Slate Belt borough

Excavation Contractors in Slatington, PA

Quarry history, a hill rising from the river, and older homes on compact lots.

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Written, line-item quote before any digging
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Earthwork in the Slate Belt

Excavation contractors in Slatington work on slate country ground. The borough is in the Slate Belt, where two Welshmen recognized the value of the local slate; a quarry opened in 1845 and a factory followed in 1847. Slatington sits on the west side of the Lehigh River and rises from about 345 feet at the river to 742 feet on a hill south of South Street. The 2020 census counted 4,283 residents.

Slope from the river

Nearly 400 feet of rise in a 1.32-square-mile borough means a lot of sloped lots. Water runs downhill toward the river and the homes in its way. Curtain drains, swales and downspout lines are frequent requests, along with stabilizing cut banks behind houses.

Slate and shale underfoot

Slate and shale break differently than limestone. Shallow work usually goes well with a bucket, but deeper digs can hit hard layers. We give a firm quote for typical depths and explain how harder rock would be handled.

Older housing

Population peaked at 4,454 in 1910, and the borough's 1,924 housing units in 2020 include many old homes. The Slatington Historic District joined the National Register in 2010. Laterals, garages, porches and drainage fill most of our calendar here.

Planning a Slatington project

Victory Park, with its pool, disc golf course and amphitheater, and the Fireman's Drinking Fountain show the borough's civic history. Residential streets are compact and climb from the river. On steep lots, we plan access with care and often use smaller machines.

The 2020 rental vacancy rate was 7.3 percent and homeowner vacancy 1.5 percent, with many long-term owners improving older homes. Garages, porches, laterals and drainage make up most of the work. Slate and shale layers near the surface can make a footing dig slower than expected, so we look at the site before quoting firm numbers.

Streets

The borough maintains 13.83 of its 16.06 miles of public roads. PA 873 runs along Main and Walnut streets and is a state road; work in its right-of-way needs PennDOT approval. Call (610) 756-2728 or

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What to Know in Slatington

Slate history. Slatington is in the Slate Belt; a slate quarry opened in 1845 and a factory followed in 1847.
Elevation. Elevation ranges from about 345 feet at the Lehigh River to 742 feet on a hill south of South Street.
Housing. The 2020 census counted 4,283 residents and 1,924 housing units, 8.0 percent vacant; the population peaked at 4,454 in 1910.
Roads. As of 2019 the borough had 16.06 miles of public roads, 13.83 borough-maintained; PA 873 runs along Main and Walnut streets.

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Slatington Questions

Is digging in slate harder?

Shallow slate and shale usually dig fine; deeper hard layers may need a hammer. We explain that in the quote.

Water from the hill floods my basement. Can you help?

Often, with a curtain drain or swale uphill and underground downspout lines.

Do you work along Main Street?

Yes. Main Street is PA 873, so PennDOT approval applies for right-of-way work.

Can you build a level parking pad on a sloped lot?

Often, with cut-and-fill and sometimes a short retaining wall. We tell you what the slope allows.

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Free estimates in Slatington.

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