What to expect on stump grinding day

Grind day should feel boring. You get a text when we leave the shop, we knock, we grind, we clean up, we send photos, we leave. Here is the whole timeline.

The eight-step timeline

  1. Arrival call or text. We ping you thirty to sixty minutes before we arrive. You do not have to be home, but you do have to answer if we need a code, a gate opened, or a dog moved.
  2. Site walk. Five minutes at the stump with whoever is home. We confirm the exact stumps, the depth tier from your quote, and where the chips are going. You point out private utilities we should stay away from.
  3. Utility mark check. The NC 811 paint should already be down. We photograph the marks against your stump so the record shows we started inside the tolerance zone.
  4. Machine staging. The grinder comes off the trailer, moves to the stump, and gets leveled. On a small stump this is five minutes. On a tight backyard with a compact grinder through a 36 inch gate, up to fifteen.
  5. The grind. The wheel starts. Loud but rhythmic. Most yard stumps are done in thirty to sixty minutes of wheel time. Bigger oaks or deeper tiers can push past ninety minutes.
  6. Rake and level. Chips come out of the pit, get raked into a neat mound (or spread, or loaded, depending on your quote). The spot is left level with the surrounding grade.
  7. Finished photos. We take three photos: the stump before, the spot after, and a wide shot of the yard so you can see we did not damage anything. Photos go to your phone by text.
  8. Invoice and payment. The invoice matches the quote to the dollar. Card, ACH, or check. Same day or on your net terms if we set those up.

What we bring, what you provide

Korven brings the grinder, ramps, rakes, PPE, and a fresh set of carbide teeth. You provide access to the yard, a water spigot if we are wetting down chips on a hot day, and permission to be on the property. That is it. No plug-ins, no cleanup, no lifting.

When things go sideways

Occasionally we find a surprise: buried concrete, rebar from an old fence post, a second stump hiding under vines. When that happens we stop the machine and call before the meter runs. You get to choose whether to expand the scope or stop where we are. Nothing on your invoice will surprise you.

If this is your first grind, read how long does stump grinding take to line up your day with our timeline.

Common questions

Do I need to move my car?
Only if it is between the driveway apron and the stump. Otherwise your car stays where it is. We work around most parked cars without a problem.
How much noise, and for how long?
A modern grinder runs around ninety to ninety five decibels at the machine, similar to a lawn tractor. On a single yard stump the loud part lasts thirty to sixty minutes.
Do I have to sign anything?
You already signed the quote acceptance when you scheduled. On the day we do a short site-walk sheet that confirms the stumps and the depth, and after the grind you sign off on the finished photos. That is it.

Keep reading

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Try the ballpark estimator for a rough range in ten seconds, or send photos through the free quote tool for a firm written number in one business day. Prefer to talk? Call (704) 780-2891.

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