Charlotte Land Works connects builders, developers and owner-builders with site preparation contractors, plus crews for land clearing, excavation, grading and gravel driveways around Charlotte. Site preparation is the bundle of work between buying the land and pouring footings.
Starting from the plan set
Site prep follows the plot or site plan: finished floor elevation, pad limits, driveway alignment, utility routes and erosion control measures. On commercial work, an engineered grading and drainage plan and stormwater approvals usually come first. On a custom home, a surveyor's plot plan and the septic permit (if any) drive the layout.
Core scope items
Clearing and grubbing
Only the limits shown on plan — not a foot more, especially where tree-save areas are recorded.
Cut, fill and the building pad
Pads are built to elevation with fill compacted in lifts. Builders and engineers often specify a percentage of standard Proctor density for structural fill, verified by a testing technician with a nuclear density gauge.
Construction entrance
A pad of large washed stone (often #1 or #2 stone, sometimes over geotextile) at the road keeps mud off the street — a standard requirement on NC and SC permits.
Erosion and sediment control
- Silt fence on contour downhill of disturbed areas
- Inlet protection on nearby storm drains
- Temporary diversions and sediment traps on larger sites
- Temporary seeding of idle areas
Utilities and coordination
Site crews commonly rough in the driveway, cut the trench for water and sewer laterals, and coordinate with the septic installer, well driller and power company for meter and transformer locations. Clear sequencing avoids the costly mistake of compacting a septic drain field with loaded trucks.
Commercial and builder work
For small commercial pads, storage buildings and multi-lot builder programs, providers can deliver to an engineer's grades with GPS-equipped machines and provide as-built elevations on request.
Typical sequence
- Pre-construction meeting and erosion control inspection where required
- Install perimeter controls and construction entrance
- Clear and grub the limits of disturbance
- Strip topsoil, then cut and fill to subgrade
- Compact and test the building pad
- Rough in driveway stone and stabilize slopes
Built to hold up
A pad that passes density testing and is shaped to shed water will stay dry through months of construction traffic. A thin layer of ABC stone over the pad and driveway keeps crews working through wet weather instead of waiting for clay to dry out.
Request site preparation near you
Crews in our network work across the metro, including Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Huntersville, Concord, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Fort Mill and nearby towns. Call or use the form below to describe your project.