Demolition & Land Clearing Contractor in Louisville, KY

Why Demolition & Land Clearing Contractor Work Is Different in Kentucky

Most demo crews drop the building and walk. The cleanup, the hauling, the rough grade, and the surprise burn-pile bill all fall on you. We see it most often on overgrown rural lots in Bullitt and Nelson counties — five acres of brush and a half-fallen barn, the cheapest contractor knocks it flat, then leaves the homeowner with a debris field and no plan. We're Eric and Jerry Orm, and as a demolition and land clearing contractor in Louisville we price the whole job: tear it down, load it out, haul it off, grind the stumps, and leave the lot graded and ready for what's next. After 20+ years of clearing Kentucky property — overgrown pasture in Cox's Creek, fallen-in barns off Highway 44, tight residential teardowns in the Highlands — we know what the cleanup actually costs and we put it in writing the first time.

Who Hires Us for Demolition & Land Clearing Contractor Work

Homeowners with an overgrown lot they can't even walk through anymore. Property owners reclaiming pasture or fence rows that haven't been touched in 20 years. Builders prepping a wooded lot for a new home and needing the trees down, stumps out, and a building pad rough-graded. We also clear small commercial sites — old strip-center pads, shed and barn complexes, abandoned mobile homes. Concrete demolition jobs for slab tear-out and replacement. Forestry mulching for landowners who want selective clearing without burn piles or haul-off bills. And we handle the storm-damage calls — fallen trees across driveways, snapped poles, hillside washouts after a big rain. If your lot is overgrown, your barn is leaning, or your slab needs to come out before the next pour, we'll come look at it.

What We Do

• Demolition

  Sheds, garages, barns, mobile homes, slabs, foundations, and small commercial structures. We pull the demo permit when the city requires it, coordinate utility disconnects, knock the structure down, load it out, and haul it to the dump. Pricing moves with structure size, materials (lots of metal in old barns is a credit, lots of asbestos is a cost), and dump distance.

• Concrete Demolition

  Driveway, slab, sidewalk, and foundation tear-out. We bring a hammer attachment for thick slabs and saw-cut clean edges where the new pour ties in. Hauled off clean — usually $2-$4 per square foot for residential driveway tear-out. Foundation removal runs higher depending on depth and rebar density.

• Land Clearing

  Overgrown lots back to building-ready acreage. Trees down, brush pushed, fence rows ripped, old debris hauled. Light brush runs $500-$2,500 per acre. Heavy timber with stump removal runs $3,500-$8,000+ per acre depending on tree size, density, and what we do with the wood. Burn permits coordinated with the county fire marshal when allowed.

• Stump Removal & Grinding

  Single stumps in a backyard or full lots after a clear. We grind to 6 inches below grade for building pads, or extract entirely for clean fields where you don't want any wood left underground. Backfilled with topsoil or screenings. Per-stump pricing for small jobs, per-acre for full lot cleanups.

• Forestry Mulching

  A drum mulcher mounted on a skid steer chews trees and brush into a fine mulch layer right where they stood. No haul-off, no burn pile, leaves a clean usable surface. Great for selective clearing, fence-line work, food plots, and view corridors. Runs $1,800-$3,500 per acre depending on density and tree diameter.

Where We Work

A lot of our clearing work runs through rural Bullitt and Nelson counties — overgrown pasture off Highway 44, fence rows in Cox's Creek, fallen-in barns outside Bardstown. We handle Hardin County clearing around Elizabethtown and into the Fort Knox area. Demolition runs heaviest in Louisville itself — older Highlands and Crescent Hill garage tear-downs, slab demos in Fern Creek and Jeffersontown, and small commercial site clearings across Jefferson County. We coordinate burn permits with the county fire marshal when burning is allowed, and we time rural clearing work around the Kentucky outdoor burning bans (Oct 1-Dec 15 and Feb 15-Apr 30).

Related Services

• Concrete Contractor
• Excavation Contractor
• Grading Contractor
• Land Clearing Contractor
• Utility Installation Contractor
• Site Prep Contractor
• Deck Builder
• Pergola Builder
• Covered Porch Builder
• Patio & Outdoor Living Contractor
• Driveway Contractor
• Retaining Wall Contractor

Frequently Asked Questions

• How much does demolition cost in Louisville?

  Concrete tear-out runs $2-$4 per square foot. Small structure demolition (sheds, garages) typically runs $1,500-$5,000. Larger barns, mobile homes, or small commercial demos run $5,000-$25,000+ depending on size, materials, and dump distance. Land clearing runs $500-$8,000+ per acre.

• How long does a demolition or land clearing project take?

  Small structure demos are 1-2 days. Concrete slab tear-out is usually a single day. Full lot clears run 3-10 working days depending on acreage and tree density. Forestry mulching covers 1-3 acres per day. Weather can slow rural clearing in Kentucky spring.

• Are you licensed and insured for demolition work?

  Yes. E & J General Contracting is licensed and insured in Kentucky. We carry general liability and workers' comp, and we'll hand you proof of both before any structure comes down. We also pull demolition permits when the city or county requires them.

• Do you handle burn permits for land clearing?

  Yes. Kentucky requires a burn permit from the county fire marshal for open burning of cleared brush. There are also statewide outdoor burning bans October 1-December 15 and February 15-April 30. We help you pull the permit and time the burn around the bans.

• What's the best time of year for land clearing in Kentucky?

  Late summer through early fall is ideal — leaves dropping, ground firm, no nesting birds, and burn windows open. We clear year-round, but frozen ground in January is fine and saturated clay in March is not. We tell you what's realistic for your site and timeline.

• Do you do residential and commercial demolition?

  Both. Most of our demolition is residential — sheds, garages, slabs, foundations, mobile homes. We also handle small commercial demos: old strip-center pads, abandoned shop buildings, and slab tear-outs for new construction across the Louisville metro and surrounding counties.

• What areas do you serve?

  Louisville and all of Jefferson County, plus Bullitt County (Shepherdsville, Mount Washington), Nelson County (Bardstown, Cox's Creek), and Hardin County (Elizabethtown). Most of our heavy land clearing runs through rural Bullitt and Nelson.

• How do I get a free demolition or land clearing estimate?

  Call Eric at 502-498-3173 or fill out the free estimate form. We walk the property, identify what's coming down, check for utilities and hazards, and hand you a written, itemized quote — usually within 48 hours of your call. The estimate is free and you're not committed to anything.