Every Good Paving Job Starts With the Ground Underneath
Grading, drainage, excavation, and site preparation for driveways, parking lots, and roads across Northern and Central Indiana.
When spring hits and the damage shows, property owners across Indiana start looking for a crew they can trust. Based out of Rochester, we’ve built our reputation on showing up, doing the work right, & standing behind every square foot we touch.
Full-Service Asphalt Solutions for Every Job
Residential Driveway Paving
New installations, replacements, and blacktop driveways built to handle Indiana weather.
Asphalt Resurfacing
Overlays, milling, and resurfacing to restore worn pavement without a full replacement.
Sealcoating
Professional-grade sealcoating for driveways and parking lots — the best way to protect your asphalt investment.
Asphalt Repair & Maintenance
Pothole patching, crack filling, crack sealing, and preventive maintenance to extend the life of your pavement.
Commercial Parking Lot Paving
Pothole patching, crack filling, crack sealing, and preventive maintenance to extend the life of your pavement.
Municipal Paving
Paving
New installations, replacements, and blacktop driveways built to handle Indiana weather.
Line Striping & ADA Compliance
New installations, replacements, and blacktop driveways built to handle Indiana weather.
Grading, Drainage & Excavation
Site prep, land grading, drainage solutions, and excavation — the foundation every paving project needs.
Concrete Services
Services
Driveways, sidewalks, patios, curbing, and slabs — quality flatwork alongside our asphalt services.
Specialty
Paving
Paving
Sport courts, RV pads, private roads, and custom projects for residential and commercial properties.
Farm & Agricultural Paving
Barn pads, grain bin pads, farm lanes, feedlot surfaces, and rural property paving built for heavy use.
Gravel-to-Asphalt Conversion
Asphalt Conversion
Tired of your gravel driveway? We handle the full upgrade — grading, base prep, and a smooth new asphalt surface
Schedule Online
The Foundation Determines How Long Your Pavement Lasts
You can lay the best asphalt in the world on a bad base and it will still fail. Cracks, sinking, potholes, standing water. Most of those problems don’t start at the surface. They start underneath, with soil that wasn’t compacted, drainage that wasn’t planned, or a base that was too thin for the load it carries. Proper grading, drainage, and site prep prevent those failures before the first scoop of asphalt goes down.
Brooks Brothers Driveways handles grading, drainage, and excavation as a core part of our paving operation. We do this work ourselves with our own Bobcat equipment and crew. That means the same team that preps your site is the same team that paves it. There’s no gap between the foundation work and the finished surface, and no finger-pointing if something isn’t right.
We serve homeowners, businesses, municipalities, and agricultural properties across Northern and Central Indiana. Whether it’s grading a new driveway pad, solving a drainage problem on an existing lot, excavating an old surface for replacement, or preparing a subdivision road, the process starts with getting the ground right.
Built on Integrity,
Backed by Results
3rd Generation Paving Family
Over 20 years of combined family experience in asphalt — this isn’t a side hustle, it’s our legacy.
Owner On Every Jobsite
When you call Brooks Brothers, you talk directly with Levi. And he’s on site for every project.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Every job backed by our satisfaction guarantee and a one-year warranty on new paving work.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Full coverage and CDL-certified crews. Your property is in safe, qualified hands.
3rd Generation Paving Family
Over 20 years of combined family experience in asphalt — this isn’t a side hustle, it’s our legacy.
Owner On Every Jobsite
When you call Brooks Brothers, you talk directly with Levi. And he’s on site for every project.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Every job backed by our satisfaction guarantee and a one-year warranty on new paving work.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Full coverage and CDL-certified crews. Your property is in safe, qualified hands.
Signs Your Grading or Drainage Problems
Water Pools on Your Driveway or Parking Lot
If water sits on the surface after rain instead of running off, the grade is wrong. Water that stays on asphalt soaks in, weakens the base, and in Northern Indiana’s climate, freezes and expands through dozens of cycles every winter. Poor grading is one of the most common causes of early pavement failure.
Water Drains Toward Your Building Instead of Away
This is a grading issue that affects both your pavement and your foundation. If your driveway or lot slopes toward the building, water collects at the foundation wall and can cause basement flooding, erosion, and structural damage over time. Regrading corrects the slope so water moves in the right direction.
Sections of Pavement Are Sinking or Settling
When parts of a driveway or lot sink lower than the rest, the subgrade underneath has eroded, compacted unevenly, or was never properly prepared. The sunken area traps water, which makes the problem worse with each passing season. The fix starts below the surface, not on top of it.
Erosion Along Driveway
Edges or Lot Perimeters
If soil is washing away along the edges of your paved surface, water runoff isn’t being managed properly. Over time, erosion undermines the edge support and causes the asphalt to crack and crumble from the outside in. Swale grading or drainage improvements can redirect the water before more damage occurs.
Standing Water in
Your Yard After Rain
Soggy areas in your yard, especially near the driveway or lot, can signal a high water table or poor surface drainage. If you’re planning a paving project, these issues need to be addressed during site prep. Paving over saturated ground leads to early failure regardless of how thick the asphalt is.
You're Planning a
New Driveway, Lot, or Road
Any new paving project on bare ground requires site prep. The ground needs to be cleared, graded to the correct slope, compacted, and built up with the right aggregate base before asphalt is placed. Skipping or rushing this step is the fastest way to guarantee a short-lived surface.
Grading, Drainage, and Excavation Services
Site Grading and Subgrade Preparation
We grade the site to the correct slope and elevation, compact the soil to the required density, and build the aggregate base layer that supports the asphalt. For residential driveways, that typically means 6 to 8 inches of compacted aggregate. For commercial lots and roads, the base goes deeper depending on traffic loads.
Drainage
Solutions
We design grading plans that move water away from structures and off paved surfaces. This includes swale grading, French drains, surface drainage channels, and regrading work for properties where water currently flows the wrong direction. Proper drainage is especially critical in Northern Indiana, where saturated subgrades and freeze-thaw cycles combine to destroy pavement from underneath.
Excavation, Demolition, and Removal
We remove old asphalt, concrete, and failed base material to make way for new work. This includes saw-cutting, breaking out existing surfaces, hauling debris, and excavating to the depth needed for proper base installation. We handle the full demolition so your site is clean and ready for new construction.
Land Clearing and Earthwork
For new construction sites, rural driveways, farm lanes, and properties that need ground-level work before paving, we clear vegetation, move dirt, shape the terrain, and prepare the ground for whatever comes next. Our Bobcat equipment handles tight residential lots and larger open sites alike.
Why Site Prep Is Worth Getting Right
Prevents Premature Pavement Failure
According to the Federal Highway Administration, inadequate subgrade preparation and poor drainage are among the leading causes of pavement distress and early failure. The surface is only as good as what’s underneath it. Spending the time and money on proper prep work upfront saves you from paying for a redo in a few years.
Solves Drainage Problems Permanently
Regrading and drainage improvements fix the root cause of water problems, not just the symptoms. Instead of patching the same spot every year because water keeps undermining it, you correct the flow once and the problem stays fixed.
One Crew Handles Everything
Because we do our own grading, drainage, and excavation work, you don’t need to hire a separate contractor for site prep and then bring in a paver. One crew, one schedule, one point of contact. The team that prepares your site is the same team that paves it.
Proper Base Means Longer Pavement Life
A correctly graded and compacted aggregate base distributes weight evenly across the subgrade. That means fewer cracks, less settling, and a surface that holds up to daily traffic and seasonal weather for 15 to 20+ years instead of failing in 5 to 7.
Required for Any New Construction Project
There’s no shortcut around site prep for new driveways, parking lots, or roads. The ground has to be cleared, graded, compacted, and built up correctly before asphalt can be placed. We include this work as part of every new construction project we take on.
What Site Preparation Looks Like
Every grading and excavation project starts with Levi visiting the site. He evaluates the terrain, checks for drainage issues, identifies the soil conditions, and determines how much preparation the project needs. Some sites are straightforward. Others have soft spots, standing water, or old surfaces that need to be removed before anything else can happen.
For a typical driveway or lot project, the crew clears the site, excavates to the required depth, and grades the subgrade to the correct slope. We compact the soil, install aggregate base material in layers, and compact each layer to the density needed to support the asphalt. For drainage work, we cut swales, install French drains or surface channels, and verify that water flows away from structures and off the paved surface.
Once the base is set and drainage is confirmed, we move directly into paving. Because our crew handles both the prep and the paving, there’s no waiting for a second contractor. The base stays protected and the project stays on schedule.
Related Services
New driveway installation, replacement, and resurfacing. Site prep and grading are included in every new driveway project.
New construction, replacement, and resurfacing for commercial lots. We handle grading and drainage as part of the project.
Grading, drainage, and paving for farm lanes, equipment pads, and agricultural access roads.
Full conversion from gravel to paved asphalt, including excavation, grading, and base preparation.
Don't Take Our Word for It
Nick Bro
Brooks Brothers paved my driveway this summer. They were very professional & did a great job!
Robbie Harrison
Great workers they do excellent work
Jamie B
We had Brooks brothers asphalt our driveway they was great to do business with and done a above and beyond job I would highly recommend doing business with them !
Tiffany Ryan
The crew did a great job! Levi was very responsive and professional. Our drive looks much better!
Melinda Bradley
Levi and his crew did a great job adding new asphalt to my driveway. They were very professional and they cleaned up all the excess product that dropped on the street and did a great job on the driveway. I highly recommend them and their price was very fair.
Teresa Palm
Called Brooks Brother’s Paving, came out same evening and gave a quote, as I had a gravel driveway, they were out next morning and grated , rolled etc and arrived 2 days later and paved the driveway, Levi and his team of very knowledgeable employees finished the driveway in a day.. What an awesome job they did. Will definitely be referring them to whomever is looking for a new driveway, Will be having them seal driveway in the future. Did I mention how polite they all were.. 😊
Tips & Advice for Northern Indiana Property Owners
Grading and Excavation Questions
Do I need grading before a new driveway?
Yes. Every new driveway built on bare ground needs site grading and base preparation. The ground has to be shaped to the correct slope, compacted, and built up with aggregate before asphalt is placed. We include this work in every new driveway project.
Can you fix drainage problems on an existing driveway or lot?
In many cases, yes. If water pools on or around your existing surface, regarding the surrounding area, adding drainage channels, or installing a French drain can redirect water away from the pavement. We’ll evaluate your property and recommend the right approach.
What equipment do you use for grading and excavation?
We use Bobcat equipment for grading, excavation, and site clearing, along with dump trucks for material hauling and compaction equipment for base preparation. Our fleet handles everything from tight residential lots to larger commercial and agricultural sites.
Do you remove old asphalt and concrete?
Yes. We handle the full demolition and removal of old surfaces, including saw-cutting, breaking out existing asphalt or concrete, hauling debris off site, and excavating down to the subgrade. This is included as part of any replacement project.
How much does grading and site prep cost?
Cost depends on the size of the site, the amount of excavation needed, soil conditions, and whether drainage improvements are required. We provide a written estimate after a site visit. Call (574) 377-1971 for a free estimate.
Proudly Serving Northern & Central Indiana
