Site Preparation & Excavation
Site preparation in Moncton, NB
Pad cut and levelled, drainage shaped, topsoil stripped and saved, septic area and driveway subgrade ready. The work between a cleared lot and a foundation crew that can start.
The unglamorous half
Nobody photographs site prep, and it decides more than the clearing does
Clearing is visible — the trees were there, now they're not. Site preparation is the part nobody sees, and it's where a build either goes smoothly or develops the problems that surface two winters later.
Water is the whole game. Where it sits, where it runs, and whether it runs toward or away from the building. On a lot with any slope at all, that's decided by how the ground is shaped before anything is poured, and it costs almost nothing to get right while there's already an excavator standing on it.
The second thing is what's under the pad. Organic material — roots, stumps, buried brush — decomposes, leaves voids, and settles unevenly. Any inspector will want it out, and any builder worth hiring will refuse to build over it.
Levelled padThe finished building pad, cut level, topsoil stockpiled to one side. Shoot it low so the grade reads.
Scope of work
What we do on a site prep job
Building pad preparation
Footprint grubbed clean, cut to level, and compacted enough to hand over. Set out to the dimensions on your plan, not approximately.
Drainage & rough grading
Shaping the ground so surface water goes where you want it. The cheapest insurance available on a new build, and impossible to add cheaply afterward.
Topsoil stripping & stockpiling
Removed from the working area and piled somewhere useful and out of the way, so you still have it when it's time to landscape.
Septic area preparation
Bed and replacement area cleared, grubbed and rough graded to the installer's layout, ready for them to work.
Driveway subgrade
Corridor grubbed, subgrade cut, ditches pulled and culverts set at the crossings, ready for gravel.
Clearing & grubbing to spec
Working to staked lines and specified depths when your drawings call for it, with the documentation your GC or engineer needs.
Sequencing
Who does what, and in what order
On a rural build in this province the running order is fairly consistent. Knowing it makes it much easier to see where we fit and who you still need to line up.
| Stage | Who | Comes before |
|---|---|---|
| Survey & stakes | Licensed surveyor | Everything |
| Permits (incl. watercourse) | You / your builder | Any machine work |
| Clearing & grubbing | Us | Excavation |
| Driveway subgrade | Us | Deliveries |
| Topsoil strip & stockpile | Us | Foundation dig |
| Pad & drainage shaping | Us | Foundation |
| Gravel supply & surfacing | Aggregate supplier | Heavy traffic |
| Septic installation | Licensed installer | Occupancy |
| Foundation | Your builder / concrete crew | Framing |
The one to get right
Driveway subgrade before deliveries. Every year somebody has a lot cleared, a foundation booked, and no way to get a loaded truck in during spring thaw. It stops the whole project for weeks over something that would have taken a day.
Straight answers
Site preparation questions
What does site preparation actually include?
Everything between a cleared lot and a foundation crew that can start work: grubbing the footprint, cutting the pad to level, shaping the ground so water runs away from the building, stripping and stockpiling topsoil, and getting the access in.
It does not include the foundation itself, the septic installation or the gravel supply — those are specialist trades and we'll coordinate with whoever you've lined up.
Why does drainage have to be decided this early?
Because it's the cheapest it will ever be to fix. Shaping ground with an excavator already on site costs very little. Discovering after the pour that water runs toward the foundation costs drainage tile, excavation around a finished wall, and sometimes interior repairs.
On a sloped lot the fall should be established before anything is built. On flat ground it matters even more, because there's no natural help.
What happens to the topsoil?
Stripped from the working area and stockpiled somewhere out of the way — deliberately not where the basement spoil is going. Topsoil around here is thin and expensive to replace, and burying your own under subsoil then buying it back in for landscaping is a genuinely common and avoidable waste.
Do you prepare septic areas?
We clear, grub and rough grade the bed and the replacement area to your installer's layout. The design, the permit and the installation belong to a licensed septic installer.
One thing worth repeating: the replacement area needs clearing too. Skipping it is common and costly to correct later.
Can you build the driveway as well as clear it?
We do the corridor clearing, grubbing, subgrade, ditching and culvert placement. Gravel supply and final surfacing are usually better handled by a supplier with the trucks for it, and we'll sequence around them so you aren't paying for a machine to sit waiting on a load.
Will I get something in writing for my lender?
Yes. The quote is a fixed price against a written scope, and we'll provide the insurance certificate. If your lender or engineer wants confirmation of what was cleared and grubbed, we can document that too.
Related services
Free, no-obligation
One contractor from standing timber to a levelled pad
Clearing, grubbing, grading and access in a single mobilization. Free on-site quote across the Moncton region.