Clearing & grubbing
Brush, small trees and stumps removed down to workable soil, with keep-trees flagged first.
Services
Site Preparation
Clearing, grubbing, building pads and construction access in your neighborhood and across the Delaware Valley — so the build starts on stable, staked ground.
Capabilities
What Site preparation covers
Topsoil stripping & stockpile
Topsoil set aside for reuse instead of buried or hauled off without a plan.
Building pads
Pads cut, filled and compacted to the elevations on your plan or stakeout.
Construction access
Stone construction entrances and haul roads that keep mud off the street.
Erosion control kickoff
Silt fence, inlet protection and stabilization set before disturbance where required.
Layout coordination
We work to your surveyor's stakes and flag questions before digging.
Process
Five steps, every job
- 1
Consultation
Tell us the project, the property and the timing. We'll say plainly whether it's a fit.
- 2
Site walk / scope
We walk the site, follow the water, check access and note anything that needs review.
- 3
Proposal
A written scope built for your project — inclusions, exclusions and assumptions spelled out.
- 4
Mobilize & execute
Utilities marked, protection set, then the work — with check-ins, not surprises.
- 5
Walkthrough / punchlist
Grade and drainage verified with you, punch items closed, site left clean.
What's included
Included
- Pre-dig utility locate request (PA One Call / local equivalent)
- Clearing, grubbing and stump removal within the agreed limits
- Pad and access work to the agreed elevations
- Basic erosion & sediment controls shown on the plan
- Clean-up of our work area
Honest exclusions
Not included unless scoped
- Survey and stakeout (by others)
- Engineering, permits and inspection fees unless agreed
- Rock removal beyond normal digging — priced if encountered
- Tree work beyond machine reach (arborist)
Why Sentinel Earthworks
Why us
Veteran-owned
Discipline, integrity and follow-through — the standard we brought home from service. Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business.
A quality watch
Someone is posted and paying attention: elevations checked, protected areas flagged, conditions documented.
Two audiences, two standards
Homeowners get plain answers and a protected property. GCs get submittals, look-aheads and grade that holds to plan.
FAQ
Site preparation questions
+Do I need a survey first?
For pads and anything tied to setbacks or elevations, yes. For simple clearing, a clear agreement on limits is usually enough.
+What happens to the trees and stumps?
We'll agree up front: haul-off, chip on site, or stockpile. Trees you want kept get flagged and protected.
+Do you cover my area?
We work across the Delaware Valley — Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Outside that? Ask — we'll tell you honestly whether it makes sense.
+Who handles permits?
It depends on the job and the municipality. We'll tell you during scoping what's needed and who typically pulls it; engineered or permitted work is coordinated with your engineer or GC.
+How long does site prep take?
Small residential pads are often days, not weeks — but weather, access and soil change that. We'll give you a realistic window in the proposal.
Ready for a site walk?
Tell us about the property and we'll set a time to walk it.