How Much Does Site Preparation Cost in Houston?
Site preparation averages $3,800, and most homeowners spend $1,300 to $5,600, according to Angi. Its average for a 10,000 square foot residential lot is $3,500, and a full acre averages $7,000. Lot size, terrain and the services your site needs set most of that number.
These are published market ranges, not a quote from us. Use them to check a bid before you call about site preparation in Spring and north Houston.
What does site preparation include, step by step?
Site preparation covers the ground work before a foundation goes in. On a typical homesite, a survey and soil test come first, then permits and utility locates. Clearing, grubbing and any demolition follow. Grading, trenching, the pad, the driveway and erosion control come last. Some steps are ours, and other trades handle the rest.
- Survey and soil test. A surveyor marks the lines, and an engineer tests the soil. HomeGuide notes some districts want a land survey before they issue a clearing permit.
- Permits and locates. You or your builder confirm the county or city permits. Angi lists a call to 811 to find buried utility lines. During the free estimate, our team checks what your parcel needs.
- Clearing and grubbing. We take the trees and brush down, then pull the stumps and root mats. Grubbing matters most where concrete will go.
- Demolition. An old house, mobile home, barn or slab comes out next. Our demolition work covers the teardown and the haul-off.
- Debris. Brush is mulched on site or hauled off in our trucks and roll-off containers. The choice is yours.
- Grading. We rough grade with the soil already on site, so water runs away from the build area.
- Trenching. We dig and backfill the utility trenches with a mini excavator. A licensed trade lays the line.
- Pad, driveway and erosion control. Fill supply and imported building pads are work for other trades. So are gravel driveways, culverts and silt fence.
A wooded lot adds its own checks. Our guide to clearing a wooded lot to build in Montgomery County covers that version in depth.
What does each part of site preparation cost?
Angi prices land clearing at $500 to $2,000, grading at $1,000 to $3,000 and excavation at $1,500 to $5,000. Demolition runs $1,200 to $6,000. The other trades’ lines, from the survey to erosion control, sit on top of those. The table names the guide behind each range and who usually does the work.
| Line item | Published range | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Land clearing | $500 to $2,000 (Angi) | Us |
| Stump grinding and removal | $100 to $400 (HomeGuide) | Us |
| Grading | $1,000 to $3,000 (Angi); $2,000 to $5,000 for a small home site on mostly level land (HomeGuide) | Us, with the soil on site |
| Excavation | $1,500 to $5,000 (Angi) | Us, with a mini excavator |
| Utility trenching or rough-ins | $1,000 to $5,000 (Angi) | We dig and backfill; a licensed trade lays the line |
| Demolition | $1,200 to $6,000 (Angi) | Us |
| Brush haul-off | $50 to $80 an hour for hauling labor, plus $30 to $100 a ton to dispose (HomeGuide) | Us |
| Land survey | $500 to $1,500 (Angi) | Other trades |
| Soil testing | $300 to $1,200 (Angi) | Other trades |
| Permit and inspection fees | Several hundred dollars (Angi) | Other trades |
| Fill dirt | $8 to $15 per cubic yard (Angi) | Other trades |
| Gravel or concrete pad installation | $1,200 to $4,000 (Angi) | Other trades |
| Gravel, for driveways and pads | $30 to $60 per ton (Angi) | Other trades |
| Driveway culvert, installed | $1,000 to $9,000 (Angi) | Other trades |
| Erosion control | $700 to $2,500 (Angi) | Other trades |
Grubbing has no line of its own in these guides. It rides inside clearing and stump removal. Angi’s add-on list puts tree and stump removal at $200 to $2,000 per tree.
Imported select fill for a building pad is work for other trades. Our land grading cost guide breaks down fill, select fill and pad grading around Houston. Deeper digs fall under excavation.
What moves the price on Houston-area lots?
Five things move a Houston-area bid the most. They are tree cover, wet ground, floodplain and drainage rules, access and haul distance. Lot size and the services you need set the base. These local conditions decide where in the published range your lot lands.
Tree cover. HomeGuide says the type and density of vegetation has a big effect on clearing cost. It puts light clearing at $1,200 to $2,500 an acre and moderate clearing at $2,500 to $4,500. Heavy clearing runs $4,500 to $8,000. HomeGuide adds that hardwoods like oak take longer to cut and remove than pine. Our guide to land clearing cost per acre in Texas covers clearing prices in depth.
Wet ground. HomeGuide notes rain can delay progress and make sites unsafe for heavy equipment. A lot that stays soft after a storm takes longer to clear and grade. The land grading guide linked above explains why clay and drainage drive cost here.
Floodplain and drainage rules. In unincorporated Harris County, no fill is allowed in a floodway. There, fill outside a flood hazard area takes a site plan and a fill affidavit. Montgomery County exempts small fill and excavation jobs on home or vacant lots outside its flood hazard area. The caps are 15,000 square feet and 500 cubic yards.
Once a job disturbs one acre or more of soil, the TCEQ construction stormwater general permit applies. Silt fence and stormwater plans are work for other trades. Our Harris County permit guide and Montgomery County permit guide cover the rules in full.
Access. HomeGuide says limited access may mean smaller equipment or more trips. If a contractor has to build a temporary access road, that adds to the bill. Angi prices that road at $2,000 to $10,000.
Haul distance. HomeGuide says contractors typically charge extra when the dump site is more than an hour’s drive away. Disposal fees depend on the local landfill or recycling center. Mulching brush on site, away from the build area, keeps that line small.
How can you keep site preparation cost down?
Keep as much material on the lot as the build allows, and group the steps into one visit. Mulch brush where nothing will be built, and grade with the dirt already on site. Clear the way in before the machines arrive. Then ask every bidder what each line includes.
Grub where it counts. HomeGuide says forestry mulching leaves mulch that suppresses weeds and prevents erosion. It adds that mulching isn’t suitable for building sites. So the footprint gets grubbed, and the rest of the lot can be mulched. We run a compact track loader with a forestry mulching head and a mini excavator for both jobs.
Group the work. HomeGuide says clearing a single acre costs more per acre than clearing five. Once contractors mobilize, they can often work more efficiently across larger areas. Angi suggests bundling site preparation with other construction work and booking in off-peak seasons.
Compare bids line by line. HomeGuide notes some contractors include disposal in their base price, while others charge separately. Angi suggests standard materials over premium options when possible.
What should you have ready for the estimate?
Bring what your builder and surveyor have already given you. A survey or plat shows the property lines. A site plan shows the house, the driveway and the septic area. Know your flood zone, which trees stay and where the debris should go. With that in hand, a bid can price the right lines.
Tell us how the lot will be used. A homesite needs the footprint grubbed and graded, while open ground around it may only need mulching. Our site prep services page shows that work in more detail. We are fully insured, and estimates are free.
MTM Land Clearing Services clears and grades homesites and acreage across Spring, Montgomery County and north Houston. Call (281) 432-7360 or request a free estimate.