House Pad Grading

The durability of your home’s foundation depends on how well the building pad has been settled. The house pad is where the preparation for a foundation begins and it is extremely important to grade and settle it properly. We at PC Grading provide full-scale house pad grading services so that you can have peace of mind about your home.

Importance of House Pad Grading

Proper site pad development is one of the most fundamental steps in a building project. It is a crucial step in ensuring that the slab gets professionally installed and is protected. A site can have a wide range of features and only professional house pad grading can help flatten and compact the surface for the foundation. These conditions can include steep slopes, re-compact, rocky conditions, and deep removal, among others.

A properly prepared site pad provides the following benefits for your home’s slab:

• Preparing a solid and compacted area that doesn't shift
• A level area
• A raised surface preventing water from getting collected

Achieving precision and quality house pad grading requires the selection of experienced grading operators. Preparation of house site pad and construction is one area you don’t want to cut corners with. If the pad and site preparation is not adequate, it can cause delays in the project. Besides, undetected poor pad construction can create various issues in the future including:

• Erosion
• House settling
• Flooding

The cost of correction after the house is built can be staggering and almost unaffordable.

This is why it is so important to choose a dependable house pad grading service. We work with both commercial and residential clients and contractors. No project is too big or too small for us.

Site Pad Grading Work

A typical site pad grading work will include several steps, varying on the basis of the features on the land.

Land Clearing

• All stumps & vegetation are removed
• No root balls should be left under the pad
• Rootballs and any vegetation can decompose and create voids over time, affecting the structural integrity of the house

Deep Raking

• Deep raking is performed with powerful dozers and equipment
• It involves the removal of any organics
• It helps create a fresh slate before the construction begins

Pad Preparation

• Up to 6 inches of the topsoil from the pad area is scraped
• An extra 5 feet to 8 feet from the pad area are then scraped
• The topsoil scraping helps remove most of the vegetation and organics

At PC Grading, we do not follow the strategy of taking short cuts or saving on loads of dirt used for the pad. We fully understand and advise our clients and contractors that the site pad cannot be done later.

Tapering

• The topsoil is shaped up to the pad to provide taper on all 4 sides
• Ideally, the pad should be 10 to 12 inches higher than the natural grade elevation
• The taper redirects water away from the structure and around it

We have years of experience in house pad grading. When you select our services, you can remain assured that we can do it right the first time. Give us a call today at 407-891-9621 to discuss your planned house site, the types of features you have, and what we can do for you.