NH Dirt-Work Costs: The 2026 Numbers

Benchmarks

Land Clearing — Per Acre

Ground Type	Typical Range / Acre	What Drives It
Light — brush, saplings, field growback	$1,200 – $3,000	Mostly machine mulching time
Mixed — scattered mature trees + brush	$3,000 – $5,500	Tree count, chip vs. haul
Heavily wooded — mature forest	$5,500 – $8,000+	Density, stump count, haul volume

Adders: stump removal ≈ +$800/acre, full debris haul-away ≈ +$600/acre; sloped or ledgy terrain multiplies machine time 1.25–1.5×. Under one acre, minimums dominate — small clearings rarely quote below ~$2,000. Try your own numbers in the estimator.

Excavation

Item	Typical Range	Notes
Machine + operator, hourly	$110 – $200/hr	By machine class; mini-ex low end, 20-ton high
Residential foundation dig	$3,000 – $10,000	Size, water, ledge; test pits de-risk it
Test pits	$300 – $800	The cheapest insurance in construction
Utility trenching	$8 – $25/linear ft	Depth and rock dictate
Ledge hammering	$500 – $2,000+/day added	Why test pits exist

Gravel Driveways — Per Linear Foot (12-ft width)

Job	Typical Range	Spec
New construction	$15 – $30/lin ft	8–12" compacted base + 3–4" crushed surface, crowned
Rebuild failed sections	$9 – $18/lin ft	Base repair + new surface
Regrade & re-crown	$2 – $5/lin ft	The 1–3 year maintenance pass
Culvert installed	$800 – $1,500 each	Size and depth dependent

Drainage

Fix	Typical Range
Downspout day-lighting	$300 – $1,200
Foundation regrade	$800 – $3,000
French / curtain drain	$2,000 – $8,000
Swale construction	$1,000 – $4,000

The Regional Factors Behind Every Number

• Granite ledge — the single biggest cost variable in Lakes Region digging
• 48" frost depth — sets foundation and footing depths (NH residential code)
• Mud season — posted roads in March–April compress the trucking calendar
• Shoreland rules — waterfront jobs carry permit and erosion-control scope (RSA 483-B)
• Trucking distance — gravel is cheap; moving it isn't

Sources & method: ranges synthesized from national cost surveys (Angi/HomeAdvisor land clearing & excavation guides, HomeGuide clearing-per-acre data) adjusted to observed Lakes Region conditions; regulatory facts from NHDES (RSA 483-B shoreland program) and NH building code frost requirements. Estimates, not quotes — ground conditions rule. Updated January 2026.