White Pine sits in the northeast corner of Jefferson County, close to where Interstate 81 ends at Interstate 40, and near the upper reaches of Douglas Lake where the French Broad and Nolichucky rivers come in. It is farm country, and much of the work here is on acreage: clearing fence rows gone to trees, cutting a building site out of a pasture, and running a gravel drive back from the road.
The ground changes quickly. River bottomland is deep and soft, and it floods; the ridges are clay over rock. A barn pad that would be easy on the ridge may need a lot of fill and compaction near the river, and a septic system needs soil that is not saturated, which is why the soil evaluation matters so much on low ground.
Long rural driveways are their own job. A drive that crosses a wet draw needs a culvert sized for real storm water, and one that climbs a ridge needs a surface and ditches that keep the gravel from washing to the bottom every spring.
What we do in White Pine
- Land clearing and tree removal
- House sites, pads and footers
- Septic installs to the permit
- Underground utility trenches
- Gravel driveways and drainage
- Pool digs and installs
QWhite Pine questions
Asked about White Pine.
Can I put a septic system on bottomland near the river?
Sometimes, sometimes not. Septic needs soil that is not saturated or flooded. The county’s soil evaluation will show whether the low ground works, needs an alternative system, or whether the system has to go on higher ground on your property.
How do I keep a long gravel drive from washing out?
Give water somewhere to go. That means a crown or cross slope so rain sheds off the surface, ditches along the uphill side, culverts where water crosses, and a compacted base under the topping gravel. Most washed-out drives are drainage problems, not gravel problems.
Do you clear overgrown pasture and fence rows?
Yes. Land clearing is one of the main things we do, from brush and saplings to full tree lines, with the debris piled for a permitted burn or hauled off, depending on the job.