Excavation, Land Clearing & Site Prep in Cloverdale, Indiana
Cloverdale is the next town south of our Greencastle base on US 231, so a job here is a short run for the equipment, not a day trip. House sites, clearing, drives, ponds and drainage across Cloverdale and the ground around Cagles Mill Lake.
- Free estimates
- Based in Greencastle, Indiana
- One crew, first cut to final grade
Working in Cloverdale
Cloverdale sits at Exit 41 on I-70 in Putnam County, Indiana, and US 231 turns into Main Street as it comes through town. That puts the town on two very different kinds of ground. North and east of the interchange it is open farmland that is being split into house lots. South toward the lake it turns wooded and broken, with hollows, steep banks and long drives that have to climb to reach the house.
Most calls from here are rural ones. A new house on acreage needs the trees off the building site, a drive cut in, a pad shaped and the water sent somewhere it will not undo all of it. Older places need the lane rebuilt after it washes out, a culvert replaced, or a pond dug on a back field. Travis runs the job himself and walks the ground before he gives you a number.
The town is split between Cloverdale and Warren townships, and a lot of properties that carry a Cloverdale address sit well outside the town limits. Which office issues your permit depends on which side of that line you are on. We tell every landowner to ask before the work starts, and we will work to whatever the permit says.
If you have a lot or acreage around Cloverdale, call (317) 203-8928 or send the address through the form on this page. Say what you are building, or what is going wrong, and Travis will come and look.
Lake country south of town
Cagles Mill Lake sits on the border of Putnam and Owen counties, inside the Lieber State Recreation Area, with Cataract Falls at its upper end. Mill Creek feeds it from the north and drains it again below the dam, which the Army Corps of Engineers built for flood control and finished in 1953. The ground that runs down toward it is the reason so many Cloverdale jobs are on slopes.
Slope changes the work. A drive that climbs a bank needs its water turned off the stone before it runs the length of the lane, or the first heavy rain cuts a gully down the middle. A house pad on a hillside is part cut and part fill, and the fill has to be placed and packed in layers so it does not settle under a corner of the foundation. Clearing on a steep bank is often better done with a mulcher, which leaves the chip on the ground to hold the soil while grass comes back. If your lot drops toward a creek or the lake, there may be floodplain or state rules on it, so check with the county and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources first.
Farm ground north of I-70
Above the interchange US 231 widens to four lanes and then narrows again on the way up to Greencastle, and State Road 42 crosses it in Cloverdale Township. Much of the land along these roads is flat field ground being sold off in pieces. A new house there is usually a simpler dig than one on the lake side, but flat land drains slowly, and old field tile tends to turn up right where the basement is going.
When we hit tile, we find where it runs and reconnect it or reroute it around the house. Cutting it and walking away leaves a wet basement for you or standing water in the neighbor's field. A drive coming off a state road or county road needs an entrance that takes the ditch water under it, which is where a correctly sized culvert earns its keep. Our driveway culvert guide covers what to ask for.
Before anything gets dug
Every job starts with a call to Indiana 811 so the buried lines are marked, and that includes rural lots where you would not expect a line. Our 811 guide walks through how it works. Your permit questions go to the town office if you are inside Cloverdale and to the Putnam County office if you are outside it. Confirm what applies to your lot before the price is final.
Cloverdale is part of the same home ground as the rest of our Putnam County, Indiana work, and if you are planning water on the back acres, read our pond construction page for Putnam County, Indiana before you call.
What we get called for
- Clearing wooded lots and overgrown fields for a house or barn
- Forestry mulching brush and small timber on slopes near the lake
- Gravel drives cut in and rebuilt on hillside and farm ground
- Culverts where a drive crosses a ditch or draw
- Basement and foundation digs for new houses
- Pond digging and shaping on rural acreage
- Pole barn and building pads, then finish grade and seed
Putnam County, Indiana
Home ground. Greencastle, Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Fillmore and Reelsville — the county the equipment sits in overnight.
See the countyService in townLand Clearing in Greencastle & Putnam County, Indiana
See the pageService in townGravel Driveways in Greencastle & Putnam County, Indiana
See the pageService in townPond Construction in Putnam County, Indiana
See the pageJobs 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 Cloverdale.
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 take small jobs around Cloverdale, like one culvert or a short drive?
Yes. Cloverdale is just down US 231 from Greencastle, so a short job here does not carry a long haul for the machines. One culvert, one washed-out lane or one wet corner of a yard is normal work for us. Call (317) 203-8928 with the address.
My lot near Cagles Mill Lake is steep and wooded. Can it be built on?
Often it can, but the plan depends on the slope, where the water runs and whether any of it is in a floodplain. Travis will walk the lot, show you where a pad and drive could sit, and tell you what has to be confirmed with the county or the DNR first.
Which office handles permits for a Cloverdale address?
It depends on whether the property is inside the town limits or out in the township. Inside town, start with the Town of Cloverdale. Outside it, start with Putnam County. Ask them directly what your project needs before work is scheduled.
Can you rebuild a gravel lane that washes out every spring?
Yes. A lane that keeps washing is usually a water problem, not a stone problem. We reshape the crown, cut in ditches or turnouts, add a culvert where water crosses, and then put new stone on a base that will hold it.
Other towns we cover.
Cloverdale is part of the Putnam County work. See every service area.
Nearby communities
Reelsville
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewNearbyGreencastle
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewNearbyFillmore
Putnam County, Indiana
ViewNearbySpencer
Owen 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 Cloverdale?
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.