There’s a lot of work that goes into a worksite before construction can begin. Before nary a footer is poured or a concrete block laid, the site first needs to be cleared. Tucker Paving has had the pleasure of offering Earthwork services, including land clearing, in Central Florida for just about 30 years. It’s an intensive process that requires expertise and experience, and, depending on the site, it can take quite a chunk of time.

Why a Site Needs to Be Cleared

Site clearing is a necessary step to ensure that a site will have a sound, solid base when the actual construction begins. This includes:

  • Ensuring the soil layers will be able to handle the weight of whatever structure will be built.
  • Detecting any weak spots, sinkholes, or voids that will cause sinking down the road.
  • Clear vegetation that will interfere with construction, including anything left underground that could cause problems later.
  • Removing any trash or debris that will interfere with construction or the safety of the site.
  • Ensure that water runoff does not cause pooling water, pollution, or erosion.

Site Clearing Basics

  1. Surveying the land. This is to establish the exact placement of where the structure will be built on the land, usually using tools like a transit level to map out and mark the placement, such as with stakes and guidelines. The blueprints are used to map out the layout of the structure and the land is assessed for what needs to be done to clear and grade it.
  2. Clearing vegetation, rocks, and debris. Trees, bushes, rocks, garbage, old structures, and other debris will get cleared away. While it is a nice thought to keep trees and bushes, they will likely be in the way of the construction, and the roots can rot and present problems later on.
  3. Grading. Then, the property is graded, or reshaped by raising, lowering, or leveling the ground. This is to create a smooth space for construction to begin and to control where rain runoff will travel to and to fight erosion. Underground utilities may also be installed at this point.
  4. Road Installation. At this point, the land is generally ready for construction to begin in earnest.

Tucker Paving offers site construction services; our Earthwork services include site clearing, site grading, stabilized subgrade, base work, and underground utilities! It’s in addition to our nearly three decades in the asphalt and concrete paving industry. Contact us by calling (863) 299-2262, or fill out our contact form online, to let us help you with your next Earthworks project!