Excavation, Land Clearing & Site Work in Brazil, Indiana
Brazil is the Clay County seat, out west along US 40 from our Greencastle base. We do clearing, house sites, ponds, drives and drainage in town and on the farm and wooded ground around it.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- One crew, first cut to final grade
Working in Brazil
Brazil grew where the National Road, now US 40, meets State Road 59, and it has been the county seat since 1876, when the seat moved from Bowling Green. I-70 passes south of town, and SR 59 runs under it on the way in. Terre Haute is about sixteen miles further west. For a Clay County landowner that means a crew coming from Greencastle reaches you along one road.
Most work here is on acreage around the city rather than inside it. People call to clear a building site out of timber, dig a pond on a back field, cut in a gravel drive, set a culvert at a field entrance, or shape a pad for a pole barn. Travis looks at the ground himself and gives you a straight answer on what it will take.
The city sits across Brazil, Jackson, Dick Johnson and Posey townships, so neighbors a mile apart may deal with different offices. Check with the City of Brazil if you are inside city limits and with Clay County if you are not, before anything is scheduled.
Call (317) 203-8928 or use the form on this page with the address and what you are planning. A rough sketch or a photo of the spot helps.
Brick and clay country
The city has a long history in the brick and clay industry, and the ground shows it. Heavy clay is slow to drain and sticky to work when it is wet, which is why timing matters here more than in sandy country. A drive or a pad built on wet clay will rut and pump under traffic, so we tell you honestly when waiting a few weeks for drier ground is the smarter call.
The same clay is good news if you want a pond. Clay that packs tight is what holds water in a dug pond, and a site with good clay under it is half the job done. We check the soil at the spot you pick before anyone commits. See our pond construction page and the pond guide for how a dig is laid out.
Old coal ground
Coal companies grew Brazil, Harmony and Knightsville in the 1860s, and coal history is part of the area. If a parcel was ever dug and put back, or filled, it may not behave like undisturbed soil. Fill can settle unevenly, and it can hide rock or debris below the topsoil.
If you know or suspect a property was mined, say so when you call. It changes where a house or barn pad should go and how the base under it is built. We would rather plan around it on day one than find it under a foundation corner. Your county office and any old survey or deed notes are the place to confirm what is known about the parcel.
Drives, entrances and getting water off
Clay County lanes take a lot of truck and tractor traffic, and a field entrance off a county road needs a pipe that carries the ditch under it. Ask the county highway office about the entrance before a new one goes in. Our gravel driveway repair page explains how a failing lane gets rebuilt rather than just topped with more stone.
Before any digging, Indiana 811 marks the buried lines, rural ground included. If the clearing is the first step on a wooded parcel, our wooded lot guide covers the order the work should go in.
What we get called for
- Clearing timber and brush for house sites and pasture
- Forestry mulching fence rows and overgrown ground
- Pond digging, shaping and spoil spread on site
- Gravel drives, field entrances and culverts
- Building and pole barn pads
- Foundation and basement excavation
- Finish grading and seed when the machines leave
Jobs like this one.
Every photograph on this site is a job On Grade did. Nothing is stock and nothing is staged. See more work.
Questions from Brazil.
Not seeing yours? Call or text (317) 203-8928 and ask Travis, or read the guides.
- Cost GuideSite Preparation Cost in Indiana: What Moves the Price
- GuideWhat Does Site Preparation Include Before Construction?
- GuideExcavation vs. Grading: What Is the Difference?
- Cost GuideLand Clearing Cost per Acre in Indiana
- Cost GuideLand Clearing Cost in Indiana: What Moves the Price
- GuideBuilding on a Wooded Lot in Indiana
Do you come out as far as Brazil from Greencastle?
Yes. Brazil is west along US 40 from our base, and Clay County is part of the ground we work. Call (317) 203-8928 or send the address through the form and Travis will set a time to look at it.
Will a pond hold water on my Clay County ground?
A lot of ground around Brazil has clay that packs well, which is what keeps a pond full. It is not true of every spot, so we check the soil where you want the pond before the price is set, and tell you if another spot on the property is the better bet.
My land near Brazil was strip mined years ago. Can I still build a pad on it?
Often yes, but it needs looking at first. Reclaimed ground can settle, so the pad may need the soft material taken out and replaced with packed fill or stone. Tell us what you know about the history and we will plan the base around it.
Who do I ask about permits for work near Brazil?
Inside city limits, start with the City of Brazil. Outside, start with Clay County, and ask the county highway office about any new drive entrance. Confirm what applies before work is scheduled.
Other towns we cover.
Brazil is part of the Clay County work. See every service area.
Nearby communities
Reelsville
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewNearbyTerre Haute
Vigo County, Indiana
ViewNearbyGreencastle
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewNearbyCloverdale
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewFrom the first call to the final grade.
Call or text Travis
The address, roughly what you are trying to do, and when you need it.
A look at the ground
Most jobs need a look. Travis will arrange a time to come out, walk the ground with you and give you a number.
Located before digging
Anything that breaks ground gets located through Indiana 811 first.
One crew, start to finish
The person who strips the site is the person who sets the final grade.
Job in Brazil?
Call or text Travis. Free estimates, straight answers.
Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam, Hendricks, Boone and Marion counties
Free estimates. Straight answers.
Call or text Travis with the address and what you are trying to do.