcels throughout the township. Edgmont Township reviews all permits tied to existing septic systems, so knowing where yours is before excavation begins isn’t optional it’s part of doing the job correctly.
From there, we handle permitting. Edgmont Township requires a Grading and Stormwater Management permit for any project that creates 500 square feet or more of new impervious coverage, or disturbs more than 5,000 square feet of grading area. That threshold gets crossed on most residential excavation projects here. If your property is in an HOA-governed community which many Edgmont subdivisions are HOA approval has to come before the township will even accept a permit application. The township also doubles permit fees if work starts before approval is granted. We navigate all of that before a machine arrives on your property.
Once permits are in place, excavation and grading proceed in sequence clearing, cutting, filling, compacting, and establishing final grade with drainage built in from the start. The goal at the end isn’t just a flat surface. It’s a stable, properly drained site that’s ready for whatever you’re building next.
Ready to get started?
Excavation on an Edgmont property can mean a lot of different things depending on what you’re starting with and where you’re headed. The most common projects here involve land grading and slope correction on large wooded lots, foundation excavation for additions, retaining wall installation on hillside properties, and drainage work tied to the Ridley Creek watershed stormwater requirements that apply throughout the township. Edgmont also has a designated Steep Slope Conservation District, which adds a layer of regulatory review for grading work on steeply sloped parcels something most contractors working outside this area won’t know to plan for.
Beyond the excavation itself, our full-service model means the site preparation connects directly into finished work. If you’re grading a backyard to support a patio and retaining wall, that transition from earthwork to hardscape happens with the same crew, the same project timeline, and the same point of contact. No handoff to a second contractor. No gap between what was graded and what was built on top of it.
Excavation costs in Delaware County typically run between $1,658 and $6,709 for residential projects, with larger or more complex work foundation excavation, steep slope grading, multi-phase site prep reaching $10,000 to $12,000 or more. The Philadelphia-area labor market runs roughly 15 to 25 percent above rural Pennsylvania rates. Every estimate we write is tailored to reflect your actual site conditions, not a generic square footage number.
Yes, and the threshold is lower than most homeowners expect. Edgmont Township requires a Grading and Stormwater Management permit for any project that creates 500 square feet or more of new impervious coverage that’s roughly a medium-sized patio or disturbs more than 5,000 square feet of ground. Most residential excavation, grading, and retaining wall projects in Edgmont will hit at least one of those thresholds.
There’s also a financial penalty built into the township code: permit fees are doubled if work starts before a permit is approved and issued. That’s not a technicality it’s a real cost that falls on the homeowner. If your property is in one of Edgmont’s HOA-governed communities, you’ll also need written HOA approval before the township will accept your permit application. Working with a contractor who knows this process before the project starts keeps the timeline clean and the costs where they should be.
For most residential excavation projects in Delaware County, costs fall somewhere between $1,658 and $6,709 but that range covers a lot of ground. A straightforward grading job on a flat, accessible lot sits at the lower end. A hillside property in Edgmont with slope correction, drainage work, and retaining wall preparation is going to sit higher, and foundation excavation for an addition typically runs $5,000 to $12,000 depending on depth, access, and soil conditions.
The Philadelphia-area labor market runs about 15 to 25 percent above rural Pennsylvania rates, and Pennsylvania as a whole averages roughly 10 percent above the national baseline. On top of that, Edgmont’s large lots mean more material to move per project than you’d find in denser Delaware County boroughs. The most useful thing you can do before budgeting is get a site-specific estimate one that accounts for your actual terrain, your permit requirements, and what you’re building toward, not just a cost-per-square-foot approximation.
It changes how the excavation gets planned. Many properties in Edgmont Township are not connected to public sewer large-lot, semi-rural parcels throughout the township rely on in-ground septic systems, and Edgmont Township specifically reviews all permits for projects associated with existing septic systems, including additions and pools.
Before any excavation begins near a septic field or tank, the system location needs to be identified and marked. Digging into or compacting over a septic field can damage infrastructure that costs tens of thousands of dollars to repair or replace. A contractor who doesn’t ask about your septic system before writing an estimate is a contractor who hasn’t thought through your project. Our site visit before any estimate includes identifying system locations so the excavation plan works around them not through them.
Edgmont Township has a designated Steep Slope Conservation District, which means that grading and excavation work on steeply sloped parcels is subject to additional regulatory review beyond the standard grading permit. The township’s Board of Supervisors handles Conditional Use Applications for steep slope disturbance, which adds a step to the approval process that doesn’t apply to flat or gently graded properties.
If your property has significant grade changes which is common on wooded, hillside lots throughout Edgmont, particularly in areas near Ridley Creek State Park it’s worth confirming whether your project falls under steep slope review before submitting a permit application. A contractor unfamiliar with this designation will either miss it entirely or hand the problem back to you mid-project. Knowing it upfront keeps the project on schedule and avoids surprises during the permit review process.
Spring and fall are the most workable windows for excavation and grading in Edgmont. Spring roughly March through May is the most popular scheduling period because homeowners want to get outdoor projects started before summer. The downside is that spring is also the most competitive time to book, and Edgmont’s clay-influenced soils and wooded lots can hold moisture longer after winter thaw, which affects how quickly grading work can begin.
Fall, from September through November, is often the smarter window for drainage correction and grading projects specifically. The ground is typically drier, scheduling is easier to lock in, and work completed in fall gives the graded surface a full winter to settle before spring landscaping or construction begins. If you’re planning a project for next spring, reaching out in the fall or early winter gives you the best chance of getting on the schedule before the spring rush fills up.
Yes and for most Edgmont homeowners, that’s the part that actually matters. The typical scenario here isn’t just a grading job in isolation. It’s a hillside lot in Gradyville that needs to be leveled, a retaining wall built to hold the grade, and a patio or outdoor living space finished on top of it. When those phases are split between two or three different contractors, you end up managing handoffs, dealing with gaps between what was graded and what was designed, and absorbing the delays that come with coordinating separate schedules.
We handle excavation, grading, retaining walls, patios, walkways, and complete outdoor living spaces with one crew and one point of contact. I’m involved from the site visit through the finished project, which means the drainage plan that goes into the grading is the same one that informs how the wall is built and where the patio drains. On a large Edgmont property, that continuity isn’t a convenience it’s what keeps the whole project from working against itself.
Local Resources
Useful Links
