Demolition
We handle demolition on houses and small commercial buildings, down to the slab when you want it gone. Free estimates across Acadiana.
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Land grading in New Iberia often starts with a yard that holds water or sends it back toward the house. We regrade the ground so rain falls away from the foundation, and we level the low spots where it sits. We also do lot grading for builders before a new home goes up. Estimates are free and done on site, so call (337) 201-0594 to set one up.
We run compact excavators and a compact track loader, with dump trailers to move dirt. High spots get cut, and that dirt fills the low spots on the same lot when there is enough. We work out of New Iberia and cover Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin, Vermilion, St. Landry, Acadia and St. Mary parishes. That includes lot grading in St. Martinville and the rest of St. Martin Parish.
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Louisiana's building code for houses is the 2021 International Residential Code, with state amendments. Section R401.3 says a lot must be graded so surface water drains away from the foundation. The grade has to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet. We use the same target when we regrade around an older house.
Some lots cannot give that much fall, because a lot line or another barrier sits too close. For those spots, the code calls for drains or swales to carry the water away instead. A swale is a wide, shallow ditch in the grass, and we shape it with the excavator. A buried drain line is a separate job: yard drainage and French drains.
Flat ground is why this matters here. The USDA's Iberia clay series, described about 5 miles east of New Iberia, has slopes mainly under 0.5 percent. Runoff on it is low to negligible, and the clay drains very slowly. Water the grade does not push away tends to sit.
Yard leveling usually starts with a puddle that stays for days after a rain. It might sit in a sunken strip along the driveway, or in ruts left by trucks on wet grass. We cut the high ground and spread that dirt into the low spots on the same lot. Then we shape the whole area so the water has somewhere to go.
When the lot is short on dirt, fill gets brought in. It goes down in lifts, and each lift gets packed before the next one goes on. Fresh fill settles, so a deep low spot filled in one pass tends to sink again. Packed lifts hold the new grade better.
Louisiana averages 57.2 inches of rain a year, and the USDA puts it at about 60 inches near New Iberia. From December through April in normal years, this clay holds a saturated layer within 2 feet of the surface. Soaked clay is soft and ruts under a machine, so wet weeks push grading back. As it dries out, it can crack up to 1 inch wide and 20 inches deep or more.
Lot grading on a new home site happens in two passes. The rough grade moves the bulk of the dirt and sets the general fall of the lot. The finish grade comes last, smoothed to the numbers your builder or surveyor sets. The raised house pad itself is a separate job, covered under house pads and mobile home pads.
A teardown leaves a lot rough, with ruts and soft spots where the house stood. We smooth and shape that ground so it drains and is ready for sod or seed. A lot grown up in brush and small trees needs land clearing before any grading starts.
A gravel driveway gets its own shape, with a crown that sheds rain to the sides. A washed-out or rutted drive is gravel driveway repair and regrading work. A new drive that crosses the road ditch also needs driveway culvert installation so the ditch keeps flowing.
If your lot sits in a mapped flood zone, federal flood rules (the NFIP) count grading and filling as development. Towns and parishes in the program must require a permit for all development. So the parish or city floodplain permit comes before any dirt moves. The USDA notes that unprotected areas of the Iberia clay flood commonly.
Louisiana's dig law counts moving earth in or on the ground as excavation, and grading does that. We put the notice in with Louisiana 811 at least 48 hours ahead, and no more than 120 hours ahead. Weekends and holidays do not count toward the 48 hours. We wait for the utility marks before the first cut.
Under Civil Code article 655, land below must take the surface water that flows naturally from land above. Under article 656, land below may not block that flow, and land above may not add to the burden. Water sent by an act of man, such as a regrade, is not natural flow. So we plan the fall toward a ditch or the street.
Free, no-obligation estimates across New Iberia and all of Acadiana.
(337) 201-0594From the first call to the last load of debris hauled off, here is how it goes.
Tell us what the property needs: a teardown, a cleared lot, a pad, a driveway. We take the details and line up a time to come look.
We come look at the lot, check equipment access and soil conditions, and price the whole job. The estimate is free and it holds.
Permits where the parish or city wants them, utility checks before a teardown, and a start date you can plan around.
The machines do the work, debris gets hauled off, and the property is left graded and clean, ready for whatever comes next.
Common questions about land grading across New Iberia and all of Acadiana. If yours is not here, call and ask.
We handle demolition on houses and small commercial buildings, down to the slab when you want it gone. Free estimates across Acadiana.
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We tear down old mobile homes and manufactured homes around New Iberia and haul every piece off. The lot is left clean. Free on-site estimates across Acadiana.
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We tear down sheds, detached garages, barns, pole barns and metal carports around New Iberia, haul the debris off and leave the spot clean.
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We break out old concrete driveways, patios, walkways and slabs around New Iberia and haul the pieces off. Free on-site estimates across Acadiana.
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We clear overgrown lots and acreage around New Iberia. That means underbrushing, brush removal, briars, vines and small trees. The vegetation leaves the property in dump trailers or roll-off containers.
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We do dirt work across Acadiana: site prep, cut and fill, and fill packed in lifts. Our excavators and track loader move, spread and pack fill to the grade you need. Call for a free estimate.
View DetailsCompact excavators and a track loader work in town lots, back yards and farm gates. Tight access rarely stops a job, and the ground takes less damage than it would under bigger machines.
We live and work here, so Iberia Parish and the towns around it are short runs. Estimates happen fast and the machines show up when the schedule says they will.
Teardown, stumps, dirt, culvert, driveway: the same outfit can carry a property from overgrown or condemned to pad-ready. One schedule and one number instead of four subcontractors.
We price after looking at the property, the access and the ground. You get a real number before work starts, and the site is left clean when it ends.
Real reviews from real demolition, debris and dirt work jobs on Google.
Jason was a pleasure to do business with. He had a fair price and did excellent work. I will definitely use Elite Excavation Services again in the future
I needed some debris removed and Elite Excavation came through very timely and the job was done smoothly!
Great service with a reasonable price. The operator did a great job with my shed demolition! He left the place very clean and ready for my new shop. I highly recommend Jason and his crew.
A structure that needs to come down, a lot to clear, a pad to build, or a driveway that floods? Call or send the form. We come look at the property, price the job in person, and give you a number that holds. Estimates are free.
Tell us about the job and we’ll get right back to you.
