Site Preparation & Dirt Work
Building pads, grading, leveling, and drainage shaping — stable, well-drained ground ready for construction, agriculture, or recreation.
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Land grading sets where the rain goes once it lands on your ground. A home site or a freshly cleared lot left in humps and hollows holds water in every dip. Ruts and washes cut deeper with each hard rain, and wet field edges stay too soft to cross. On Sharkey clay, which takes in water very slowly, the shape of the surface decides how long water sits.
Our compact track loader cuts the high ground and carries that dirt into the low ground. A finish pass then smooths the surface so rain runs off. Land grading sits inside our site preparation and dirt work. When the water needs a ditch or a pipe to leave, we add drainage and culvert installation.
The soil under a tract controls how long rain stays on top. USDA describes Sharkey clay, on the Mississippi River floodplain, as very slowly permeable. From December through April in normal years, the top of its surface layer stays saturated. When it dries out, the same clay cracks open at the surface.
Richland Parish holds both clay and silt loam. Waxy clay runs along Bayou Lafourche, while the Macon Ridge in the east half is mainly silt loam. On either soil, a dished or uneven surface collects water instead of shedding it.
Cleared ground is rarely smooth ground. Heavy clearing can leave stump holes and ruts behind. On a slope, rain with no shaped path cuts its own wash, and each storm digs it deeper.
One national cost guide defines land grading as leveling the ground or contouring the slope so water drains. The rough pass moves the most dirt. The bucket shaves the humps down and fills the hollows with what it cuts.
Where a cut goes below the topsoil, the topsoil comes off first and waits in a pile. When the shape is set, it goes back over the top. If the tract runs short of dirt, a local supplier delivers fill. We spread it in thin lifts and pack each lift with the tracks.
The finish pass is lighter and smooths the top few inches. On a home site, the finished grade has to carry water away from the foundation. Louisiana's residential code wants a drop of at least 6 inches over the first 10 feet. Lawn-scale work around a house, such as low spots and topsoil, is our yard leveling service.
The free on-site estimate comes first. It notes where water stands after a rain and picks the outlet the water will follow off the tract. From there we size the ground to shape and any fill to order.
Wet clay sets the calendar, so cuts on Sharkey ground wait for drier weeks. We talk timing on the estimate.
Our grading machine is a compact track loader that runs a bucket and a grapple. It suits home sites, barn sites, lots and field edges. Big cut and fill jobs, long slopes and laser leveling of row-crop fields need a dozer or a laser-scraper crew. We tell you when a job is one of those.
Graded land sheds a hard rain, so you can get back on it sooner. A home or barn site that drains keeps water from collecting against the building. A cleared tract with a finished grade also reads as ready-to-use ground when it comes time to sell.
Free, no-obligation site evaluations across Northeast Louisiana.
(318) 235-7597Mike owns and improves his own land — adding roads, ponds, food plots, and habitat. We treat your property the way we treat ours: practical, durable, and built to last.
Led by a nationally recognized land specialist with America’s Land Partners ($52.5M+ sold). Every improvement is made with usability, marketability, and long-term property value in mind.
Hands-on USDA and NRCS habitat experience — food plots, shooting lanes, and deer management designed around how game actually uses your land.
Part 107 certified aerial imagery, property mapping, and drone-based deer herd analysis — insight few land-improvement companies can offer.
Based in Northeast Louisiana and licensed across LA, AR & MS with America’s Land Partners — deep regional knowledge of the land, the soil, and the market.
Fully insured for your protection and peace of mind — your property, your project, and your investment are covered from the first pass to the final grade.
Mike Martien sizes up land for a living as a nationally recognized land specialist with America's Land Partners. So we plan grading for the whole tract, and our drone can show a bigger tract from the air first. The on-site estimate is free, and it flags any job that calls for a dozer or a laser-scraper crew.
From the first call to the final pass, here’s exactly what working with us looks like.
Fill out our quick estimate form or give us a call. Tell us about your property and what you’re trying to accomplish.
We walk the ground with you, assess the conditions, and talk through the best plan for your land — clearing, improvements, habitat, and access.
You get a straightforward plan and a free, no-obligation estimate — viewed through the lens of usability, wildlife, and long-term value.
Our crew arrives ready to clear, shape, and improve your property with the care of a fellow landowner — and leave it ready for what’s next.
Common questions about land grading across Northeast Louisiana. Don’t see yours? Give us a call — we’re happy to help.
Land Grading is one of the specialty services inside Site Preparation & Dirt Work.
Building pads, grading, leveling, and drainage shaping — stable, well-drained ground ready for construction, agriculture, or recreation.
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New recreational, fishing, livestock, and ag ponds built — and existing ponds cleaned out and reshaped — sited and shaped to hold water and last.
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Driveway culverts, ditches, swales and drainage grading that get standing water off flat Delta ground so pads, roads, plots and pastures stay usable.
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House pads, shop pads and barn pads built up with delivered fill, crowned to drain, and ready for the slab.
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Low spots and ruts filled, yards shaped to drain away from the house, and delivered topsoil spread and track-packed.
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Compact track loader work for a mixed job list: grapple cleanup, brush clearing, spreading delivered dirt and rock, and shaping lanes and pads.
Learn MoreReal words from clients who’ve trusted Mike with their land as a land specialist with America’s Land Partners — the same care and work ethic he brings to every Big Cypress project.
“Mike Martien secured my real estate sale through very difficult circumstances. He went above and beyond what would be expected of any agent. Anyone would be in the best of hands letting Mike work for you and with you.”
“We’ve known Mike for over 30 years. His work ethic and knowledge are exceptional. He’s passionate about helping others, trustworthy, and puts his client’s needs first. We highly recommend him to anyone working with land.”
“Mike has lifelong experience dealing with land management and development. His experience shows in researching current trends and values. For the most appropriate valuations and ease of sales, he can’t be beat.”
Ready to improve, enjoy, or get more value out of your land in Northeast Louisiana? Reach out for a free, no-obligation consultation — and put a fellow landowner’s experience to work on your property. Buying or selling? Mike wears that hat too, as a land specialist with America’s Land Partners.
