Ground Control Services

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Stuart, IA
Ground Control Services

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Ground Control Services provides quality concrete, decks, landscaping, grading, lawn care, and snow removal. Free estimates available!

Proudly serving Central and West Central Iowa and surrounding areas with dependable service and craftsmanship.

10/15/2026

One inch, that's when we go

Our trigger is one inch. That's the number where we go out. On our commercial lots that's been the rule and it's the same thinking on the driveway routes. Why one inch and not wait for more. Because snow that gets driven on packs down and turns to ice and then it doesn't scrape off clean, you get that hard layer that stays till March. An inch that gets cleared right away leaves bare concrete. So we don't wait for the storm to finish, if it's still coming down we go out and do it again. That's more trips for us and a cleaner driveway for you. Message 515-204-6780 to see if your address is on a route.

10/14/2026

What we look at on a deck

Before winter is a good time to look hard at the deck you already have. Here's what we check when someone asks us to look at one. Where the deck meets the house, that ledger board, is it fastened right and is water getting behind it. The posts at the ground, any soft or rotted spots. The joists underneath, any sag or boards gone punky. Railings, grab one and push, it shouldn't move. Stairs, do they feel solid or does a tread bounce. Loose or popped fasteners on the deck boards. Most decks just need some fasteners and a board or two. Some need more than that and it's better to know now than in April with a party planned. If you want us to look at yours, we will. Call or text for a quote.

10/12/2026

There's pictures of me shoveling as a kid

Ever since I was a kid I loved to shovel snow. There's pictures of me little going out with a shovel before anyone asked me to. I shoveled for the neighbors for years and then in 2020 I started mowing lawns and it turned into this. Landscaping, dirt work, decks, concrete. In July of 2024 we added a skid steer and that changed what we could do in the snow and in the dirt. So when we say we like snow removal we mean it, I've been doing it longer than anything else. We're setting up driveway routes for this winter along with our commercial lots. If you want a kid who never got tired of shoveling to handle your driveway, message us to see if your address is on a route.

10/09/2026

What's under a concrete patio

A patio is mostly what you don't see. Before a truck ever shows up we dig out the old ground, that's the excavation. Then we grade it so water runs away from the house and not toward it. Then the base goes in and gets compacted hard, if the base is soft the concrete will settle and crack and no finish on top will fix that. Then forms. Forms are what give you straight edges and the right slope, we take our time setting them because the concrete is only ever as good as the forms holding it. Reinforcement where it's needed, then the pour, then a broom finish and control joints to manage where it cracks. That's the job. The pour is the short part. Call or text for a quote.

10/07/2026

Driveway snow routes are open

Most of our snow work is commercial lots but we run driveway routes too and we're putting them together right now. How a route works is simple. Your address goes on the list, when it snows we come, you don't have to call around and wait to see if somebody shows up. We build the routes so the truck isn't crossing back and forth all over the place, that's how we keep up when it's really coming down. Which means routes fill by address, not by who calls first in a blizzard. If you want your driveway handled this winter, now's the time to ask, before the first storm when everyone's looking at once. Message us to see if your address is on a route.

10/05/2026

Why we like building decks in the fall

People think deck season is spring. We think fall is the better time to build one. The ground is generally dry (this fall has gotten off to a soggy start) so the footings go in clean. It's cooler so the crew isn't fighting heat all day and the work moves. Lumber yards aren't slammed the way they are in May. And when spring comes your deck is already there, you're grilling on it the first warm weekend instead of waiting in line behind everyone who called in April. We build pressure treated, composite and cedar decks and we handle the whole thing, layout, framing, decking, railings, stairs and the finish work. If a permit is needed we take care of that too. We've got room on the fall build schedule.

09/30/2026

Why we use a 1-inch trigger for commercial snow removal

Most commercial snow contracts get signed after the first storm. That's the wrong order.

A 1-inch trigger isn't arbitrary. It's the point where a parking lot goes from slick to genuinely dangerous, and where a slip-and-fall claim becomes a real conversation. Property managers who wait until November to line up a plow service are usually choosing whoever is still available, not whoever is right for the property.

We work with commercial accounts in Adel, Waukee, and West Des Moines on exactly this: get the contract set before the season, know your trigger, know your response window, and don't be the property that's still figuring it out at 5am during the first real snow.

If you manage a commercial property and you don't have a snow plan yet, now is the right time to talk. Reach out at ground-control-services.com or send us a message here.

09/28/2026

This lawn went from scraped subsoil to ready-to-seed in one day

Before: exposed subsoil, rough grade, the kind of yard that makes you wince a little. After: four inches of high-organic black dirt brought in, graded smooth, and ready for seed or sod before the ground cools down for the season.

We do the dirt work. The homeowner seeds it, or we come back and do that too. Either way, the grade is clean, water moves where it should, and the lawn has a real foundation to start from instead of whatever compacted mess was underneath.

If you have a backyard project that needs grading or black dirt work before fall closes out, now is the time to get it on the schedule. 🌱

09/26/2026

Why commercial snow contracts fill up in September

Most property managers or homeowners don't think about snow removal until the weather turns. By then, the contractors who actually show up at 4am are already booked.

Here's how our side of it works. Every commercial and residential account gets mapped before the season: trigger depth (we run a 1-inch threshold), plow sequence, salt staging, crew assignments. That planning takes time to do right, and we only take on what we can service without cutting corners when a storm hits at 2am on a Tuesday.

We're locking in commercial and residential routes for the Stuart area now. If your parking lot or property needs a plan that actually gets executed, reach out before the slots close.

09/25/2026

Fall cleanup season starts before the leaves finish falling

Most people wait until the yard is buried. By then the grass underneath has been smothered for weeks, and the first wet snow turns the whole pile into a mat you'll be scraping off in April.

We do fall cleanups in rounds. First pass when the early leaves come down, a second pass after the trees finish, and a final cut and cleanup before the ground freezes. Beds cleared, everything hauled off.

We're booking fall cleanup routes in Adel, Waukee, and West Des Moines now. Call or message us and we'll get you on the schedule.

Address

Stuart, IA

Telephone

+15152046780

Website

http://www.ground-control-services.com/

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