Stump Grinding
Stump grinding
The least glamorous thing I do and the one people are most consistently glad they finally dealt with.
Same-day callback on estimates
Stump grinding starts at $250. Grinding takes the stump down below grade and leaves a pile of chips, which is different from full stump removal — nobody excavates the whole root system, because that would mean digging up your yard. Two things to tell me before I start: where your irrigation lines and septic field run, and how close the nearest limestone is.
Grinding versus removal, since the words get used loosely
Grinding is a machine with a rotating cutting wheel that chews the stump down to somewhere between a few inches and a foot below grade, depending on what you want to do with the spot afterwards. The major roots stay in the ground and rot over the next several years, which is fine — they're not going to resprout once the stump is gone.
Full extraction, where the root plate comes out, means heavy equipment and a hole. Occasionally that's what a job needs, usually for construction. For a homeowner who wants to stop mowing around a stump, grinding is the answer and it's a fraction of the disruption.
You end up with a mound of chips and soil. That settles a lot over a few months, so if you're planning to sod or plant there, leave it a season or top it up with real soil rather than expecting the chips to become lawn.
Why I ask about your septic and sprinklers first
Because a grinder doesn't know the difference between a root and a PVC lateral, and a lot of properties out toward Uhland, Niederwald and Maxwell are on septic. If the stump is anywhere near a drain field, I need to know before the wheel starts turning. Same for irrigation lines, invisible dog fence, low-voltage lighting and anything else buried shallow.
If you don't know where your lines run, that's worth finding out before you book stump work — from anyone, not just me.
The other thing I ask about is rock. On the west side — Dripping Springs, Driftwood, Bee Cave, Garden Ridge — limestone can be inches down. A grinder will find it and it will slow the job. That's not a surprise charge, it's a conversation I'd rather have first.
Do you actually need the stump gone?
Honestly, sometimes no. If it's out in a back corner where nobody mows and nothing trips over it, a stump is just slowly returning to soil and there's no urgency.
The real reasons to grind it: it's in the lawn and you're tired of steering around it, it's a trip hazard near a walkway, you want to plant or build there, or the species resprouts. Hackberry and mesquite in particular will keep throwing shoots from a live stump more or less forever.
Termites are the reason people usually give, and it's a weaker one than it sounds. Subterranean termites are already in your soil in Central Texas regardless. A stump isn't what brings them; it's just easy for them to eat. If a stump is within a few feet of your foundation, though, grinding it is a reasonable call.
What it costs
Starts at $250. Haul-away is included. Want the logs for firewood? Say so and my crew will stack them.
Questions I get asked
How much does stump grinding cost?
It starts at $250 for me. Diameter is the main driver, along with access for the machine and whether there's rock or buried utilities nearby.
What's the difference between stump grinding and stump removal?
Grinding uses a cutting wheel to reduce the stump to below ground level, leaving the larger roots in place to decay naturally. Full removal extracts the root plate with heavy equipment and leaves a substantial hole. For most homeowners, grinding achieves the goal with far less disruption.
Can you plant grass or a new tree where a stump was ground?
Grass yes, but not immediately in pure chips. The chip and soil mound settles for several months and the decomposing wood ties up nitrogen, so either wait a season or dig the chips out and backfill with soil. For planting a new tree, offset it a few feet from the old stump rather than planting directly into the decaying root mass.
Will the stump grow back if I grind it?
No. Once the stump is ground below grade there's no bud material left to sprout. Species like hackberry and mesquite will keep resprouting from a stump that's left intact, which is often the reason to grind them in the first place.
Do I need to locate utilities before stump grinding?
Yes, and it matters more than people expect. Grinders cut through irrigation lines, septic laterals, low-voltage wiring and invisible pet fence without noticing. If you know where those run, tell whoever is doing the work. If you don't, find out first.
Send me a photo of it
A picture with something in frame for scale tells me most of what I need.
Same-day callback on estimates
Call or text before 5pm on a weekday and you'll hear back from me the same day. Not an answering service — me.