Topsoil and fill dirt
The ground has to be right before anything else is
A lot of the problems people call us about are not paving problems at all. The ground beside the drive has dropped, the yard holds water against the house after a storm, or a shoulder has washed out and left an edge with nothing holding it up. All of those are fixed with material and shaping, not with asphalt.
So we bring in what the job needs. Fill dirt builds up levels and closes hollows. Topsoil goes over the top where grass has to grow back. Robert and Son Paving has been working this ground for three generations, residential and commercial, out of Federalsburg.
We come out, walk it, and tell you what the ground actually needs before anybody talks about a surface. We do that on every property we price, including the farms around Preston.
What is the difference between topsoil and fill dirt?
Fill dirt is the material you use to build something up. It is the deeper soil with the organic matter taken out of it, which is exactly what you want underneath, because it packs down and stays put instead of settling and rotting away over a few seasons.
Topsoil is the dark living layer off the top, and it is the opposite. It holds water, it moves, and it is full of organic matter, which makes it wonderful for grass and useless as a foundation. So fill goes in low, topsoil goes on last, and neither one ever goes under a driveway. That rule is behind the way we build every surface in Federalsburg, where the topsoil comes out before anything else goes in.
Where does fill dirt usually go on a job?
The common ones are low areas in a yard that pond after rain, ruts and washouts along the sides of a lane, hollows left where something was dug out or taken away, and ground that has settled beside a building. Filling those is not just cosmetic. Standing water next to a hard surface is what starts the damage.
Shoulders are the other big one. A driveway edge with a drop beside it has nothing supporting the asphalt, so it breaks away the first time a wheel rides over. Building the shoulder back up with fill and topping it with soil and seed protects the edge and stops the next washout. If you want to know what kind of soil you are working with on your own ground, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service maps it county by county.
Free estimate on your topsoil or fill
A third generation Eastern Shore family. Two year warranty on all the work we do.
Call (410) 924-4174Do you shape the ground as well as deliver the material?
Yes, and that is usually the part that matters. A pile of dirt in the right place is a start, not a finish. The material has to go in at the right depth, get worked down so it is not left loose, and then be shaped so water runs somewhere sensible instead of collecting in the new low spot you just made.
We set the falls by eye and by line, the same way we set them under a driveway, because the principle does not change. Water leaves, or it causes a problem. Where the job is really about reshaping an existing surface rather than adding material, that is excavation and grading work instead, and we will tell you which one you are looking at.
Why choose Robert and Son Paving for dirt work?
Because we are looking at your ground through a paving contractor's eyes. We have spent three generations finding out the hard way where water goes on Eastern Shore properties, and that is exactly the knowledge that decides whether fill dirt fixes a problem or moves it ten feet to the left.
We hold MHIC #74385, we have been BBB accredited A+ since 2018, and every job carries a two year warranty. Estimates are free, residential and commercial. Often the dirt work is stage one and the surface follows, whether that is asphalt or a stone driveway laid on top once the ground is right.
Ask a paving contractor
Straight answers about asphalt paving on the Eastern Shore
How much fill dirt will my job need?
It depends on the area and how deep the low ground is, so we measure it on site rather than guessing over the phone. The estimate is free, and you get one number that covers the material and the work.
Can you fill a low spot that holds water in my yard?
Usually yes. We fill it with material that packs down and stays put, then shape the ground around it so water has somewhere to go. Filling a hollow without giving the water a route out just moves the puddle.
Will grass grow on what you put down?
It will where we finish with topsoil. Fill dirt is there to build levels and hold weight, so we cap it with topsoil in any area that needs to green up, and you or your landscaper can seed straight onto it.
Do you haul away dirt as well as bring it in?
Yes. Plenty of jobs are the other way around, where material has to come off the site before anything else happens. We handle it either direction and tell you which one your property actually needs.
Can you build up the ground before a new driveway?
That is one of the most common reasons we do it. Low or soft ground gets built up and compacted first, then the stone base goes on top of something solid, which is the only way a new surface holds its shape.
Do you deliver topsoil outside Federalsburg?
Yes. We work Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, Queen Anne's, Wicomico and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland plus Sussex County, Delaware. Preston, Trappe, Denton, Hurlock and Easton are all inside our normal range.