New construction site prep is the full sequence of excavation work that happens before a foundation crew ever shows up — clearing, topsoil stripping, rough grading, utility trenching, and pad fine grading, all done in the…
Skipping steps or doing them out of order is the most common cause of long-term problems on a new build — building on ungraded fill, or running utilities after the pad is compacted instead of before. See our new home site prep guide for the full sequence explained step by step.
Site size, existing vegetation, soil type, and how many separate utility trenches the project needs are the biggest variables. A cleared, flat lot with straightforward utility runs moves faster than a wooded or sloped lot needing significant cut-and-fill.
We can do the full sequence from clearing through footings excavation, or just the piece you need — tell us what your builder has already scoped.
Fill is placed and compacted in controlled lifts, not dumped in one pass. On larger pads we recommend a compaction test before the foundation crew starts.
No — utility trenching happens before the pad's final compaction, since running lines afterward means redisturbing already-compacted soil right where you don't want disturbance.
