Season 1 of 4
Spring
The frost is out and you can see exactly where the water goes. Time for grading, drainage, and getting new beds and lawns in before summer.
- Landscaping
- Grading
- Drainage
- Owner-operated
- Fully insured
- Derry, NH
Dig it. Grade it. Build it. Plow it.
Excavation, Landscaping & Property Maintenance in Derry, NH
From the first bucket of dirt to the last snowbank, one local call covers the whole property.
- services on one phone number
- 9
- seasons of work, landscaping through snow
- 4
- towns in the service area
- 14
- owner on every job
- 1
What we do
Excavation, Landscaping & Site Work in Derry, NH
Nine services, one call. The same person who picks up the phone is the person running the machine.
Around the Property
Property Maintenance
The steady work that keeps a place looking cared for. Seasonal cleanups, mowing, edging, and mulch, timed to the New England calendar.
- Spring and fall cleanups
- Mowing and edging
- Mulch and bed care
- Leaf removal
Landscaping
Planting beds, boulders, loam and seed. We rework tired yards and build new ones that fit the land instead of fighting it.
- Planting beds
- Boulder placement
- Loam and seed
- Yard renovations
Walls & Patios
Retaining walls, fieldstone-style walls, paver patios, steps and walkways. A wall or patio is only as good as the base under it, and frost finds every shortcut.
- Retaining walls
- Stone walls
- Paver patios
- Steps and walkways
Snow & Ice Management
Plowing and ice control from a Derry-based operator. Call before the first storm to talk about your property.
- Plowing
- Ice control
- Walkway clearing
- Sand and salt
Demo & Junk Removal
Tearing out old decks, sheds and fences, and hauling away the debris and the junk that's been piling up.
- Deck and shed tear-outs
- Fence removal
- Debris hauling
- Junk cleanouts
Not Sure?
Not sure if your project is something we handle? Call and ask. If it isn't ours, we'll point you to someone who does it right.
Site Work
Excavation
Digging for additions, foundations, footings and trenches. We also pull stumps and boulders, including the glacial stone New Hampshire is known for.
- Foundations and footings
- Addition digs
- Trenching
- Stump and boulder removal
Drainage
French drains, curtain drains and culverts. We cut swales so water runs past the house instead of into it.
- French drains
- Curtain drains
- Culverts
- Wet yard fixes
Utilities
Trenching for water, sewer, electrical conduit and other underground lines. Every dig starts with a Dig Safe ticket. See how that works below.
- Water and sewer trenches
- Electrical conduit
- Underground line access
- Dig Safe coordination
Grading
Rough and finish grading. We shape yards to shed water away from the house and prep for loam and seed or a new driveway.
- Rough grading
- Finish grading
- Driveway prep
- Loam and seed prep
Owner-operated
When you call, you get Jim
When you call J. Donovan Services, you get Jim. He's the one who looks at your project and he's the one running the job. No estimator handing you off to a crew you've never met. The person who gives you the answer is the person who shows up.
We're fully insured.
- Owner on every job
- Fully insured
- Straight answers
Year-round
Four Seasons, One Call
The work changes with the calendar. Here's what each season looks like.
Season 1 of 4
Spring
The frost is out and you can see exactly where the water goes. Time for grading, drainage, and getting new beds and lawns in before summer.
- Landscaping
- Grading
- Drainage
Season 2 of 4
Summer
The building season. Patios and walls go in, additions and foundations get dug, and utility trenches get opened while the ground is workable.
- Walls & Patios
- Excavation
- Utilities
Season 3 of 4
Fall
Leaves come down and the list comes out. Cleanups, tear-outs of the deck that finally gave up, and hauling away what accumulated all year.
- Property Maintenance
- Demo & Junk Removal
Season 4 of 4
Winter
Nor'easters don't schedule themselves. Plowing and ice control from a Derry-based operator. Call before the first storm to talk about your property.
- Snow & Ice Management
Winter
Snow & Ice Management, Based in Derry
Plowing and ice control from a Derry-based operator. Call before the first storm to talk about your property.
Call (603) 858-5958The process
How It Works
Call or send the form
Tell us what you're looking at. A couple of photos through the form help a lot.
Jim looks at the job
You get a straight answer: what it takes, what it involves, and whether it's something we handle.
The work gets done
The work gets done by the same person you talked to. That's the whole trick.
Before anyone digs
New Hampshire's Dig Safe Rule
People ask why a dig can't start the same afternoon they call. The short answer: the ground is full of things you can't see, and hitting them is dangerous and expensive.
State law (RSA 374:51) requires notice to Dig Safe "at least 72 hours before a proposed excavation, but not including Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays," and the notice "shall occur no more than 30 days before the proposed excavation." Before giving notice, the excavator premarks the dig area with "white paint, stakes, or other suitable white markings on non-paved surfaces."
The NH Department of Energy puts it plainly: "always call 811 before you dig – it's the law!" The call is free, and Dig Safe takes calls at 811 Monday through Friday, 6am to 6pm, with tickets also accepted online. The Department also notes that "excavators shall use pink for premarking when snow conditions would render white premarking not clearly visible."
The law puts the call on whoever is digging. When we're doing the digging, the notice and the premarking are part of the job. You'll see the white paint go down before the machine shows up, and the colored flags follow once the utilities mark their lines.
When can digging start?
Pick the date and time the Dig Safe ticket goes in. The clock skips Saturdays and Sundays.
Legal holidays don't count either. If one falls inside the window, add a day. This is a planning estimate, not legal advice; Dig Safe and the utilities set the official ticket times.
What the colors mean
Dig Safe's color code: the paint and flags that show up before a dig.
Red
Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
Yellow
Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
Orange
Communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
Blue
Potable water
Green
Sewers and drain lines
Purple
Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
Pink
Temporary survey markings
White
Proposed excavation (premark)
Sources: NH Department of Energy and the Dig Safe homeowner brochure.
Where we work
Service Area: Derry, NH and the Surrounding Towns
Based in Derry and working the surrounding towns. Just outside the list? Call and ask.
Home base
- Derry, NH
- Londonderry, NH
North & east
- Chester, NH
- Auburn, NH
- Sandown, NH
- Danville, NH
- Hampstead, NH
South
- Windham, NH
- Salem, NH
- Atkinson, NH
- Pelham, NH
West
- Hudson, NH
- Litchfield, NH
- Manchester, NH
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
We're based in Derry and work the surrounding towns: Londonderry, Chester, Auburn, Sandown, Danville, Hampstead, Windham, Salem, Atkinson, Pelham, Hudson, Litchfield and Manchester. Just outside the list? Call and ask.
Yes. We're fully insured. If you want to know what that covers for your project, ask when you call and we'll walk you through it.
Jim does. We're owner-operated, which means the person who looks at your project is the same person running the job. No handoffs, no crew you've never met.
New Hampshire law requires notice to Dig Safe at least 72 hours before digging, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Utilities then mark their lines.
The law puts the notice on whoever is excavating. When we're doing the digging, the Dig Safe ticket and the white premarking are part of the job, not something you need to handle.
They're utility marks. Red means electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables. Yellow means gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials. Orange means communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit. Blue means potable water. Green means sewers and drain lines. Purple means reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines. Pink means temporary survey markings. White shows the proposed excavation.
Yes. That's drainage and grading work: French drains, swales, and reshaping the ground so water moves away from the house. Call and describe it, or send photos through the form.
Snow and ice management is one of our nine services. Call to talk about your property and what you need cleared when it snows.
Old decks, sheds, fences and general junk. We tear it out, load it and haul it away. Call and describe what you've got and we'll tell you if it's something we handle.
Yes. Walls and patios are one of our services: retaining walls, stone walls, paver patios, steps and walkways. A wall or patio is only as good as the base under it, and frost finds every shortcut.
Call (603) 858-5958 or send the form on this page with a few details about the project. Photos help. Jim will look at it and give you a straight answer.
Call and ask anyway. If it isn't something we handle, we'll point you to someone who does it right.
Get a quote
Tell Us About the Project
A few details and a photo or two is plenty. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 858-5958.
Got a project? Call Jim.
One call covers the whole property, from the first bucket of dirt to the last snowbank.