The Short Answer
- Subdivision site work runs in a sequence: clearing and erosion control, mass grading, underground utilities, roads, then stabilization.
- Mass grading is usually the largest phase. Chestnut Valley, a 220-acre, 640+ lot development, involved about 1.2 million cubic yards of earthwork.
- Underground utilities are the long pole: Chestnut Valley alone has more than 100,000 feet of sewer and storm pipe.
Step 1: Clearing and erosion control
Work starts with installing erosion controls, a construction entrance and sediment basins, then clearing timber and grubbing out stumps and roots within the permitted limits. Topsoil is often stripped and stockpiled for reuse on lots and slopes at the end of the job.
Step 2: Mass grading the lots and roads
Mass grading reshapes the whole tract to the engineer's plan: cutting high ground, filling low ground, and building road profiles and lot pads at the right elevations for drainage. On large developments this is measured in hundreds of thousands to millions of cubic yards.
Brown Bros. examples: Hillock Farms (1.2 million cubic yards), Integra Vista (about 1.3 million at completion) and Chestnut Valley (about 1.2 million across 220 acres).
Step 3: Sewer, storm and water lines
Once grades are close, crews install the underground systems: sanitary sewer mains and laterals, storm drain pipe and structures, and water lines. These have to go in at exact depths and slopes, and in the right order, before roads can be built over them.
On River North, Brown Bros. installed 13,200 linear feet of sewer main and 6,800 linear feet of storm drain alongside 320,000 cubic yards of grading.
Step 4: Roads and curb
Road subgrades are fine-graded and compacted, then stone base, curb and gutter and paving follow. Many developments pave in stages, with a base course early and the final surface after most home construction is done.
Step 5: Final grading and stabilization
The last phase brings lots to finished grade, spreads topsoil, and stabilizes slopes with seed, mulch or matting so the site can close out its stormwater permit and hand lots to builders.
Does Brown Bros. do residential site work?
Brown Bros. works for developers and builders on full subdivisions and neighborhoods, not single-lot homeowner jobs. The company self-performs clearing, mass grading, utilities and site development across Chattanooga and North Georgia.