Land Development – Part One – Overview
Land development is the process of clearing and preparing raw land so it provides a solid and secure base for future building construction.
Performed in multiple stages by numerous site preparation services with different specialties, land development turns imperfect land lots into solid, secure sites for building purposes.
Beginning with land clearing and rough grading, the amount of work that goes into preparing a site for building is considerable.
What Does Land Development Entail?
Land development and site preparation involve multiple processes that must be performed in a specific order to turn raw land into a usable building site:
- Rough Grading - Clearing the land and moving fill to create the initial building pad.
- Wet Utilities - Installation of sewer, water, and storm drain systems.
- Dry Utilities - Installation of electrical, phone, and cable utilities.
- Street Improvements - Installation of curbs and gutters prior to paving the roads.
- Masonry Walls - Walls that are build for privacy, structure like retaining walls, or walls that fulfill both purposes.
- Fencing - Installation of any security or decorative fencing on the lot.
- Finish Grading- Intermittent and one last fine-tuning of the lot as well as prepping for landscaping.
- Flatwork - Installation of all cement work including porches, steps and patios, walkways, driveways, sidewalks, and any other concrete elements.
- Landscaping - The final landscaping work that includes the installation of sprinkler systems, sod, outdoor fixtures, plants, and more.
Who Needs A Land Development Company?
Since it’s impossible to build on raw land that has not been improved and prepared for building, anyone looking to put up a structure on that land needs the site preparation services mentioned above:
- Private landowners independently building homes or other structures.
- Commercial builders putting up buildings.
- Real estate development companies building housing neighborhoods.
- Anyone else wishing to construct a building on what starts out as raw, unimproved land.
During the process of finishing a building pad, land clearing contractors play a vital role in preparing the raw land so it provides a sturdy base on which to build the intended structure.
This involves modifying the land typography as necessary to create a flat lot, ensuring the land is well-drained and well-supported, and building up the land where roads to and from the land lot will be installed.
Land development demands a great degree of precision and an extensive knowledge of things like soil types and compaction, adding and improving necessary drainage to prevent flooding and erosion, and other factors that could affect the stability of a building after it’s already been built.
Land Development Summary
The final result of any building project, whether a home, an agricultural structure, or a commercial building, depends on how well the raw land was developed and the skill of the site preparation service.
Since this is such a critical factor in the building project, it’s important to start that project out on the right foot with land clearing and development performed by an experienced land development company.
The importance of correct land clearing and site preparation before building cannot be stressed enough.
Learn more about land development and the critical first step of rough grading in Part Two of this series.
Need Land Development in Huntsville Texas?
JWhit Construction Does Precision Site Preparation Services!
Call (936) 213-3385 for More Info!
Land Development Series:
Land Development – Part One – Overview
Land Development – Part Two – Rough Grading
Land Development – Part Three – Web Utilities
Land Development – Part Four – Dry Utilities
Land Development – Part Five – Fencing
Land Development – Part Six – Finish Grading
Land Development – Part Seven – Flatwork
Land Development – Part Eight – Landscaping