Serving Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Nashville area · based in Woodlawn, TN
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Site Prep and Grading in Woodlawn, TN

Site Prep and Grading · Woodlawn, TN

Dirt work that leaves your lot level and draining

Site prep and grading is the dirt work that comes before anything gets built. We cut and fill ground, build pads for houses and commercial buildings, and shape lots so water runs off. The work runs from Woodlawn and Clarksville out across Montgomery County. Builders, homeowners, farms, and general contractors all call us for it.

Every lot sits a little different. Some need land clearing first, so trees and stumps come out before a machine can set grade. Others are open ground that holds water in the wrong spot. We check the elevations with a grade laser, then move dirt until the pad is right and the ground drains.

What We Handle

  • Rough grading and finish grading on new builds and existing lots
  • Building pads cut and packed for houses, shops, barns, and additions
  • Cut and fill work that levels sloped ground using dirt already on site
  • Lot grading that slopes the ground away from the foundation
  • Driveway cuts and the dirt work under a new drive
  • Grade lasers to set elevations and check the finished grade
  • Swales and ditch lines shaped so water leaves where it should
  • Clearing and digging for a septic area, ready for the licensed installer

Free Site Prep and Grading Quote

Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.

Building pads and rough grading for new construction

A build starts with the pad. We strip the topsoil, cut down the high side, and use that dirt to fill the low side. Fill goes in layers and gets packed so the pad does not settle under the slab.

Grade lasers hold the elevation the builder gives us. We keep the pad flat and true, and slope the ground around it away from the building. Footings and slabs go in cleaner when the pad is right.

This is the same rough grading a shop, a barn, an addition, or a commercial building needs. Much of that work comes from builders and general contractors who bring us their next job too.

Finish grading and lot grading that sheds water

Finish grading is the pass that decides where water goes. The residential building code sets a minimum. The ground has to fall 6 inches in the first 10 feet away from a foundation. Where a slope or a lot line makes that impossible, a swale or a drain carries the water instead.

The ground here works against you. Dickson silt loam, Tennessee's state soil, sits across the Highland Rim. It has a dense fragipan layer 18 to 36 inches down. Water moves through that layer slowly, so after a hard rain it sits above it instead of soaking away.

So we shape the lot to send water to a ditch or an outlet away from the house. Where regrading alone cannot do it, a French drain goes in with the dirt work.

Dirt work for driveway cuts, septic areas, and additions

Plenty of jobs are smaller than a house build. A driveway needs its road bed cut and packed before stone goes down. That dirt work comes ahead of a new gravel driveway.

Septic areas are another one. We clear the ground and dig for the system, and the system itself is installed by a licensed septic installer. In Tennessee the permit comes from the state and the county after a soil and site evaluation. That step lands before the digging.

On open construction sites the dirt has to stay put while the ground is bare. Erosion control measures like silt fence and rock check dams go in with the site work. They stay until the ground is stable.

Graded dirt on a cleared lot with the tree line behind it Excavator on a cleared building pad under a summer sky

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Free, no-obligation estimates across Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Nashville area.

(931) 572-8673
How We Work

How a Job With Wilson Forestry and Excavating Runs

From the first call or text to the finished property, here is how it goes.

1

Call or Text Us

Call or text (931) 572-8673 with what you need done and where the property sits. Photos and rough acreage help us size the job before we drive out.

2

Site Visit and Free Estimate

We come out and look at the ground, the access, and where the water runs. Then we put a price on the work and go over it with you. The visit and the estimate are free.

3

Pick a Start Date

Once you approve the estimate, we get you on the schedule. Weather and ground conditions set which week works, and we tell you where you stand.

4

The Work Gets Done

Equipment comes in and the job runs in order, from clearing to digging to final grade. We keep the site drained and passable while we work.

5

Final Walkthrough

We go over the finished job with you before the equipment leaves. Anything that needs another pass gets handled while we are still on site.

FAQ

Site Prep and Grading Questions, Answered

Common questions about site prep and grading across Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Nashville area. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.

Call (931) 572-8673

What does site prep include on a new build?
It starts with clearing the footprint and stripping the topsoil. Then we cut and fill to the elevations, build the pad, and set the slope so water runs off. Driveway cuts and rough shaping around the building are part of it. Trenching for the water line and conduit is underground utility work that fits into the same schedule.
What does grading cost?
It depends on how much dirt has to move and how far it goes. Slope, wet ground, rock near the surface, and machine access all change the number. We come out, look at the ground, and give you a free estimate. Call or text (931) 572-8673.
Do I need a permit to grade a lot in Montgomery County?
On bigger jobs, yes. Clarksville and Montgomery County ask for grading, drainage, and erosion control plans when a project disturbs more than an acre. At one acre or more, Tennessee also requires stormwater permit coverage through TDEC before the ground is opened. Rules differ by city and county, so check with the codes office that covers your address.
Can you do the site work for a septic system?
Yes, the clearing and the digging. The system itself is installed by a licensed septic installer, which is how Tennessee requires it. The permit sets what goes where, and we open the ground to fit it.
My yard holds water near the house. Will grading fix it?
Often it will. If the ground slopes back toward the house or sits flat, regrading it to fall away moves the water off. When the ground cannot be sloped enough, a drain does the carrying instead. We look at where the water is coming from before picking one.
Does wet weather stop the work?
It can slow it down. Middle Tennessee gets around 50 inches of rain a year. This clay turns to mud that pushes around instead of packing. Grading done in mud does not hold, so we wait for ground that will take a grade.
More From Wilson Forestry & Excavating

Work That Pairs With Site Prep and Grading

Residential lot cleared down to bare dirt with the trees along the road left standing

Land Clearing

We clear lots and acreage of trees, brush, and stumps across Montgomery County and Middle Tennessee. The ground gets cleaned up so it is ready to build on or put back into pasture.

Learn More
Deep utility trench in red clay with a grade rod set for depth

French Drains

Water standing in the yard or against the house needs a way out. We regrade the ground and put in French drains and pipe that carry it off.

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Excavator digging a foundation in red clay

Underground Utilities

We trench and backfill for water lines, electrical conduit, sewer lines, and septic lines. Your plumber or electrician makes the connections, and we handle the digging and the ground work.

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Excavator working at the back of a cleared roadside lot

Erosion Control

We install erosion control measures that keep soil on site and out of the ditch. Wilson Forestry and Excavating is an approved erosion control contractor with TDEC.

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Why Choose Wilson Forestry & Excavating

Clearing the way for your next big project

On TDEC's Approved Contractor List

We are on TDEC's approved contractor list for erosion control, and we have done those jobs. That counts on sites where slopes, ditches, and roadways have to hold through a Tennessee rain.

Builders Send Us Repeat Work

Much of our work comes from builders and general contractors, on house builds and commercial buildings. The same names call us back for the next site.

Roots in Road Building

The company started out cutting roads for a timber company's trucks and equipment. Farm roads, construction entrances, haul roads, and timber roads are still a big part of what we build.

Free Estimates Across the Area

Estimates are free, and we come out to the site to give you one. We cover Clarksville and Montgomery County out to Dover, Springfield, Dickson, Nashville, and Franklin.

Guides and Resources

Site Prep and Grading Guides

Free Estimates

Get In Touch With Wilson Forestry & Excavating

Tell us what the job is and where the property sits, and we will get you an estimate. You can also call or text (931) 572-8673 if that is faster.

  • (931) 572-8673 · call or text
  • Woodlawn, TN · serving Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Nashville area
  • Free estimates · TDEC approved erosion control contractor

Get a Free Quote

Tell us about the job and the ground. We will get right back to you.