Lot Clearing and Site Prep in Mountain View

Lot Clearing After a Mountain View Teardown

In a built-out city like Mountain View, there is almost no raw land left. Most site clearing happens after a demolition, or on a lot where an old house came down years ago and the yard has gone wild. The job is to take the lot from messy to buildable: overgrown shrubs and ivy, dead fruit trees from the orchard era, old fences, broken walkways, buried pipe and the scraps every old property collects.

Clearing is the step that turns a demolition into a building site. We pick up after the main teardown, finding and removing the footings, pipes, old septic remnants or buried trash that show up once the ground is opened, and leave the pad clean and roughly level.

Brush, Stump and Root Removal Near Protected Trees

Many Mountain View lots have large oaks, redwoods, sycamores and other trees, some of them protected under the city's Heritage tree rules. Los Altos has its own tree protection ordinance. Before clearing, we confirm which trees stay and what protection they need. Clearing near protected trees often means hand work inside the root zone, fencing at the drip line, and following the project arborist's directions.

Trees and stumps that are approved for removal are taken out, with stumps ground or pulled depending on what will be built there. Brush, ivy and green waste are hauled separately so they can go to composting instead of landfill.

If your project needs a tree removal permit, the arborist or your designer usually files it. We do not remove protected trees until the approval is in hand.

Rough Grading and Site Prep Before Building

After clearing, the lot is rough-graded to drain properly and match the plans. That might mean cutting down high spots, filling low ones, removing loose fill left from old work, or shaping a pad for the new foundation. Fine grading and compaction for the foundation itself are typically done by the builder's grading contractor once the surveyor stakes the house.

On former industrial or commercial land, such as some parcels in East Whisman, soil may need testing before it is moved or exported. When an environmental consultant is involved, we follow their soil handling plan.

Larger Site Clearing in North Bayshore and Whisman

On redevelopment sites in North Bayshore and East Whisman, clearing covers much more ground. Landscaped campus grounds, irrigation systems, light poles, signs, fences, utility vaults and acres of paving all come out before the new project breaks ground.

These jobs need erosion control and storm water protection, because the bay and its creeks are close by. We install inlet protection and perimeter controls, keep tracking off public streets, and coordinate with the project's storm water plan.

What Drives Lot Clearing Cost in Mountain View

The size of the lot and how overgrown it is set the base. Then come stumps and roots, buried concrete or debris, how much material goes to green waste versus mixed debris, access for equipment, and the grading needed. Tree protection near large Heritage trees adds hand work and time.

We look at the lot in person, walk it with your plans if you have them, and price each part of the clearing separately so you can see where the work is.