Site Prep
Complete site preparation from raw land to build-ready — clearing, grubbing, grading, pad prep and drainage, all with CAT-powered equipment.
Every site prep project starts with an on-site visit from Fred Soucie to walk the property, identify site conditions and understand the project's end goals. We look at existing vegetation density, soil type, natural drainage patterns, setback requirements and any slopes that will affect grading. This evaluation shapes the work plan — the sequence of equipment, the disposition of cleared material and the grading approach — before a single machine hits the ground. Coming to the project with a clear plan prevents costly mistakes and keeps the job on schedule from day one.
The first physical phase is removing all above-ground vegetation — trees, brush, grass and scrub — from the site footprint. We use the Dymax tree shear on the CAT 299D2 for fast, efficient tree felling and the Hydro-Ax forestry mulcher for heavy brush and understory. Material is either chipped on-site with the Vermeer AX19, mulched in place or piled for later burning or hauling depending on the project requirements and local regulations. Grubbing follows clearing: excavating and removing root systems, buried stumps and organic material from the soil within the building envelope so the pad sub-base is mineral soil free of decomposable organics that would settle under load.
With the site cleared, the CAT D4K2 dozer handles the bulk earthmoving — cutting high spots, moving fill to low areas and establishing the overall site contour to match the engineer's grading plan or our agreed layout. The CAT 314D excavator supplements the dozer on areas requiring more precision or material handling, including cut-and-fill sections near site boundaries and any areas where soil needs to be imported or exported. We rough grade the entire site at this stage, establishing all major slopes and drainage directions before moving to the finer pad preparation work.
Building pad preparation is the most critical phase of site work for any home or structure. We establish the final pad elevation per the engineer's specifications, verify that the finished pad surface slopes away from the planned structure on all sides (minimum 2% grade), and compact the sub-base to support the slab or pier system above. For homes in Montgomery County's clay-heavy soils, proper compaction and sub-base preparation are especially important — poorly prepared pads in expansive clay soils are a leading cause of foundation movement and slab cracking. The CAT 299D2 with the power box rake finishes the pad surface smooth and to grade, ready for the foundation contractor.
The final phase addresses site-wide drainage — cutting swales, establishing positive drainage paths to site outlets, trenching for any required French drains or culverts and finishing the grades around the pad perimeter and driveway approach. We also finish-grade the disturbed areas of the site outside the building pad, establishing the slopes and surface condition that sod, seed or gravel will go over. At project completion, the site should have no ponding zones, all drainage should flow to the designated outlet points and the entire surface should be ready for the next trade to begin work without additional earthmoving.
We prepare residential building sites from raw wooded or brush-covered land to finished, builder-ready pads for stick-built, modular and custom homes. Our site prep package includes clearing, grubbing, rough grading, pad preparation and drainage — everything a foundation contractor or framer needs to begin work without delay.
Barndominiums and metal shop buildings often require larger, flatter pad areas than traditional homes and are frequently built on tracts with significant clearing and grading work ahead of them. We specialize in preparing these sites, including oversized slab pads, integrated concrete aprons and gravel yards that require precise grade control across wide, flat areas.
Light commercial and industrial site preparation in the Houston-area market requires the same full sequence as residential site prep but often at larger scale and to tighter engineering specifications. We work from civil grading plans, coordinate with project GCs and can mobilize the full equipment fleet to keep larger commercial sites moving on schedule.
Manufactured and mobile homes require level, stable pads with precise elevation tolerances that exceed what most grading contractors achieve with a single dozer pass. We prepare manufactured home pads to HUD-standard specifications, including perimeter grading and tie-down anchor areas, so installation crews can set the home without leveling complications.
Stock ponds and decorative water features require careful site selection and excavation planning, from identifying the right clay layer for a watertight basin to shaping dam embankments with the correct slope ratios. We handle the full earthmoving scope of pond construction, including excavation, dam building, spillway cutting and bank shaping.
For developers subdividing acreage into residential lots, we provide bulk clearing, road grading and individual lot preparation across the full development footprint. We phase our work to match the developer's lot sales sequence, keeping the site organized and active lots build-ready while minimizing disturbance to unsold portions of the property.
Texas Ace Land Clearing works directly with both homeowners managing their own builds and general contractors overseeing larger projects. When working with a builder or GC, we operate as a subcontractor and coordinate our schedule to deliver the site at the stage required for the next trade — whether that's the foundation crew, the well driller, the septic installer or the concrete flatwork contractor. Clear communication is the foundation of a successful site prep project, and we make it a priority to confirm scope, schedule and completion milestones before mobilizing so there are no surprises on either side.
For homeowners managing their first build on raw land, we take the time to explain what the site prep process involves, what decisions need to be made before we start and what other contractors they need to coordinate with. Before calling for an estimate, it helps to have a rough idea of where you want the home positioned on the lot, any county setback requirements you're aware of and whether you've already engaged a septic designer or engineer — because pad elevation and drainage decisions are often interconnected with septic system design. We work around existing permitted septic designs and will adjust our grading approach to protect drain field areas from compaction by heavy equipment.
Permit considerations vary by county in our service area. Montgomery County, Grimes County, Walker County and San Jacinto County each have their own requirements for land disturbance, erosion control and septic system permitting relative to construction. We don't pull permits on behalf of owners, but we can advise on what's typically required and sequence our work around the permit timeline to avoid holding up your project. Our realistic timeline for a typical 1-3 acre residential site prep project — from initial call to completion — is 1 to 3 weeks depending on site conditions and schedule, with most of the actual machine work completed in 2 to 5 days once we mobilize. Call Fred at 713-703-3452 for a free on-site estimate and honest assessment of your project timeline.
Serving Montgomery County, The Woodlands, Conroe, Magnolia and surrounding areas. We'll walk your property and give you a clear, detailed quote.
Call 713-703-3452