Excavation, Grading & Site Work in Clayton, Indiana
Clayton sits in Liberty Township in southern Hendricks County, on State Road 39 between Danville and the US 40 junction at Belleville. On Grade works it out of Greencastle: site preparation for new houses and barns, drives and culverts, drainage on wet clay, and clearing where farm ground has gone back to brush.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- One crew, first cut to final grade
Working in Clayton
Clayton is easy ground for us to reach. From Greencastle it is a straight run east on US 40 to Belleville, then two miles up State Road 39 into town. From Clayton, SR 39 carries on north about five miles to Danville, the county seat, Plainfield is about seven miles east along US 40, and I-70 passes roughly six miles south with an interchange on SR 39. That puts the town in the middle of the corridor we already work every week, so a smaller job here is one we can fit in rather than turn into a long trip.
The work around Clayton is a mix of in-town lots and open country. Inside the town limits it is garages, additions, short drives and yards that hold water. Out in Liberty Township it is farm ground being split for houses, pole barn pads on acreage, long gravel lanes, and fence lines that have grown into a wall of brush. Hendricks County is mostly low, rolling farmland with the wooded strips left along the drainage ways, and Cosner Branch is one of the streams carrying water through the township.
The ground under all of it is the clay-rich soil that runs across this part of Indiana, and it drains slowly. Add old field tile that nobody mapped and a flat back yard with nowhere for water to go, and most problems people call about in Clayton turn out to be water problems first and dirt problems second.
If you own property in or around Clayton and have a job in mind, call Travis at (317) 203-8928 or send the address and a few photos through the estimate form. He will tell you what it involves and whether now is the right time to do it.
Who owns the road in front of your drive
Driveway and culvert work in Clayton starts with one question: whose road is it. State Road 39 through town and US 40 at Belleville are state highways, so a new drive or culvert onto either one goes through INDOT. County roads outside the town limits belong to the Hendricks County Highway Department, which issues driveway, cut and right-of-way permits and looks after the culverts under its roads. Inside the town limits, the Town of Clayton is the place to ask first.
We will not tell you a permit is not needed. What we will do is size and set the pipe so it carries the ditch rather than damming it, and build the drive to whatever the road owner signs off. If you are deciding between repairing an old culvert and replacing it, our drainage and culvert page explains what we look at.
Building on split farm ground in Liberty Township
A lot of new building around Clayton happens on parcels carved out of fields that were farmed until recently. That ground looks perfect from the road and hides two things. The first is field tile, laid long ago and still carrying water from the neighbour's field across yours; cut it during the dig and walk away, and somebody ends up with a wet field. The second is soft subsoil in the low spots, which has to come out before a pad or a basement goes on it.
We strip and stockpile the topsoil, find the tile and either reroute or repair it, and build pads and drives up in compacted lifts. Any site disturbing an acre or more falls under Indiana's Rule 5 stormwater requirements, so on a larger split the erosion controls go in before the ground is opened. Everything gets located through Indiana 811 first, with two full working days' notice.
Local help on drainage, ponds and soil
Hendricks County landowners have useful offices close by in Danville: the Hendricks County Soil and Water Conservation District, the NRCS field office and Purdue Extension's county office. They are worth a call on a pond, a gully that keeps cutting, or a wet field you are hoping to build on. We are glad to work to a plan they helped you with.
Two last local notes. Cascade High School and the Mill Creek Community School Corporation campus sit on County Road 200 West in Clayton, so on jobs near there we plan truck deliveries around the school day. And because Clayton sits between our Danville and Plainfield work, Travis can often look at a site here on the way to another job. See all of our Hendricks County work, or call (317) 203-8928 to get on the schedule.
What we get called for
- Lot clearing and forestry mulching on overgrown acreage and fence lines
- Site preparation, topsoil stripping and rough grading for new houses
- Building pads and pole barn pads on split farm ground
- Gravel driveways, regrading of rutted lanes and driveway culverts
- Yard drainage, tile repair and catch basins on wet clay lots
- Foundation and basement excavation and backfill
- Finish grading, seed and straw to close the job out
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 Clayton.
Not seeing yours? Call or text (317) 203-8928 and ask Travis, or read the guides.
- GuideWhat Does Site Preparation Include Before Construction?
- 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
- Cost GuideGravel Driveway Cost in Indiana
- GuideDriveway Culvert Guide: What It Does, Signs It Is Failing, Who to Ask
Is Clayton inside On Grade's service area from Greencastle?
Yes. Clayton is a short run east on US 40 to Belleville and two miles up State Road 39, right in the corridor between Greencastle, Danville and Plainfield that we work every week. Call with the address and Travis will set a time to look.
Who approves a driveway culvert onto State Road 39 in Clayton?
SR 39 is a state highway, so a drive or culvert onto it goes through INDOT. A county road outside town limits is the Hendricks County Highway Department, and inside town limits ask the Town of Clayton. Confirm with the road owner before the pipe is ordered.
Why does my yard in Clayton stay wet days after it rains?
Usually because the clay subsoil takes water slowly, the yard has little fall, and water from roofs, drives or a neighbour's field has nowhere to go. A broken field tile is another common cause. The fix depends on which it is, so we look before we dig.
Can you clear and prepare a house site on farm ground near Clayton?
Yes. Clearing, topsoil stripping, finding and dealing with old tile, the drive in, the building pad or basement dig, and the finish grade at the end. Bigger parcels may fall under Rule 5 stormwater rules, which we plan for before the ground is opened.
What helps Travis quote a job in Clayton quickly?
The address, a short description of what you want done, and photos of the ground and the way in: gate width, where a truck can sit, and how wet it is. Send them through the estimate form or text them to (317) 203-8928.
Other towns we cover.
Clayton is part of the Hendricks County work. See every service area.
Nearby communities
Danville
Hendricks County, Indiana
ViewNearbyPlainfield
Hendricks County, Indiana
ViewNearbyMonrovia
Morgan County, Indiana
ViewNearbyAvon
Hendricks 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 Clayton?
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.