Grading & Site Work in Franklin, NC and Across the Mountains

Every driveway, building pad, and road in these mountains starts with the dirt work, and most of the pavement and gravel failures we get called to fix started there too. For over 25 years Black Bear Paving has handled residential and commercial grading across Franklin, Highlands, Cashiers, Sylva, and Rabun County, Georgia: site preparation, building pads, driveway and road cuts, drainage, and gravel work, done with our own crew and our own equipment.

The best grading weather of the year is right now. Dry fall ground compacts properly, and work finished before winter has time to settle and stabilize before the hard rains and freeze-thaw. Call (828) 349-3390 or request a free estimate.

Grading & Site Work Services

Site Preparation & Building Pads

Cut, fill, and compaction for homes, garages, shops, and commercial buildings. On a slope, the pad has to be built in compacted lifts and keyed into the hillside, not pushed out over the edge and left loose. We set the pad, shape the lot so water drains away from it, and leave it ready for your builder.

Driveway & Road Cuts

We lay out and cut new driveways and access roads to a grade you can actually drive in winter, with curves a delivery truck or fire engine can make. From there we can take it as far as you want: gravel, asphalt, or a full subdivision road.

Drainage, Ditches & Culverts

Water does more damage up here than traffic ever will. We cut and re-establish roadside ditches, install and replace culvert pipe, build swales and turnouts, and regrade yards, lots, and driveways that hold water or send it toward a building.

Driveway & Private Road Regrading

Restoring the crown, cutting out potholes and washboard, and adding stone on gravel driveways and shared roads. See Gravel Driveways for details.

Washout & Erosion Repair

Rebuilding washed-out driveways, road shoulders, banks, and ditches after storms, and correcting the drainage that caused it so it doesn't happen again.

Parking Areas, Pads & Commercial Site Work

Subgrade and stone base for parking lots, equipment yards, RV and boat pads, and turnarounds, plus underground utility trenching, curbing, and retaining walls as part of a site package.

Get the Dirt Work Done Before Winter

Grading problems show up in winter. The low spot in the driveway becomes an ice patch. The ditch full of leaves sends water across the road, where it freezes overnight. The bank that's been slowly sloughing finally lets go in a January rain. Every one of those is easier and cheaper to fix in October than in February.

• Regrade and crown gravel driveways and private roads so snowmelt and rain run off instead of freezing in the wheel tracks.

• Clean ditches and clear or replace culverts before leaf fall and winter storms plug them.

• Fix washouts and low spots while the ground is dry enough to compact.

• Finish pads and road cuts and get them stoned and stabilized so they aren't sitting as bare dirt through the wet season.

• Build the base now for spring paving. A gravel base that goes through a winter of traffic and settling makes a better foundation for asphalt, and you're ready to pave as soon as spring weather allows.

We also keep private roads, lots, and driveways open once winter arrives. See snow removal and winter services.

Why Mountain Grading Is Different

Slope. Almost nothing here is flat. Cuts, fills, and benches have to be planned so they're stable, and driveways have to be routed to hold a reasonable grade.

Rain. Highlands gets close to 90 inches a year and Rabun County, Georgia more than 70, some of the highest totals in the eastern United States. Drainage isn't an add-on. It's the job.

Soil. Red clay turns to grease when it's wet and rock shows up wherever you don't want it. Knowing when to work the ground, and when to stay off it, matters as much as the equipment.

Streams. Most mountain properties have water on or near them. Both states regulate land disturbance near streams, and Georgia requires a 50-foot undisturbed buffer on trout streams, which includes most of the streams in Rabun County. We plan the work and the erosion control around those rules.

What Affects the Cost of Grading

We price grading on site, because no two lots are alike. What drives the number: how much material has to be cut, filled, or hauled; whether fill or stone has to be brought in; rock; access for equipment and trucks; how much drainage work and pipe is needed; clearing; and erosion control requirements. We'll walk the property with you, tell you what we'd do and why, and give you a written estimate at no charge.

Where We Work

Based at 6456 Sylva Road in Franklin, we cover Macon County (Franklin, Highlands, Otto, Scaly Mountain), Sylva and Jackson County (Sylva, Cashiers, Cullowhee, Dillsboro, Whittier, Cherokee), Bryson City and Swain County, and Clayton and Rabun County, Georgia (Clayton, Dillard, Rabun Gap, Sky Valley, Mountain City, Tiger, Lakemont, Lake Burton, and Lake Rabun).

Grading FAQs

How much does grading cost?

It depends on how much earth has to move, whether material is hauled in or out, rock, access, and drainage needs. Small driveway regrades and large building sites are very different jobs, so we give free on-site estimates rather than per-foot guesses.

Can you grade in the winter?

Often, yes. Winter work depends on ground conditions rather than the calendar. We can't compact frozen or saturated soil, so we work the dry stretches and stay off the ground when working it would do more harm than good. Fall is the most reliable season, which is why we encourage people to schedule before the holidays.

Do I need a permit for grading?

Sometimes. Larger land-disturbing projects, work near streams, and new driveway connections to public roads can all require permits. A driveway onto a state highway needs a DOT driveway permit in both North Carolina and Georgia, and Rabun County requires a road cut permit to connect to a county road. We'll tell you what applies to your site.

Do you take small grading jobs?

Yes. Driveway regrades, drainage fixes, culvert replacements, and small pads are a regular part of our work.

Can you fix drainage problems on an existing driveway or lot?

Yes. Most of the drainage work we do is corrective: water running down a driveway, standing in a yard or parking lot, or undermining a road shoulder. We find where it's coming from and give it a better path.

Do you handle the whole project, from grading through paving?

Yes, and that's the advantage of hiring a paving company for your dirt work. We build the subgrade and base knowing exactly what has to go on top of it, and one crew is accountable for the whole result.

Do you do grading in Clayton and Rabun County, Georgia?

Yes. We work throughout Rabun County, from Dillard and Sky Valley down to Lakemont and the lakes.