On this page
- Site Preparation Services for Residential and Commercial Construction in Jacksonville
- Clearing and Grubbing: The First Phase on Every Site, $165 an Hour
- Excavation Services, Cut and Fill and Rough Grading on Your Lot
- Building Pad Preparation: 12 Inches of Compacted Fill Above Crown of Road
- Driveways, Culverts and Swales on Northeast Florida Acreage
- Ponds, Retention and the SJRWMD: When Excavation Needs a Permit
- Wet Season and Hardpan: Why June to September Site Work Takes an Extra Day
- Demolition and Haul-Off Before Site Prep Starts
- What Site Preparation and Grading Cost in Jacksonville
- Site Preparation Near Jacksonville: Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, Baker and Flagler
- Site Preparation Questions From Northeast Florida Lot Owners
Site Preparation Services for Residential and Commercial Construction in Jacksonville
Site preparation is everything between a raw lot and a foundation form. The scope: land clearing, grubbing, cut and fill, rough grading, pads, driveways, swales and finish grading. We work for the homeowner on a residential lot and for home builders and commercial contractors on commercial projects. Site prep services run the same way on every site. Stake it, string it, check the grade. No civil drawings? I evaluate the lot and set the pad elevation from the crown of the road and the FEMA flood map.
Clearing and Grubbing: The First Phase on Every Site, $165 an Hour
Grubbing pulls the roots the mulcher leaves behind. $165 an hour for the dozer with a root rake and operator. We grub palmetto root mat and pine stumps out of the pad footprint. Palmetto root mat is why a rotary cutter alone fails here: the crowns resprout within a season. Outside the footprint the mulch stays and holds the sand. Protected trees stay too. Inside the city limits that means a City of Jacksonville Chapter 656 permit before an oak over 11.5 inches comes down. I pull it, fee at cost.
Excavation Services, Cut and Fill and Rough Grading on Your Lot
Excavation takes material out: footing cuts, pond cuts, utility trenches, muck out of a low corner. Grading moves and shapes it. Rough grading sets the pad to two tenths of plan; finish grading after the slab is the improvement you see. We cut high ground, fill low spots and compact in 8 to 10 inch lifts. Flatwoods sand needs water and three roller passes to hit density. Hardpan 12 to 30 inches down decides where the water goes, so we shape swales off the pad, never toward the neighbor. A contractor who skips the compaction passes leaves you a cracked slab.
Building Pad Preparation: 12 Inches of Compacted Fill Above Crown of Road
Rough grade plus 12 inches of compacted fill above crown of road. That is the pad number I learned as a Seabee and still use. Quoted per pad. Case 4: a 1-acre lot in Yulee near Wildlight, one day of mulching at $2,700 plus the pad at $3,900. On Black Creek the FEMA base flood elevation pushes the pad higher; it hit 28 feet at CR 218 in Irma. Navy pad habits: corner stakes, string line, grade checks every lift, proof-roll before the pad is called done. Soil matters. Trail Ridge sugar sand compacts fast. Flatwoods sand over hardpan needs the extra pass. Thin-lift fill placement gives the slab stability. Your foundation contractor gets a pad that holds a level.
Driveways, Culverts and Swales on Northeast Florida Acreage
Most acreage lots in Clay, Nassau and Baker need a culvert before the first truck. The county issues the driveway permit on county roads; FDOT handles US 17, SR 21 and SR 200. We set the culvert to the ditch grade and cap it with 6 inches of crushed concrete. Proper drainage on flatwoods means swales with positive drainage toward the ditch. Drainage problems after a build almost always trace to a filled swale or a culvert set high. We improve drainage by regrading the swale or raising the pad. Change how water leaves the lot enough and the SJRWMD Environmental Resource Permit applies. Clearing alone does not trigger it. Fill does.
Ponds, Retention and the SJRWMD: When Excavation Needs a Permit
A pond needs an SJRWMD permit when it changes how water leaves the parcel or touches a wetland. A small pond on upland sand often fits under the general permit thresholds. Dig November to May; creek-bottom muck on Julington and Black Creek will not hold a slope. Retention for a commercial site is an engineered pond, built to the drawings, volume certified by the engineer. Drainage issues on the neighbor's side are the fastest way to meet the district's compliance staff.
Wet Season and Hardpan: Why June to September Site Work Takes an Extra Day
June to September adds one day to any flatwoods job, and it is in the written price. Hardpan holds the water table at the surface after a 2-inch afternoon storm. Fill placed on saturated sand pumps under the roller and never hits density. We wait a day, then roll it. On Trail Ridge sugar sand we work the next morning. The timeline for a one-acre pad in July: clear, wait, fill, three days. In February, two, if the construction project can wait for the dry season. The Navy spent twelve years teaching me where water goes. Florida spends every June reminding me.
Demolition and Haul-Off Before Site Prep Starts
We do not demolish houses. I know a demolition contractor who does, and he gets the call before we start. What our crews remove: sheds, slabs under 400 square feet, mobile home piers, culverts and derelict fence. Debris goes out at $650 to 1,200 per 10-yard load. Burning on a platted lot is effectively out; any pile needs a Florida Forest Service burn authorization. Vegetation gets mulched where it can stay. Call Sunshine 811 before any slab comes out; a 1980s lot in Argyle still has a live service line in odd places.
What Site Preparation and Grading Cost in Jacksonville
- Dozer with root rake and operator: $165 an hour.
- House pad, rough grade plus 12 inches of compacted fill above crown of road: quoted per pad, $3,900 on the Yulee case.
- Skid steer forestry mulcher: $2,700 a day, transport included across Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau, Baker and Flagler north of Palm Coast.
- Full clearing to bare ground with stumps: $2,800 to 5,000 an acre.
- Haul-off: $650 to 1,200 per 10-yard load. Wet season: one extra day on flatwoods.
- Gopher tortoise survey on any sandy lot: $400 to 900 by a licensed agent.
Fill is priced per load delivered, and the load count goes in the estimate, not in a change order. No surprises on the invoice. Insured crews. The estimate is free on-site anywhere in the five counties plus Flagler. Book a walk-through slot on the online calendar, or call (904) 406-7990, and I confirm by text the same evening.
Site Preparation Near Jacksonville: Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, Baker and Flagler
Our yard is in Middleburg, Clay County, and the trailer rolls to every site in the five-county area at no transport charge: Duval (Oceanway, Argyle, Baldwin, Mandarin), Clay (Middleburg, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights), St. Johns (Nocatee, CR 210, St. Augustine), Nassau (Yulee, Wildlight, Callahan), Baker (Macclenny) and Flagler (Palm Coast, Bunnell). South of Palm Coast carries a transport line. For general contractors and a developer breaking ground on commercial buildings or parking areas near I-10 or SR 9B, we handle subgrade preparation and the complete site package. A usable, properly prepared pad is the handoff. Trusted site prep is a stake and a phone call away.
Site Preparation Questions From Northeast Florida Lot Owners
How much does site preparation cost on a one-acre lot?
Figure $2,700 for a day of clearing and $3,900 for the pad on a one-acre flatwoods lot, about $6,600 before fill. Grubbing runs $165 an hour where stumps sit in the footprint. Every figure is in the written estimate before a machine moves.
Do you work with builders directly?
Yes. Most of our commercial construction work comes through a builder or a superintendent. We prepare the site to the civil set, hit the pad elevation and hand off grading services to whoever pours. Precision on the pad means a slab that passes inspection the first time.
How long does it take to prepare a site for construction?
One to three days for a one-acre lot: a day to clear, a day to grub and grade, a day for pad fill. Wet season adds a day on flatwoods. A retail pad with retention and parking runs two to four weeks. Future construction goes faster when the pad was done right the first time.
What permits does site work need in Duval County?
A City of Jacksonville Chapter 656 tree permit if a protected oak comes down, which I pull for you. A culvert permit from the county or FDOT. An SJRWMD permit if you fill a wetland. An FWC gopher tortoise survey on any sandy lot within 90 days of clearing. Clearing and grading on dry upland needs none of these beyond your building permit.
How do I book expert site preparation?
Pick a walk-through slot on the online calendar or call (904) 406-7990. I confirm by text the same evening, walk the lot with you, and send a written estimate within two business days. Expert site work starts with a stake and a string.
