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Site Development

Taking a piece of ground from what it is now to something you can build on. Clearing, cut and fill, utilities, and a compacted pad.

ServingAllison Park · Hampton Township · Wexford · Gibsonia · McCandless · Shaler · Glenshaw · Ross Township

Getting a site ready

Site development is everything that happens before the interesting part. Clear it, shape it, get water off it, get services to it, and leave a compacted pad at the right elevation.

It is also where problems get locked in. A pad that is a little low, fill that was not compacted, a utility run in the wrong place because nobody sequenced it. Those are cheap to get right at this stage and expensive afterward.

How we do it

Every job runs the same sequence. If something changes it, you hear about it the day we find it.

  1. Understand the finished elevation

    Everything works backward from where the structure sits and where water has to go.

  2. Clear and strip

    Brush and topsoil off, topsoil stockpiled for restoration rather than hauled away.

  3. Cut and fill to grade

    Balance on site where possible. Compacted in lifts.

  4. Utilities in the right order

    Trenching for water, sewer and gas before anything is built over the route. Licensed trades coordinated where the connection requires one.

  5. Pad and drainage

    Stone pad compacted to elevation, with drainage set so the finished site sheds water.

What it costs

What moves the number

Site development varies more than anything else we do, so the walkthrough matters more here than anywhere else.

WorkWhat changes the price
Shed or accessory building padSize, grade change, and base
Garage or outbuilding site prepCut volume, footers, and drainage
Addition site prepExcavation depth, access, and utilities
Full lot clear and rough gradeAcreage, tree cover, and haul off

Site work is the stage where an accurate walkthrough saves the most money. A number quoted without seeing the ground is a guess.

We price off a site visit, not off a photograph, so you will not find a number on this page. You will get a written scope with a fixed price in it, and it will say what is included and what is not before you are asked for anything.

The work

Photographs from our own jobs.

Storage shed set on a graded gravel pad after site prep in the North Hills of Pittsburgh
Compact excavator digging a utility trench along a house foundation in the North Hills of Pittsburgh
Framing crew building an outbuilding on a graded site in the North Hills of Pittsburgh
Mini excavator loaded on a trailer ready for an excavation job in Allison Park
Block retaining walls and stone steps lit at night on a hillside property in the North Hills
New concrete driveway and poured steps at a North Hills Pittsburgh home

See the full gallery

Questions

Before you call anyone

Do you handle permits?

We tell you what is needed and we work to it. Who files depends on the municipality and the job, and we sort that out with you at the start rather than assuming.

Can you do the utility connections?

We do the excavation and the trench work. Where a connection legally requires a licensed trade, we coordinate that trade. We are a general contractor, not a licensed plumbing company.

How far ahead should I book site work?

Earlier than most people think, especially in spring. Ground conditions decide the schedule as much as the calendar does.

Need site development in the North Hills?

Send a few photos and what you have in mind. You get a straight answer about scope and what the job involves before anyone asks you for money.