Site Prep Secrets: The Developer’s Checklist That Saves Time & Money

Introduction
For real-estate developers and hard-money lenders, the stage of the project when the site gets prepared is more than just “grounds work” — it’s a risk-management step that sets the tone for everything else. Proper site preparation builds your foundation (literally and figuratively) for schedule stability, cost control, and legal/regulatory compliance. At Longhorn Funding we see too many projects stumble because the site wasn’t ready. Here’s a developer’s checklist to help you spot, manage, and execute the site-prep phase well.

Checklist: The Developer’s Site Preparation Steps
Use this as a practical, actionable list—each bullet has an emoji for visibility, and you can integrate these into your internal workflows or share with borrower/developer partners:

🧭  Site Evaluation & Surveying
Before you break ground, make sure you’ve had a full site survey: boundaries, setbacks, easements, underground utilities, slope/topography issues. According to industry guides this is among the first steps in site preparation. BuildingsGuide

🧪 Soil / Geotechnical Testing
The soil under your project must support the loads, drain properly and be predictable. Many sources note that failing to test or understand subsurface conditions leads to change-orders, delays or settlement issues. gharpedia.com

🌲 Clearing, Demolition & Vegetation Removal
If the site has old structures, trees, roots, or other debris, remove these in advance. This avoids surprises when you get into grading or foundation work. blackmountainexcavation.com

🚧 Grading, Drainage & Compaction
Grade the site and set contours so water flows away, and compact the soil per spec so your foundation and structure won’t shift. One source flagged “cut-and-fill, grading and compaction” as key. gharpedia.com

🔌 Utilities & Access Planning
Mark and map underground utilities, run temporary power/roads/staging areas, manage access for equipment, materials and workers. Delays at this stage can cascade. BuildingsGuide

🛡️ Erosion Control, Sediment & Site Safety Measures
Use silt fences, stabilize slopes, protect neighboring properties, define staging zones, signage, perimeter security. Good site preparation reduces liability and regulatory risk. EngineeringCivil.org

📄 Documentation & Permits
Ensure all permits are secured, inspections scheduled, changes to as-built grade or utilities are documented. One article emphasizes verifying finished grade and compaction test results BEFORE vertical construction starts. EngineeringCivil.org

🧮 Budget & Contingency for Site Prep
Site prep isn’t cheap. For example: clearing, grading and soil testing costs for mid-size projects are cited in one guide. BuildingsGuide

✅ Final Verification / Quality Control
Before you pour foundation or erect framing, verify that the site meets specs: elevations, compaction, drainage, utility alignments, etc. One source states that this is where many projects fail if skipped. EngineeringCivil.org

🔄 Hand-over & Baseline for Lender Monitoring
For hard-money lenders like Longhorn Funding, being able to verify that site prep has been done and documented gives confidence—and mitigates risk. Ask for photos, engineer reports, compaction certificates, utility maps.

Conclusion
Site preparation may feel like “just the groundwork,” but for developers and lenders it is foundational in every sense. Cut corners here and you risk cost overruns, delays, structural issues and even legal exposure. Follow the checklist, document everything, and your project is far more likely to stay on schedule, on budget and withstand scrutiny. At Longhorn Funding, we partner with developers who treat site prep like the high-leverage step it truly is. We often provide bridge loans for land developers needing a little extra time to get to full entitlements from the city. Bridge lending is one of our specialties so give us a call today! 512-955-7559.