04/26/2026
Earlier this week I went to a job for a consult where this client had uncovered the grindings piles another company left behind to find an unfinished stump grind - a good portion of the stump was well above surrounding grade. I post this photo not to bash other operation but to show that often times a lot of the stump grinders advertising on Facebook in Market place or the guys who have same day availability, show up not marking utilities ahead of time and using undersized equipment that can’t get a deep grind as the debris pile builds and don’t take time to move the debris to make sure they can get a good deep proper grind, often leave behind stumps that are not below grade hoping no one cleans up the stump for a while and by time they do they have long spent the money they got for the job and won’t answer the phone when called back out to finish the job. I see this day and and day out and often don’t post about it but it’s becoming a more frequent issue in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and the entire Hampton Roads area. I see this more and more.
Make sure whoever you hire isn’t just leaving a half finished stump under the grinding pile, it is worth it to hire a quality grinding contractor to make sure the job was done right. Read their reviews, ask for references, and ask for proof of insurance. And always have them move the grindings to the side so you can inspect their work. You can’t hide a bad grind when you can see their work.
Always have underground utilities marked - it’s worth waiting for. It’s very important stump grinders locate their site prior to grinding and any grinder who says it’s the home owners responsibility doesn’t understand that in the state of Virginia responsibility and liability falls on the contractor performing the work not the home owner. At BROOTFORCE STUMP Co. we locate every site with a dig ticket filed under our name so we can appropriately follow information relayed from the locaters to safely perform your stump removals.
The green dashed line is where the grind should have finished to have a flat yard ready for grass . Easily a 6-8 foot radius from the center of the stump.