A site cleared, stripped, set out and set up so the dig starts on day one instead of week two: access, levels, storage and muck away sorted with our own plant. Free site visit and quote.
Every hour saved later is won in the way the site is set up
Site clearance and preparation is the work that turns a plot, garden or yard into somewhere a build can actually happen: removing vegetation, trees, slabs, sheds and old structures, stripping and stockpiling topsoil, grading and reducing levels, forming an access route that will take a lorry in the wet, and establishing where materials, welfare and spoil are going to sit.
It is routinely underestimated. A site with a soft access track, nowhere to stockpile and no set-out levels loses time every single day of the programme: deliveries turned away, plant stuck, muck double-handled, trades waiting for space. We set it up once, properly, and the rest of the build runs faster because of it.
We have our own excavators, dumpers and operators, so clearance and muck away happen in one coordinated operation rather than as three separate hire bookings. Where the ground stage follows, the same team carries straight on into excavation and foundations.
What's included
Vegetation and structure clearance
Topsoil strip and stockpiling
Muck away and material handling
Site access and temporary roads
Setting out and level surveys
Fencing and site set-up
Who it's for
Self-builders and homeowners with a plot or garden that needs clearing
Developers and landowners preparing plots for build or sale
Main contractors subcontracting enabling works and site set-up
Farms and commercial premises clearing yards, old buildings and hard standings
Anyone who has bought a neglected or overgrown site
When it's needed
Planning is granted and the plot needs clearing before work starts
Old structures, slabs, foundations or hard standings need removing
Access is too soft, narrow or steep for construction traffic
Levels need reducing or regrading before a build or landscaping scheme
A site needs securing, fencing and setting out ahead of a programme
Why It Matters
What a badly prepared site costs
Deliveries that cannot get in
A concrete lorry, timber frame wagon or crane that cannot reach the plot is a wasted day plus an abortive charge, and often a rebooking weeks out. Access built to take the heaviest expected load prevents all of it.
Double and triple handling of spoil
Muck stockpiled in the wrong place gets moved again when the dig reaches it, and again when the slab goes down. Each move is machine time and operator time you are paying for.
Buried obstructions found at the worst moment
Old foundations, slabs, wells, tanks and made ground discovered mid-excavation stop the dig and change the foundation design. Found during clearance, they are a planning decision rather than an emergency.
Mud, run-off and neighbour problems
An unmanaged site sheds mud onto the highway and water onto neighbouring land. That brings complaints, potential enforcement and cleaning costs, all avoidable with proper access construction and site drainage.
Topsoil lost or paid for twice
Topsoil carted off at the start and imported again for landscaping at the end is money spent twice on the same material. Stripped and stockpiled properly, it comes back into use for free.
Nowhere for anything to go
Sites without designated storage, welfare and parking end up with materials moved repeatedly, damaged stock, and trades working around each other instead of getting on.
Common mistakes we're asked to put right
Clearing without checking for underground services first
Stripping topsoil and mixing it with subsoil and rubble, making it useless
Building the access track too thin to survive the first wet week
Stockpiling spoil on the footprint of the building or over the drainage route
Removing hedges, banks and trees without checking planning and protection constraints
Leaving muck away out of the price and treating it as an extra later
Our Process
How the job runs, step by step
Every job follows the same order, so you always know what has happened and what comes next.
Step 1
Free site visit and assessment
We walk the site with you, check access and turning for delivery vehicles, look for services, structures and obstructions, and work out where spoil, topsoil, materials and welfare can go.
Step 2
Plan and price agreed
A written scope covering clearance, demolition of minor structures, strip, muck away, access construction and set-out: priced fixed, cost-plus or labour-only, with stage payments and no deposit normally required.
Step 3
Site secured and services located
Fencing, gates and protection in place, existing services traced and marked, trees and boundaries to be retained protected before machines start work.
Step 4
Clearance and demolition
Vegetation, scrub and small structures removed, slabs and old hard standings broken out, arisings segregated so clean material is retained for reuse and only genuine waste is carted away.
Step 5
Strip, reduce levels and form access
Topsoil stripped and stockpiled for reuse, levels reduced or regraded to the drawings, and the access route built up with sub-base to take construction traffic through wet weather.
Step 6
Setting out and verification
Building position, profiles and datum levels set out from the drawings and checked, drainage routes confirmed, and stockpiles positioned clear of the footprint and the service runs.
Step 7
Handover into the build
You get a site that is safe, accessible, set out and ready to dig, and if we are carrying on, excavation and foundations start immediately with the same team and no remobilisation.
What You Get
The difference this makes on your site clearance & preparation job
The programme starts on day one
Access, levels and set-out are in place before the dig, so the first week is excavation rather than problem solving.
Deliveries arrive and get in
Access built with proper sub-base depth and turning space takes concrete lorries and frame deliveries in the wet, not just in July.
Surprises found early, not mid-pour
Old footings, tanks, wells and made ground come to light during clearance, when they can be designed around instead of stopping the job.
Spoil handled once
Stockpiles, muck away routes and reuse are planned up front, which cuts machine hours and lorry movements.
Topsoil kept and reused
Stripped and stored separately, your topsoil goes back into the landscaping instead of being sold off and bought back in.
A site that is safe and managed
Fenced, signed, drained and managed under SMSTS-certificated site management, with £5m public liability and £10m employers' liability cover.
No hire delays
The machines are ours and the operators are CPCS-carded, so the work happens when the weather allows rather than when a hire slot opens.
Straight into the ground stage
If we are doing your groundworks too, clearance rolls into excavation and foundations without a gap or a second mobilisation charge.
In Detail
Site clearance and preparation in detail
Vegetation, scrub and tree work
Overgrown Cornish plots usually start with dense scrub, brambles, self-seeded trees and old hedge banks. We clear what is coming out, mulch or remove arisings, and grub out root systems that would otherwise sit under a slab or a drive. Trees, hedges and banks that are protected or being retained are identified first and fenced off, with machine movements planned to stay clear of root protection areas. Where protected trees or hedgerows are involved, that constraint is settled before machines arrive, not during the work.
Structures, slabs and hard standing removal
We take out sheds, outbuildings, garages, old glasshouses, walls, concrete bases, tarmac and redundant hard standings, and break out old foundations that fall inside the new footprint. Material is segregated as it comes out: concrete and hardcore that can be crushed or reused as fill stays on site where it is suitable, metal goes for recycling, and only genuine waste is carted away. That segregation is where most of the saving on a clearance job comes from.
Topsoil strip and stockpiling
Topsoil is a material, not waste. It is stripped in a single pass to expose the subsoil, kept clear of subsoil and rubble, and stockpiled where it will not be driven over or contaminated. Stored properly it comes back at the end for gardens, banks and finished levels, which removes both the disposal cost and the cost of importing screened topsoil later. Where there is genuinely more than the site can use, the surplus is removed once, not shifted around the plot for weeks.
Reduced levels, cut and fill, and regrading
Most plots need levels changed. Reduced level digs take the ground down to formation for slabs and hard standings; cut and fill balances high and low ground so material is moved across the site rather than off it; regrading sets falls that take surface water away from buildings. Fill is placed in layers and compacted, not tipped, because uncompacted fill under any structure or surface simply settles later. Where retaining is needed to hold a change in level, that gets designed rather than improvised.
Access roads, hard standings and site drainage
Construction access is built as a proper temporary road: geotextile where the subgrade is soft, sub-base to a depth that suits the vehicles using it, crossfall to shed water, and turning space for the largest expected delivery. On many jobs this becomes the permanent drive at the end, so it is worth building in the right place first time. We also form crossings over drainage runs, plant and material stockpile areas, and cut-off drains or ditches where run-off from higher ground would otherwise flood the working area.
Setting out, surveys and services
Before machines start, existing services are traced and marked, because unknown cables and pipes are the most common serious risk on a clearance job. Setting out establishes the building position, profiles and a fixed datum level, so every depth on the job afterwards is measured from the same reference. Level surveys record what the site looked like before work, which is useful evidence for both design decisions and any question about boundaries or ground levels later.
Site set-up, security and welfare
A managed site has fencing and lockable access, clear signage, designated storage, parking and welfare positions, and a plan for keeping mud off the highway. That matters for safety and for neighbours, and it matters commercially: secured materials do not walk, and an organised site lets trades work at their own pace. Calum holds SMSTS for site management safety and manages this side directly rather than leaving it to whoever is on site that day.
Domestic gardens versus development plots
Domestic clearance is precision work in a tight space: protecting the house and surfaces, working around neighbours, small plant, careful access and often hand work near services. Development plots allow bigger machines and are driven by phasing, clearing and preparing in the sequence the build programme needs, plot by plot. Agricultural and commercial clearance brings larger structures, more material to handle and heavier hard standings. We take on all of them across Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter.
FAQs
Site Clearance & Preparation questions we get asked most
If your question isn't here, ring Calum and ask, a straight answer costs nothing.
How much does site clearance cost?
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It comes down to what is on the site, how much material leaves it, and how good the access is, muck away and lorry movements are usually the biggest single element. We look at the site first, then price it fixed, cost-plus, or labour-only if you are arranging haulage yourself. Site visits and quotes are free.
How long does clearing a site take?
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A domestic garden or small plot is often one to three days. A larger or heavily overgrown plot with structures and slabs to remove, levels to reduce and access to build is usually one to two weeks. Access and disposal distance affect it more than the area does.
Do you remove the waste and spoil?
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Yes, and we plan it so you pay to move as little as possible. Material is segregated as it comes out: clean hardcore and subsoil that can be reused as fill stays on site where suitable, topsoil is stockpiled for reuse, metal is recycled, and only genuine waste is carted away.
Can you demolish an old garage, shed or outbuilding?
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Yes: small structures, garages, sheds, outbuildings, walls, slabs and old hard standings are routine clearance work for us, including breaking out foundations inside the new footprint. Larger or more complex demolition is assessed on the visit so we can tell you honestly whether it suits us or a specialist.
Will you check for underground services before digging?
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Yes. Services are traced and marked before machines start, and we hand-dig where anything is suspected. Unknown cables and pipes are the biggest risk on a clearance job, so it is not something we take on trust.
Can you build an access track for deliveries?
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Yes, and it is usually money well spent. We build access with geotextile where the ground is soft, sub-base to a depth that suits the vehicles using it, crossfall for drainage and turning space for the biggest expected delivery. On many jobs it becomes the permanent drive later.
What about trees, hedges and Cornish banks?
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Anything protected or being retained is identified and fenced off before work starts, with machine routes planned clear of it. Where planning conditions or protection orders apply to trees or hedgerows, that is settled before machines arrive rather than discovered afterwards.
Can you set out the site as well?
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Yes. We set out the building position, profiles and a fixed datum level from the drawings, confirm the drainage routes, and position stockpiles clear of the footprint, so every depth measured afterwards comes off the same reference.
Do you carry on into the groundworks?
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Most of the time, yes, and it is the cheaper way to do it. Clearance rolling straight into excavation and foundations with the same team means no second mobilisation and no gap in the programme. We are equally happy to do the clearance alone.
Which areas do you cover?
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All of Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter, from our yard at Horningtops just outside Liskeard: including Liskeard, Menheniot, Dobwalls, St Ive, Callington, Looe, Saltash, Torpoint, Bodmin, Launceston, Fowey, St Austell and Tavistock.
Related Work
Services that usually go with this one
Most jobs cross more than one trade. Taking them together keeps the programme and the price tighter.
Get a free site clearance & preparation quote from someone who's walked the ground
Calum will come out, look at the site and give you a straight price: fixed, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job. No deposit normally required, and stage payments as work is completed.
Send us the details and Calum will come out, look at the ground and give you a straight, free quote: fixed price, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job.
