Home Site Grading & Pad Prep in Gordonsville, VA

A Gordonsville landowner purchased a wooded 1.5-acre lot and needed it cleared, graded, and prepped for a new home build. We handled the full sequence — forestry mulching the timber, rough grading the pad, and cutting a driveway approach — so the builder arrived to a ready site.

The Challenge

The lot sloped roughly 6 feet from front to back and had a dense stand of mixed pine and hardwood across the entire buildable area. The owner needed a level pad for a 2,400 sq ft slab foundation, a gravel driveway approach from the road, and proper drainage slope away from the building envelope — all before the builder's scheduled start date.

Our Approach

We started with the Case TV450B forestry mulcher to clear all vegetation and grind stumps in place. Once the lot was open, we brought in the excavator to cut and fill the pad to grade, establishing a level building envelope with a 2% drainage slope on all sides. We finished by cutting and graveling the driveway approach and installing a culvert at the road connection.

The Result

The builder arrived to a clean, level, graveled site. No stumps, no debris, no standing water issues. The owner saved roughly $4,000 compared to separate bids for clearing, grading, and driveway work by bundling the full sequence with one crew.

Project Highlights

• Full site cleared and stumps ground in one day
• Building pad cut and filled to grade with 2% drainage slope
• Driveway approach cut, graveled, and culvert installed
• Builder-ready site delivered on schedule
• Bundled clearing + grading + driveway saved owner ~$4,000

Equipment Used

• Case TV450B Tracked Skid Steer
• Disc Mulcher Attachment
• Excavator
• Gravel Spreader
• Plate Compactor

Frequently Asked Questions