Crockett · Houston County · All Of East Texas
Doing East Texas Dirt Work Right For 35+ Years.
Gardner Excavating is a family-owned Circle G outfit out of Crockett. Ponds, house pads, land clearing, roads, culverts and heavy equipment hauling, built to last, at a fair price, with free quotes.
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Tell us about your project, ponds, pads, clearing, roads, and we will get right back to you.
Dirt Work Done Right
The Name East Texas Has Trusted For 35+ Years
From a stock pond to an 18,000 square foot house pad, Gardner Excavating gets in, does the work right, and stands behind it.
Anybody with a tractor can move dirt. Building a pad that will not settle under your house, a pond that actually holds water, or a road that survives an East Texas gully-washer takes something else: experience, the right iron, and the judgment that only comes from decades of doing it. That is what 35+ years in Houston County buys you.
Gardner Excavating is a family-owned outfit, the Circle G, run the old-fashioned way: honest bids, fair prices, and clean work start to finish. Our customers say it better than we can, easy to work with, came in under bid, and stayed till the job was done. That is how you last 35+ years in a small town.
Meet Gardner Excavating
What We Do
Full-Service Dirt Work
Everything your place needs moved, shaped, dug or hauled, from ponds to pads to roads, by one family crew.
Land Clearing
Turning raw East Texas timber and brush into clean, usable ground.
Learn moreHouse & Building Pads
Engineered, compacted pads built to hold, from home to shop.
Learn morePonds & Lakes
Dug, shaped and sealed ponds and lakes that hold water and look great.
Learn moreRoads & Driveways
Private roads and driveways built and rocked to last through the rain.
Learn moreCulverts & Drainage
Culverts, ditches and pasture-wash repair that move water the right way.
Learn moreFoundation & Site Prep
Digging, grading and prep so your build sits solid and true.
Learn moreDemolition & Dirt Work
Tear-outs, dirt removal and hauling, cleared clean and hauled off.
Learn moreHeavy Equipment Hauling
Lowboy hauling of dozers, excavators and equipment across East Texas.
Learn more
Why Gardner
Honest Bids. Fair Prices. Clean Work.
When you have done this as long as we have, you learn that the work speaks for itself, and so does how you treat people. We show up, we bid it fair, and we do not leave until it is right.
- 35+ years in East Texas. Experience you cannot fake and cannot rush.
- Family owned. You deal with the folks who do the work, not a salesman.
- Fair, honest bids. Our customers say we came in under, more than once.
- Free quotes, always. On ponds, pads, clearing, roads, all of it.
- Clean work, start to finish. We stay till the job is done right.
How It Works
From Free Quote To Finished
Simple, honest, and the way it ought to be done.
Call For A Free Quote
Tell us about your pond, pad, clearing or road. We come look and give you a fair, honest bid.
We Schedule It
We lock in a time that works and bring the right iron for the job.
We Do The Work
The crew gets in, works hard, and builds it to last, no shortcuts.
Clean, Finished, Done
We finish clean, haul off the mess, and stay till you are happy with it.
A Closer Look
Every Service, Explained
What each service involves, and why 35+ years of doing it right in East Texas matters.
Land Clearing
East Texas is timber country, and most projects start by opening the ground up. We clear brush, trees, stumps and undergrowth and haul off or pile the debris, turning a raw, wooded tract into clean, usable land ready to build, farm or graze. More on land clearing →
House & Building Pads
Our signature work. We build engineered, compacted dirt pads for homes, shops and barns, hauling in select fill and compacting it in lifts so the pad holds and the slab stays flat. From a small shop pad to an 18,000 square foot house pad, we build it to last. More on pads →
Ponds & Lakes
A well-built pond is a thing of beauty and a lot of engineering. We dig, shape and seal ponds and lakes, from a stock tank to a several-acre lake, built to hold water, drain right and look great on your place. More on ponds & lakes →
Roads & Driveways
Private roads and driveways cut, shaped, crowned and rocked to shed water and stand up to East Texas rain and loaded trucks. Whether it is a short drive or a long ranch road, we build the base right. More on roads →
Culverts & Drainage
Water is what tears a place up. We install culverts, shape ditches, and repair pasture washes and erosion so water goes where you want it instead of cutting a gully through your property. More on culverts & drainage →
Foundation & Site Prep
Digging, grading and prep that gets a site ready to build: footings, pads and rough grade, done to plan so the concrete crew, and everyone after, has solid, accurate ground to work on. More on foundation & site prep →
Demolition & Dirt Work
Old structures, slabs and eyesores torn out and hauled off, plus the general dirt work, cut, fill, grade and dirt removal, that shapes a property the way you want it. More on demolition & dirt work →
Heavy Equipment Hauling
We run lowboy hauling for dozers, excavators and heavy equipment across East Texas, getting iron to the jobsite safely and on time, ours or yours. More on hauling →
Built For This Ground
Dirt Work That Understands East Texas
Good dirt work is invisible when it is done right and impossible to ignore when it is done wrong. It is the pad you never think about because your slab never cracks, the pond that fills every spring, the road that does not wash out. On East Texas ground, getting there takes knowing this dirt.
Sand, Clay & Fill
East Texas ground runs from loose sand to tight clay, sometimes on the same lot. Each behaves differently under a load, which is why a good pad means hauling in the right select fill and compacting it in lifts, not just pushing up what is there.
Rain & Gully-Washers
When it rains here, it pours, and water finds every low spot and lazy grade. We build drainage, crown and culverts into everything so a gully-washer runs off clean instead of cutting a ditch through your property or floating your pad.
Timber & Stumps
Most tracts here start under pine and hardwood. Clearing them right means taking out the stumps and roots, shaping the ground, and hauling off or piling the debris so you are left with clean, workable land, not a mess.
None of it is fancy. It is dirt, water, sand and grade. But it is the foundation, literally, of everything you build on your place, and it is why folks across Houston County have called Gardner Excavating for 35+ years. When it has to be right, you want the crew that has been doing it right longer than most.
Recent Work
Real Jobs, East Texas Ground
Pads, clearing and dirt work across Houston County and beyond.
Since The 80s
35+ Years, One Handshake At A Time
You do not last 35+ years in a town the size of Crockett by cutting corners. In East Texas, your reputation is everything, and it gets built the hard way: one honest bid, one clean job, one satisfied neighbor at a time. That is the only way Gardner Excavating knows how to work, and it is why so much of what we do comes from folks who used us before or heard about us from someone who did.
Over those decades we have dug more ponds, built more pads, cleared more land and shaped more roads across Houston County than we could count, for ranchers, home builders, farmers and families. We have watched trees we cleared become homes, and ponds we dug fill up and fish for a generation. That is the part of this work we are proud of, the ground we shaped that folks are still living on.
The equipment has changed over the years, but the way we do business has not. Show up when we say. Bid it fair. Do it right. Stay till it is done. Treat your place like our own. That is the Circle G, and it is the same promise today as it was 35+ years ago.
Where We Work
Crockett & All Of East Texas
Home base in Crockett, on the job across Houston County and the East Texas piney woods.
Gardner Excavating runs out of Crockett, right in the heart of East Texas, and we work all over the area, Grapeland, Lovelady, Palestine, Lufkin, Trinity, Huntsville and the country in between. If you have got dirt to move, a pond to dig or a pad to build, we will bring the iron to you.
Being local and family-owned means you get a fair price and a crew that treats your place like their own. Not sure if you are in our range? Give us a call. If we can get the equipment there, we will come take a look.
What Folks Say
Reviews You Can Trust
"They were easy to work with and got the work done quickly at a good price. They saved the septic system and water meter."
"They bid on both jobs and came in under on both of them. They could not be more fair. I highly recommend them."
"Clearing, foundation, pond and land building, and communication. Clean work, start to finish."
Good Questions
Excavation FAQs
What areas do you serve?
We are based in Crockett and work all of East Texas, Houston County plus Grapeland, Lovelady, Palestine, Lufkin, Trinity, Huntsville and the surrounding area. If you are nearby and not sure, call (936) 546-8305.
How long have you been in business?
Gardner Excavating (Circle G) has been doing dirt work in East Texas for 35+ years. That kind of experience is exactly what you want on a pond, a pad or a road.
Do you build ponds and lakes?
Yes, it is some of our favorite work. We dig, shape and seal ponds and lakes of all sizes, built to hold water and drain right. See our Ponds & Lakes page.
Do you build house and shop pads?
Absolutely, it is our signature work. We haul in select fill and compact engineered pads in lifts so the pad holds and your slab stays flat, from a small shop pad to an 18,000 square foot house pad.
Are quotes really free?
Always. We offer free quotes on every job, ponds, pads, clearing, roads, all of it. Call (936) 546-8305 or use our contact form.
Do you haul in gravel, top soil and fill?
Yes. We run dump trucks and haul gravel, top soil, select fill and rock in, and dirt and debris out. It is part of nearly every job, and we handle it with our own trucks so it stays simple and affordable.
How big of a job do you take?
Both ends of it. We build small shop pads and short driveways as well as multi-acre lakes, large house pads and bigger site work. Whatever the size, you get the same honest bid and clean work.
Do you work weekends or after hours?
Our Google listing says always open, and we do our best to be reachable and flexible for East Texas folks. Dirt work is weather-dependent, but we will always give you a straight answer on timing and get to your job as quick as we can.
What makes Gardner different from other excavators?
Thirty-five-plus years, family ownership, and a track record of fair bids and clean work. When you call Gardner, you get the people who actually do the job, and a reputation built one satisfied neighbor at a time.
Do you offer references or can I see past work?
Of course. After 35+ years in Houston County, most of our work comes from word of mouth and repeat customers. Check our reviews on Google and our project photos on Facebook, and we are glad to point you to jobs near you.
Can you fix a pond or road that is washing out?
Yes. We repair pasture washes, failing ponds, eroded roads and drainage problems all the time. We find why the water is going where it should not, then fix the grade, culverts and drainage so it holds.
Do you haul heavy equipment?
Yes. We run lowboy hauling for dozers, excavators and heavy equipment across East Texas, ours or yours.
Who We Work For
Landowners, Builders & Everybody In Between
Big job or small, ranch or home lot, we bring the same honest work and fair price.
Landowners & Ranchers
Ponds and stock tanks, land clearing, ranch roads, culverts, pasture-wash repair and general dirt work to make the most of your place. The everyday work we have done for East Texas families for decades.
Home & Shop Builders
Compacted house and shop pads, foundation prep, driveways and site grading, hit to plan and built to hold, so your build starts on solid, level ground.
Contractors & Developers
Site prep, pads, roads, drainage and dirt work for larger projects, with the equipment and experience to move real material and keep the job on schedule.
Anyone With Dirt To Move
Tear-outs, cleanup, hauling, a driveway, a small pad, a drainage fix. No job is too small to do right, and you always get a free, fair quote.
The Right Iron For The Job
We run the equipment East Texas dirt work calls for, dozers, excavators, and dump trucks for hauling gravel, top soil and fill in and out. Clearing, digging, pad-building, pond work, roads and hauling are all handled by our own crew, so you deal with one family outfit that stands behind the whole job, not a string of subs. And because we haul our own iron, we get to your place across East Texas without a big mobilization bill tacked on.
Let's Move Some Dirt
Ready For A Free Quote?
Tell us about your pond, pad, clearing or dirt work. 35+ years of doing it right, at a fair price, with a family that stands behind the work.