HOME SITE PREP FOR YOUR NEW HOUSE
Bought a lot and ready to build? We clear the footprint, cut the driveway, open up the septic and well areas, build the pad and leave it ready for your builder. One crew, one written price, anywhere in the Upstate.
Licensed GC on staff
Site work contracts over $10,000 are written under a licensed South Carolina general contractor.
$2M general liability
Certificate of insurance to your office the day you ask. W-9 sent before the first invoice.
Owners on the machines
Jacob and Bryce Nelson run the work and answer the phone. No dispatcher, no runaround.
811 on every dig
Utilities are located before any grading or trenching starts, every time.
THE HOME SITE PACKAGE
- House and garage footprint cleared and grubbed, plus a work zone around it for the builder
- Driveway path cleared, cut and stoned, with a culvert at the road where one is needed
- Septic field and well area opened up, without driving heavy machines over the drain field
- Building pad built up and rough graded so water runs away from the house
- Silt fence and a stone construction entrance where the permit calls for them
- Trees you want to keep flagged before we start and worked around
- Stumps ground or pulled, and debris mulched, burned where allowed, or hauled off
- Clean-up and before-and-after photos when we leave
What your builder needs from the lot
- •A cleared footprint with room to work around the house, usually 10 to 15 feet past the foundation
- •A driveway that can carry a loaded concrete truck in wet weather
- •A pad at the right height, with water draining away from it
- •A septic area nobody has packed down with heavy equipment
- •A clear path for power, water and the well line
Ask your builder for their site plan before we start, and we will match the pad and driveway to it.
WHAT A HOME SITE COSTS
Most Upstate home sites we prep land between $3,000 and $8,000. Here is how the pieces usually break down. Tree size and density, driveway length and slope are what move the number.
| House pad and garage footprint, cleared and grubbed | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| Driveway path, cleared and cut (per 100 ft) | $500 to $1,500 |
| New gravel driveway with base and crusher run | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| Septic field area, cleared | $800 to $2,000 |
| Rough grading the cleared pad | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| Forestry mulching the rest of the lot (per acre) | $1,500 to $2,500 |
Want the full breakdown? Read what it costs to clear land for a house in SC.
FROM RAW LOT TO READY TO BUILD
- 1
Free lot walk
We walk the lot with you, flag the trees you want to keep, and look at slope, access and where the house, drive and septic will go.
- 2
One written price
One bid for the whole package, with each piece spelled out. No day rate, no surprises halfway through.
- 3
Clear and grub
The footprint, driveway and septic areas come out first, and the rest of the lot gets mulched if you want it opened up.
- 4
Pad, drive and drainage
The pad is built up and graded, the driveway gets its stone, and water is sent away from where the house will sit.
- 5
Hand it to your builder
Erosion control in place, site cleaned up, and photos sent so you and your builder know exactly what you have.
RECENT HOME SITES
Laurens County
2-acre home site cut down in a day
Five-foot briars and saplings knocked down in one visit so the homeowner's builder could walk the ground and stake out the house.
Upstate SC
Wooded lot cleared to clean dirt
Brush, small trees and debris cleared off a residential lot with the track loader and mulcher, leaving the ground ready for the next step.
Upstate SC
Gravel pad graded in tight quarters
Crusher-run pad shaped and compacted behind a fenced backyard where a full-size machine would not fit.
GET A PRICE FOR YOUR LOT
Send the lot address and what you are building. We walk it for free and send one written price for the whole package.
Or call or text (864) 528-3099.
Download our capability statement (PDF)QUESTIONS WE GET
How much does it cost to prep a lot for a house?
Most Upstate home sites we prep land between $3,000 and $8,000 for clearing and rough grading the house area, driveway and septic area. Heavily wooded lots, long driveways and steep ground cost more; open lots cost less. The lot walk is free and you get one written price.
Do I need a permit to clear my lot?
It depends on the county and how much ground you disturb. Disturbing an acre or more needs state construction stormwater coverage, and some counties want a land disturbance permit for less. We tell you which applies to your lot during the walk.
Should I clear before or after the septic evaluation?
Talk to your septic designer first. The drain field area usually needs to be opened up enough to evaluate, but it should never be packed down by heavy machines. We keep the big equipment off it.
Can you work with my builder?
Yes. We can work directly for you, or for your builder, and we will match the pad and driveway to the builder's plan. We have a licensed general contractor on staff, so larger site prep contracts are written properly.
How long does it take?
Most single home sites are a few days of machine time once we start. Big trees, a long driveway or a lot of fill add time. We give you the schedule with the price.
Developing more than one lot?
Clearing, erosion control, grading, pads and roads for subdivisions and commercial sites.
Gravel driveways
New gravel drives, regrades and parking pads with the right base under them.
Permits for clearing in SC
When clearing and grading a lot needs a permit, and who issues it.