Services
Site Preparation Services in Alachua, FL
Between a raw parcel and a poured foundation sits a stretch of work that decides whether the build goes smoothly or stalls. Site preparation is that stretch, and in north Florida it comes with sandy soil, a seasonally high water table and stormwater rules that catch owners off guard. North Florida Land Improvements LLC prepares lots for houses, shops, sheds and small commercial buildings from Alachua to the edges of Lake City and Williston. We clear the site, put erosion control in first, rough grade to move water where you want it, and leave a stable, staked lot the builder or septic contractor can start on the same week. Call (352) 756-0010 for a free estimate and we will walk the site with you.
The scope
What Site Preparation Actually Involves
Site preparation is the umbrella scope that turns an untouched parcel into a build-ready lot: clearing and grubbing, stripping organic topsoil, erosion control, rough grading, and compacting the building and driveway areas. It begins with stakes marking the house, drive and septic area, then silt fence on the downslope side before any soil is disturbed, which is how the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's erosion inspector manual sequences the work. Our dozer and excavator take out trees and stumps, a skid steer works the tight spots, and a box blade or grading rake shapes the surface. Fill goes down in compacted lifts where the plan needs it, and disturbed ground is seeded or mulched so the first summer downpour does not carry your lot into the ditch. Before, you have a wooded or overgrown parcel with no access and no defined building area. After, you have a staked, drained, stabilized lot where the surveyor, builder and septic crew can work.
Why us
Why Alachua Builders and Landowners Choose North Florida Land Improvements
We are a family-owned business, and you work with the same people from the walk-through to the hand-off. Eric Temme bought an established company and its equipment in 2022, and he brings in experienced operators when a job needs more crew. Because we do the clearing, grading and pad work ourselves, there is no gap between trades where responsibility gets lost.
We plan the paperwork alongside the dirt. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection requires coverage under its construction generic permit when a project disturbs one acre or more, or less than an acre within a larger common plan of development, and the notice of intent is due at least two calendar days before work starts. Its erosion and sedimentation control inspector's manual says to clear only what you are developing and to phase the work, and that is how we run a site. We also know that disturbing soil after a termite treatment means the treatment has to be repeated, so we coordinate with your builder.
Meet the family behind the equipment, then ask for an estimate.
Step by step
Our Site Preparation Process
Walk the Site and Check the Permits
We walk the parcel with you and your plans, locate the building footprint, driveway and septic area, and mark the trees to save. Then we check what applies. Unincorporated Alachua County regulates protected trees, floodplain fill needs its own permit, and projects that disturb an acre or more, or belong to a larger development plan, need state stormwater coverage before work begins. Finding that out on day one keeps your schedule intact.
Install Erosion Control First
Silt fence goes in along the downslope edge before we disturb the soil, trenched and staked so it holds, and a stabilized entrance goes in where trucks will cross. Sediment controls installed after clearing do little good, and the state's own guidance puts them first. On sandy north Florida ground, bare soil moves fast in a summer storm, so this step protects your neighbors as much as your lot.
Clear, Grub and Strip
We clear the building area and a working margin, pull stumps and roots, and strip the organic topsoil and root mat from the pad and driveway zones. Good topsoil is stockpiled for final grading. Buried stumps and organic material decay and leave voids, so removing them now prevents settling cracks in a slab later.
Rough Grade and Set Drainage
With the site open, we cut high spots and fill low ones to set elevations and give water a direction, using swales and outlets where the lot demands them. Grading is planned with the drainage in mind, not just the pad, so runoff moves away from the structure and does not become a neighbor's problem.
Compact, Stabilize and Hand Off
Where the plan calls for fill, we place clean material in lifts and compact each one, then leave the pad and drive subgrade firm and to grade. Disturbed areas are seeded or mulched and the silt fence stays until the ground has stabilized. You receive a staked, drained lot that your builder, concrete crew or septic contractor can start on immediately.
On the job
Brush out, ground open, drive in
Straight from the cab: clearing a lot with the grapple, and a new gravel driveway set over its culvert at the roadside ditch.
Where we work
Serving Alachua and the surrounding counties
North Florida Land Improvements LLC site preparation crews work across Alachua County, including Alachua, High Springs, Newberry and Archer, and in Union, Bradford, Columbia, Suwannee and Levy Counties. Builders and owners call us for lots outside Lake Butler, along US-301 near Starke, on the edges of Lake City, and on rural parcels in Live Oak and Williston. We cover the region by way of US-441, SR-235, I-75 and I-10, and we take on larger commercial sites when the schedule allows.
Local soil and water shape every site. Much of the region is sandy, and UF/IFAS notes that most of Florida's sandy Spodosols are poorly or very poorly drained, so a lot can drain quickly at the surface yet stay wet where a shallow water table sits. Parcels near the Santa Fe River and Paynes Prairie basin sit low, and karst geology means water that is concentrated in the wrong spot can create sinkhole problems. We plan grade, drainage and working windows around those realities and avoid heavy earthwork in the wet season when we can.
From our job sites
Recent jobs
Wooded lot cleared to the tree line 
Open ground, good oak kept 
Trees out, roots and all Lot finished edge to edge
Common questions
Site Preparation FAQs
What does site preparation include?
It covers erosion control, clearing and grubbing, stripping topsoil, rough grading and drainage, and compacting the building and driveway areas. Depending on the project it may also include fill placement, a gravel or limerock pad, and driveway subgrade. Each site is scoped after a walk-through.
Do I need a permit to prepare land for building in Alachua County?
It depends on the parcel. Unincorporated Alachua County requires approval for protected trees, development in a floodplain needs a flood hazard area permit, and projects that disturb an acre or more can require coverage under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's construction stormwater permit. Building permits are separate. We help you identify what applies to your parcel before we start.
Why do you put the silt fence up first?
Sediment controls should be in place before soil is disturbed. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's erosion manual says to install them prior to or as the first phase of grading. On sandy soil, one heavy rain on bare ground can wash sediment onto a neighbor's land or into a ditch, which is a liability for the owner.
How is site preparation different from land clearing?
Land clearing removes vegetation. Site preparation includes clearing and then continues through stripping, grading, drainage, compaction and stabilization so the lot is ready for construction. If your goal is a building, you want site preparation. If you only need open land, clearing may be all you need.
What is involved in site prep for a concrete slab?
The slab area must be cleared of vegetation, stumps and roots, stripped of organic soil, graded, and built up with clean fill compacted in lifts to the elevation on your plans. The surface should be firm and evenly graded before the concrete crew arrives. We prepare the ground; your concrete contractor pours the slab.
Keep exploring
Related services
Site work often involves more than one crew. Read about our land clearing service for the first phase, or our house pad construction work for building platforms. When you are ready, contact us or call (352) 756-0010 for a free estimate.
Land Clearing
We remove brush, trees and undergrowth so you can build, farm or reclaim your property, from a single homesite to many acres.
Learn moreForestry Mulching
One-pass clearing that grinds trees and brush into mulch where they stand, with no burn piles and less soil disturbance.
Learn moreDriveways and Culverts
Gravel driveways built on good grading, a solid base and proper drainage, with culvert pipe where the drive crosses a ditch.
Learn moreHouse Pads
Level, laser-graded building pads that give your builder or concrete crew a stable surface to work from.
Learn more
Free estimates
Ready to talk about site preparation?
Call (352) 756-0010 or request your free estimate, and we will walk the property with you before anything is quoted.
Military and first responder discounts available.