Site Prep and Dirt Work in Florida: Clearing, Grubbing, House Pads, Fill, Driveways and Swales
Site prep in Florida is clearing, grubbing, a slab above the water, and a swale that sends the rain somewhere legal, so the lot is usable for future construction. Our crews do the ground part: the dozer with root rake runs $170 an hour with operator, the mulcher clears the acres first at $2,600 a day. Hurricanes grade a lot for free, just not to your elevation. Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.
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Site Preparation Services for Residential and Commercial Construction in Florida
Our site prep services are the complete site package: land clearing, grubbing, rough grading, fill placement and swale shaping. A residential lot gets all five in two to four days; a commercial site for a store slab, commercial buildings or parking areas runs by the week. We prepare the site for home builders, general contractors and commercial contractors who want the lot properly prepared before breaking ground. Every site starts with a stakeout.
Clearing and Grubbing: First Phase of Any Construction Project
Grubbing is the first step after clearing: the dozer pulls stumps, roots and the palmetto mat out of the sand at $170 an hour. Mulching leaves stumps at 2 to 4 inches, so we grub the slab footprint and the drive only. Pulled stumps leave by the load, $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load. Lee and Collier want the vegetation gone under a permit first. Grub only where the slab goes and keep the mulch everywhere else.
Excavation Services, Cut and Fill, Rough Grading
Excavation and grading services on a Florida lot are mostly fill, not cut, because the ground is flat and low. Cut and fill moves sand from the high corner to the low spots, then rough grading sets the shape. Our equipment is the dozer, a tracked skid steer and a laser; a developer with a grading plan gets his elevations held to the tenth. Utility trenches belong to the electrician and plumber; a grading contractor who fills them is guessing. Have the civil drawings ready and the estimate comes back in hours, not guesses.
House Pads, Fill and Flood Elevation on Low Florida Lots
A building pad on a flatwoods soil lot in Lee, Collier or The Acreage takes 2 to 4 feet of fill to get the foundation above the crown of the road and the FEMA base flood elevation. Pad preparation is fill in 12-inch lifts, compacted and tested for the builder. Hardpan 18 to 30 inches down holds water under the slab, so the fill is what keeps it dry. On muck we strip first, then compact the lifts. Fill is priced by the truckload after the elevation certificate, so get that first.
Driveways, Culverts and Swales on Florida Acreage
A driveway on acreage is a cut, a culvert at the ditch, base rock spread and a swale on each side. Proper drainage is positive drainage: the house site sheds to the swale and the swale sheds to the road ditch, never to the neighbor. In The Acreage the Indian Trail Improvement District sets the grid and culvert size. Rerouting water can trigger an ERP at SFWMD or SWFWMD; clearing never does. Low spots that hold water a week after a June storm are drainage problems a swale fixes, not sod. Drainage issues on a GDC lot usually trace to a culvert set too high; we improve drainage by resetting it.
Ponds and Retention: When a Pond Needs an ERP
A pond under 0.5 acre on uplands for your own use is usually exempt; a retention pond for a commercial construction site, or anything touching a wetland, needs an ERP from the water management district. We dig November to May, because a pond dug in July fills before the bank is shaped. The spoil from a half-acre pond is often the fill for the homesite. Call the district first; the exemption letter takes two weeks.
Wet Season, Muck and Caprock: Why June to September Adds a Day
One extra day on muck or wet flatwoods between June and September, stated on the estimate. The dozer sinks to the belly pan on spodosol with water an inch down, so we mat the access and work shorter passes. Caprock in Collier and Lee, 20 to 40 inches down, stops a root rake, so a homesite there is fill on rock. On the ROW we ran mats on every muck crossing, and the habit carries. Soil stability returns in November. Book grading for the dry season when the timeline allows.
Demolition and Haul-Off Before Grading Starts
House demolition we refer out; I know two outfits that do it right and pull the permit. What we remove: sheds, fences, old pole barns, thin concrete and storm debris. Haul-off is $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load. After Ian we hauled 9 loads off one acre in Punta Gorda, $8,100, before the fill work could start. Scope it on the first visit. Send photos of anything standing that has to go.
Site Prep Cost in Florida: Dozer $170 an Hour, Mulcher $2,600 a Day
Grading and clearing are priced by the hour, the day and the load.
- Dozer with root rake and operator: $170 an hour.
- Skid steer forestry mulcher: $2,600 a day, transport included within 75 miles of Ocala or Punta Gorda.
- Haul-off: $700 to 1,300 per 10-yard load.
- Fill: by the truckload after the elevation certificate.
A written estimate, free on-site within 75 miles. Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form with your plans. Brandi texts you a scheduling window within the hour.
Where We Prepare Sites in Florida: Ocala and Punta Gorda Crews
Within 75 miles of Ocala or Punta Gorda, transport included; beyond that, transport is billed by the trip. Ocala covers Marion, Lake, Polk, Citrus and Pasco; Orlando sits at the edge of that circle. Punta Gorda covers Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Sarasota and Manatee. Searching for an excavation contractor near me in Orlando, FL lands here: one crew, one service, one estimate. Trusted site prep, expert site work, means a homesite dry in June. Call (352) 619-3597 or send the form with your parcel ID. Brandi texts you a window within the hour.
Land clearing across Florida
Six regions, two yards. Pick yours for local rates, permits and the towns we work.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Site Preparation in Florida
How do I know if my lot needs prep work before building?
If the lot holds water a week after a storm, has stumps where the slab goes, or sits below the road, it needs prep. A homeowner can evaluate the first two by walking it after rain; the third takes a surveyor's certificate.
How long does site preparation take?
Two to four days on a residential lot: one day of clearing, one of grubbing and grading, one or two of fill placement. Commercial projects run by the week. The timeline stretches June to September on wet ground.
What is the difference between rough grading and finish grading?
Rough grading shapes the house site and swales to within inches of plan; finish grading is the last inch after the slab. We do the rough work and subgrade preparation; the builder's crew does the finish.
Do you work directly with home builders and contractors?
Yes, most of our site work comes through a builder or a developer, and we hold their grading plan elevations with a laser. Homeowners on their own lot get the same written estimate and the same precision on the grade.
What permits are required for site work in Florida?
A county vegetation or land clearing permit before clearing on a platted lot, a building permit before the fill, and an ERP from the water management district only if you fill a wetland or reroute water. FWC wants a gopher tortoise survey within 90 days of any work on uplands.
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