I wouldn't feel bad about hiring it done NonTypicalCPA. The plain truth is that anyone will a little bit of instruction can jump on a heavy piece of equipment and dig a hole and move dirt around.
What comes with years of experience is knowning how to do that efficiently, where to take dirt from and move it to in order to minimize equipment run time and additionally and perhaps even more important (at least IMHO) is to make the end product look natural. To contour the soil such that it looks like it (the pond, the building pad, etc) has always been there. That takes someone that really knows what they are doing. Good dirt movers can walk onto a property and see the contour lines and will begin formulating a plan as to how the project would come together. It's an art.
