The order the work goes in
The order matters more than any single step. Silt fence that goes up after the clearing is too late for the first storm. A utility trench cut after final grade means grading twice. Topsoil left in place under the pad becomes a soft layer under the slab.
- Construction entrance and silt fence set
- Clearing and grubbing inside the limits
- Topsoil stripped and stockpiled
- Cut and fill to rough grade
- Building pad compacted to elevation
- Utility trenches dug and backfilled
- Final grading, topsoil back, seed and straw
The building pad
The pad is the part the foundation crew cares about. It has to sit at the elevation on the plan, reach past the footprint far enough for forms and equipment, and be compacted in layers so it carries the slab or footings without settling. On many sites it’s tested, or proof-rolled with a loaded truck to find soft ground, before the next trade takes over.
Soft spots found in the pad get dug out and replaced with stone or good fill, never covered up. Fixing one now costs a fraction of what a cracked slab costs later, and it’s the last chance to do it cheaply.
A house lot and a commercial site are different jobs
On a house lot the plan is usually a plot plan with a footprint, a driveway and a finished floor elevation, and the grading around the house has to shed water away from it. A commercial site comes with civil drawings: surveyed stakes, parking lot subgrade, curb lines, storm pipes and often a detention pond, with tolerances to match. The steps are the same. The paperwork and the scale aren’t.
On either one the stakes come first. Elevations are checked against them while the cut and fill go on, so the pad lands where the drawings put it and not just near it.
Outside Metro: Williamson County’s land disturbance permit
In unincorporated Williamson County, the County Engineer issues a Land Disturbance Permit, filed online. Its policy calls for one on activities over an acre, on smaller sites that are part of a larger common plan, and on any project adding 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface. Driveways, parking and roofs all count toward that impervious number, which is why a commercial pad on a modest lot can still need the permit.