Stump Grinding in Hampstead, NC
Grinding is $7 per inch of diameter, $200 minimum, ground up to 12 inches below grade. Stumps are where this business started, and my crew and I still grind them every week across Hampstead — on their own, or on the same visit as the removal.
5.0 from 34 Google reviews (Nov 2026)
How much does stump grinding cost?
$7 per inch of diameter, with a $200 minimum. You can work out your own number before I ever get there: put a tape across the widest part of the cut at ground level and multiply. A 36-inch stump comes to $252. Anything under $200 is $200 — hauling the machine out costs the same whether the stump is six inches or sixteen.
| Job | Price | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Stump grinding | $7 per inch | Measured across the diameter of the cut at ground level. |
| Minimum charge | $200 | What it costs to hook up the machine, haul it out and unload it. |
Measure at the ground, not at the top. A stump cut high flares out underneath, and the flare is what the wheel has to get through.
How deep do you grind?
Up to 12 inches below grade. That is past the root flare and well past anything a mower blade will find, which is the point. We push the grindings back into the hole and level it off, so you are left with a patch of chips flush with the lawn instead of a hole.
What happens to the grindings?
A ground stump makes a surprising pile of chips. Hauling them off is included in the price above unless we agree otherwise — and plenty of people would rather I rake them back into the hole, where they settle and disappear under new grass. Same price either way. Tell me which you want when you call.
Have you got more than one stump?
Tell me when you call — there is a better rate for more than one stump at the same address, because most of the cost of a small job is getting the machine there. There are rates for seniors and military too, and for contractors and tree companies with ongoing work. I do not publish percentages; ask and I will tell you where you land.
Can you dig the stump out instead of grinding it?
No — I grind stumps; I don't dig them out. Pulling a root ball out of the ground tears up far more yard than the stump ever covered and leaves you a crater to fill and settle. Grinding takes it up to 12 inches below grade and leaves the ground around it intact, which is what almost every yard actually needs.
And if what you are really weighing is whether to do anything at all, plenty of stumps are fine left where they are. I wrote that one up honestly, including where I would tell you not to spend the money: grinding a stump versus leaving it.
Will the machine fit in my backyard?
If the gate opens, we get in. My equipment fits through a 36-inch gate, which covers most fenced yards around here. A stump in the back corner behind a closed gate is the ordinary job on this page, not the awkward one.
Do I have to take the tree down first?
No — plenty of my grinding work is stumps someone else left behind years ago. If the tree is still standing, we can take it down and grind the stump on the same visit, instead of you lining up two outfits to get machinery into the same yard twice.
Which towns do you grind stumps in?
Hampstead, Wilmington, Jacksonville, Surf City, Sneads Ferry, Holly Ridge, Rocky Point, Burgaw, Topsail Beach, Scotts Hill / Porters Neck, across Pender County, New Hanover County, Onslow County. I live here in Hampstead, so most days I am on the US-17 corridor somewhere. The phone is answered open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If a storm has just gone through and the stump is the least of it, storm cleanup is the page you want.
Questions I get asked
- $7 per inch of diameter, with a $200 minimum. Measure across the widest part of the cut at ground level and multiply — so a 36-inch stump works out at $252 — and anything that lands under $200 is $200.
- Up to 12 inches below grade. That is below the root flare and below where a mower blade runs, so you can rake the hole level, put soil and seed over it and be done with it.
- Yes — hauling the chips off is included unless we agree otherwise. Plenty of people would rather I rake them back into the hole so the ground settles level, and that is fine too. Either way it is the same price; just tell me which you want.
- Yes. There is a multiple-stump rate when they are at the same address, because the machine only has to be hauled and unloaded once. I do not publish a figure for it — tell me how many you have and I will price the lot. Seniors and military get a rate too.
- No. I grind stumps; I don't dig them out. Digging a root ball out churns up far more ground than the stump ever covered and leaves a crater to fill. Grinding takes it up to 12 inches below grade, which is below the root flare and below a mower blade, so you can rake it level, seed it and forget it.
Get a number on your stumps
Tell me how many you have and roughly how big, and I'll give you a price. The estimate is free, and I'd love to be your tree guy.