Excavation in Whitehall, New York
We handle foundations, footings, trenching, septic and site work throughout Whitehall and Washington County.
John Trombley Construction is a family-owned excavation contractor working throughout Whitehall and the surrounding area. Alongside excavation we handle:
Get A Free EstimateSlate Above, Clay Below
Whitehall sits at the head of Lake Champlain in the New York end of the Slate Valley, and the ground splits into two problems depending on where you are standing. Up on the higher ground it is the Taconic slate belt — slate and shale bedrock, often shallow, with ledge that shows up where you would not expect it. That is the same rock that runs through Fair Haven and Poultney on the Vermont side, which is ground we work constantly.
Down in the valley bottoms toward the lake it flips. There you get clay, poor drainage and a higher water table, which is a different job entirely: the digging is easy and the water is the problem. A foundation or a septic field that ignores that will be dealing with it every spring.
What That Means for Your Job
Between the two there is glacial till, stony and dense, with enough rock in it to slow a dig without being solid ledge. So the first question on any Whitehall job is which of those three you are actually on, and the answer changes the price and the schedule more than anything else about the work.
We are close by — Whitehall is a short run from our yard in Castleton, and we are on job sites across Washington County regularly, which means we are not pricing a day of travel into the quote and we can get back out if something needs a second look.
Excavation in Whitehall — Common Questions
It depends where you are. On the higher ground the slate and shale bedrock is often shallow, and ledge is a real possibility. In the valley bottoms toward the lake it is clay and water rather than rock. We look at the ground before quoting rather than assuming either.
Yes, and it is common in the low ground here. It changes how the job is done — timing, dewatering, and how the finished work is drained — so it needs to be planned for rather than discovered halfway through.
Yes. Whitehall is a short run from our yard in Castleton and we work throughout the county, including East Whitehall and the surrounding area.
Excavation in Whitehall & Beyond
