Leicester · Asheville · Western North Carolina
Excavation, land clearing & grading in Asheville
Hazy River Earthworks is a locally owned, fully insured crew based in Leicester, NC. Land clearing, forestry mulching, grading, driveways, retaining walls, erosion control and site prep on mountain ground.
- Free on-site estimates
- Fully insured
- BBB A rating
- 5.016 Google reviews
- ABBB rating
- 11Core services
- FreeOn-site estimates
What we do
Everything the ground
needs, one crew.
Mountain land is steep, wet and rocky. Clearing, grading, drainage and walls have to be planned together or the next heavy rain undoes them. That is why it all runs through one company. All services.
01Land Clearing
Trees, brush, briars and stumps taken off the ground so a mountain lot can be built on, driven on, fenced or used again.
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02Forestry Mulching
Brush, briars, scrub and small trees ground up where they stand, with the mulch left on the ground to hold the soil.
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03Grading & Site Prep
Pads cut level, slopes shaped, and ground graded so the water leaves the site instead of running through the house.
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04Driveway Installation & Repair
New gravel drives cut in and worn ones rebuilt, graded and crowned so the rain runs off instead of down the middle.
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05Excavation
Foundations, trenches, utility lines, root balls and rock — dug to the right depth and backfilled so the ground settles once.
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06Erosion Control
Slopes stabilised, banks armoured and water redirected so the next heavy rain does not take the yard, the drive or the creek bank with it.
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07Retaining Walls
Block retaining walls built on a real base, with drain pipe and stone behind them, so the slope they hold stays held.
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08Demolition
Structures torn down, debris loaded and hauled, and the site left clear and graded instead of a pile of rubble.
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09Septic Installation
Tank holes, drain field lines and the grading around them, dug to the plan so the system sits right and drains the way it should.
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10Hauling
Gravel, fill and stone brought in, and spoil, brush and debris hauled away — usually as part of the job, sometimes on its own.
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11Snow Removal
Hazy River Earthworks is clearing snow this winter around Leicester, Asheville and Weaverville. Get on the list before the first storm.
Learn moreNew this winter
Snow removal around
Leicester & Asheville.
Hazy River Earthworks is clearing snow this winter around Leicester, Asheville and Weaverville. Get on the list before the first storm. Steep gravel drives and shared private roads are exactly the ground an earthmoving crew already knows.
Recent work
Real jobs,
real ground.
Walls, drives, clearing, pads, creek banks and storm repair from around Leicester, Asheville and Western North Carolina. All recent work.
Drag to look around
Before & after
Same drive,
different story.
Drag the handle. A worn, rutted gravel drive regraded and restoned so it sheds water instead of holding it.
BeforeAfterHow it goes
No mystery, no
surprise invoice.
Walk the ground
Ben comes out, looks at the property with you and talks through what it actually needs.
A price up front
You get a number for the job in front of you before any machine shows up.
One company, start to finish
Clearing, digging, grading, drainage and stone by the same crew, in the right order.
Left finished
Graded, drained and cleaned up. Not a bare slope waiting for the next storm.
“Ben did an amazing job on our hurricane-ravaged road! Smooth, clean, and done right.”
“Super fast, great communication, and the driveway has never looked better.”
“Hardworking, on time, and always delivers. If you need it done right, call Ben.”
“10/10 experience. Honest, communicative, and high-quality work that lasts.”
“Responsive, quick, and does great work. I’ve recommended them multiple times.”
“Efficient, reliable, and does exactly what he says. Highly recommend.”
Where we work
Out of Leicester,
across WNC.
Leicester, Asheville, Weaverville, Candler, Woodfin and Marshall most weeks, and Buncombe, Madison, Haywood, Henderson, Transylvania, McDowell, Rutherford and Yancey counties for larger jobs.
Service pages by town
Guides
Read before you dig.
Plain answers on cost, permits, walls, drives, creek banks and septic in Western North Carolina, written by the crew that does the work.
Land clearing cost in Western NC
Land clearing cost in Western NC comes down to six things: how thick the growth is, how big the trees are, how steep the ground is, how the machine gets in, what happens to the debris, and how finished the ground has to be. There is no honest flat price per acre for mountain land, which is why two lots of the same size can cost very different amounts to clear.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Retaining Wall Cost in Asheville?
A retaining wall in Asheville costs whatever its height, length, base, drainage and site access demand, so two walls of the same length can be priced very differently. The only way to get a real number for your wall is a site visit, and Hazy River Earthworks gives that estimate free.
Read the guideGravel Driveway Cost in Western NC, Explained
Gravel driveway cost in Western North Carolina depends mostly on length, slope, how much cutting and drainage the route needs, and how much stone it takes to build a solid base. A short drive on gentle ground is a small job, while a long drive climbing a ridge with culverts and ditches is a much bigger one, so the real number comes from walking the route.
Read the guideHow to Stop a Creek Bank From Eroding
To stop a creek bank from eroding, protect the toe where the water cuts, lay the bank back to a slope that can hold, and armor or plant it so the next flood cannot pull it apart. On mountain creeks after a storm like Helene, that usually means rebuilding the bank with rock and fixing the runoff above it, and work in the stream can need a permit first.
Read the guide
How to prepare land for construction in WNC
Building on raw property starts long before concrete is poured. The land has to be cleared, shaped, stabilised, drained and prepared to carry what goes on top of it — and in the mountains of Western North Carolina, steep slopes, heavy growth, runoff and changing soil make that harder than it looks.
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Storm Debris Removal After Helene in Western NC
Storm debris removal on private land in Western North Carolina is now mostly up to the owner, because Buncombe County's roadside pickup and its private property program have both closed. A crew with an excavator and a dump truck can pull out downed trees, flood silt and wrecked structures, haul it all away and regrade the ground so it drains again.
Read the guideDo you give free estimates?
Yes. Ben comes out, walks the ground with you and gives you a price before any work starts.
What areas do you serve?
Leicester, Asheville, Weaverville, Candler, Woodfin and Marshall most weeks, and across Buncombe, Madison, Haywood, Henderson, McDowell and the rest of Western North Carolina for larger jobs.
Are you insured?
Yes, Hazy River Earthworks is fully insured.
Do you do residential and commercial work?
Both. Most jobs are homeowners, builders and property owners; commercial site work is quoted case by case.
Can you fix storm damage from Hurricane Helene?
Yes. Washed-out drives and roads, damaged creek banks, slides and debris clean-up have been a big part of the work since the storm.
Free estimate
Tell Ben what
the ground needs.
Send the details and Ben will come out, walk the property with you and give you a price before anything starts. If it is easier to talk it through, call.
Leicester, NC · Asheville & Western North Carolina · Fully insured