House, barn & shop pads in Williamson County, TN

A pad is where the build starts

Whether it is a house, a horse barn, a shop or a barndominium, the building will only be as stable as the ground under it. Our job is to hand your builder a clean, level, well-drained surface at the planned height. Middle TN Grading & Clearing is run by brothers Josh and Mark Collier out of Lawrenceburg, and we take Williamson County pads as larger jobs, usually with clearing and driveway work attached.

Pad types we build

• House pads that sit above surrounding drainage and carry a slab or foundation
• Barn pads with a firm gravel approach and a floor that sheds water
• Shop and barndominium pads sized for heavy slab loads, overhead doors and truck turning room
• Pads with a cap of stone, hauled in from a quarry, when the plan calls for one

What we need to start

The best quotes start with the builder's footprint and finished-floor height, plus a site walk. Bring up where the driveway enters, where the septic area is planned, and where you know of wells or lines. Have the 811 locate requested so buried public utilities are marked before anything is dug.

One trip beats three

Because the machines travel from Lawrenceburg, it makes sense to bundle. The same visit can clear the trees, build the pad, cut the driveway to it and dig the drainage that keeps water away. That is how larger jobs stay efficient.

From stakes to turnover

1. Walk the site with your plans or builder's stakes.
2. Clear and strip. Trees, stumps and roots come out; topsoil is set aside, not buried.
3. Cut and fill in lifts, packed with the machine as the pad rises.
4. Shape for water. Swales, ditches or a culvert carry runoff away from the slab.
5. Final grade and a walk-through against the plan.

What is not included

Slabs, foundations, framing, surveying, engineering and permits are not part of our work. Check with your city or county codes office about grading and stormwater rules, which vary by jurisdiction.

More on pads

Our full write-up is on the house pads page. For digging that goes with it, see Williamson County excavation, and for the lot itself, land clearing.

Frequently asked questions