Services
Sitework & Planning
A successful build is only as stable as the ground beneath it. Our sitework and planning services focus on transforming raw land into a perfectly prepared job site. We specialize in the critical early stages of development, including comprehensive land clearing, grading, and structural leveling. By meticulously planning the elevation and drainage of your lot before we ever break ground, we ensure that your property is protected from water runoff and settling. Whether your project requires importing high-quality fill dirt to raise the level of your property or precision grading to create a level building pad, we provide the technical expertise to ensure your site is engineered for long-term stability.
How the work goes
1. Survey, elevation and drainage plan
Before we break ground we plan the elevation and drainage of the lot: where the water goes now, where it has to go after, what the flood zone requires for the finished floor, and how much fill that means. On a coastal lot this step decides most of what follows.
2. Permits
Clearing, filling and changing the grade are regulated at the county and city level, and in flood zones the review is stricter. We identify which approvals the lot needs and prepare them for the scope we carry.
3. Clear, grade and fill
Land clearing and grubbing, rough grading, and imported fill placed in lifts and compacted so it does not settle under the building. Our equipment ranges from 100,000 lb excavators to mini excavators and skid steers, so the crew fits the lot.
4. Building pad and handoff
Precision grading to a level building pad at the planned elevation, final drainage shaping, and a site that is engineered for long-term stability and ready for the foundation crew.
What sitework and planning covers
Land clearing. Removing vegetation, stumps and old improvements from raw or previously developed lots.
Grading and structural leveling. Rough and precision grading to the elevations on the plan.
Fill dirt. Importing high-quality fill to raise the level of the property and placing it in compacted lifts.
Building pads. A level, compacted pad at the planned elevation for a house, a steel building, a mobile home or a pool.
Drainage and elevation planning. Deciding where water goes before the first machine arrives, so the property is protected from runoff and settling.
Sitework is the critical early stage of a build, and a successful build is only as stable as the ground beneath it.
Elevation, drainage and flood zones on coastal lots
Most waterfront lots in South Florida sit in a FEMA special flood hazard area. In AE zones, the lowest floor has to be at or above the base flood elevation (BFE) plus any freeboard the community requires. VE zones, the coastal high-hazard areas exposed to wave action, are stricter: the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member has to be at or above BFE, open foundations are required, and fill is not permitted. [pinelandengineering.com]
That elevation drives the fill plan. Raising a lot with fill has to be engineered so the water that used to sit there does not end up on the neighbors: a grading plan with contours and a drainage statement or stormwater calculations showing no adverse off-site impact are the standard submittals, and permits are typically triggered when fill exceeds a foot in depth, covers more than 5,000 square feet, or the site is in a regulated flood zone. [rspengineers.com]
We plan the elevation and drainage first, then size the fill and the compaction to the foundation that is going on top.
Build-ready, and what comes before it
Build-ready means the lot is cleared, the fill is placed and compacted, the pad is at the planned elevation and level, the drainage is shaped, and the foundation crew can start without redoing anything. It is also what our demolition work hands off to: after a house or pool comes out, the same crew backfills, compacts and grades.
Langley Coastal is a licensed Florida general contractor (CGC1538377), family-owned across two generations, with 35+ years of licensed construction expertise, working in Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Manatee counties.
Questions we hear
How do fill and elevation work on a coastal lot?
Start with the flood zone. In AE zones the lowest floor has to be at or above the base flood elevation plus any freeboard your city requires; in VE zones the lowest horizontal structural member has to clear BFE, open foundations are required, and fill is not allowed. The finished-floor elevation sets how much fill the lot needs, and the fill has to be graded so runoff does not go to the neighbors. An elevation certificate documents the result. [source]
Do I need a permit to clear a lot?
Usually. In unincorporated Palm Beach County, a vegetation removal permit from ERM is required for commercial and multi-family sites and for single-family lots of 2.5 acres or more; smaller single-family lots clear under their building permit, and tree removal follows the county's tree permit rules. In Broward, altering site grading or building a drainage system needs a county Surface Water Management License, and wetlands on the lot trigger an Environmental Resource License. Cities add their own rules. [source]
Do I need a permit to bring in fill?
Often. Permits are typically triggered when fill exceeds about a foot in depth, covers more than 5,000 square feet, or the lot is in a regulated flood zone. The review is about drainage: a site plan with grading contours and a drainage statement or stormwater calculations showing no adverse impact on neighboring property. In Broward, altering site grading needs a Surface Water Management License. We identify what your lot needs before the trucks are ordered. [source]
What does build-ready actually mean?
That the next crew can start without redoing our work. The lot is cleared, the fill is placed in lifts and compacted, the building pad is level and at the planned elevation, the drainage is shaped so water runs where the plan says, and the site is clean. For a foundation contractor it means they can set forms; for a pool or steel building it means the excavation or the slab can start.
Can you do the sitework after a demolition?
Yes, and it is the better sequence. When our [[demolition crew|/services/demolition]] takes out a house, garage or pool, the elevation and drainage plan for the new build is set before the first wall comes down, so the backfill and compaction are done once, to the spec the new foundation needs. The same equipment then clears, grades and builds the pad.
Why plan drainage before grading?
Because grading is the drainage. Every change in elevation moves water somewhere, and once the fill is placed and compacted it is expensive to move again. Planning first means the lot sheds water away from the house and the seawall, the neighbors are not flooded, the finished floor lands at the elevation the flood zone requires, and the fill order is sized once. On a waterfront lot it also keeps runoff from washing out the soil behind the seawall.
Guides
Sourced answers to the questions we hear most.
What our customers say
Did a solid job. Good price. Good guy. Highly recommend.