Site Preparation in Hillsboro, OR

Site preparation in Hillsboro is the difference between a build that goes smoothly and one that fights you the whole way. Hillsboro Excavation Co. clears, grubs, cuts, fills, and compacts your lot into a level, build-ready pad — squared to your plans and graded so water runs off, not into your foundation. We prep sites for new homes, shops, ADUs, additions, and light commercial across Hillsboro and all of Washington County.

The Willamette Valley makes site prep its own skill. Under most of Hillsboro sits heavy silty clay that holds water from October through May, a water table that climbs in winter, and basalt rock a few feet down in parts of the county. Prep a pad without accounting for that and you get a foundation sitting on soft, saturated ground — settling, cracking, and drainage problems that cost far more to fix than to prevent. We build the pad right the first time.

What Our Hillsboro Site Prep Includes

Hillsboro Excavation Co. handles every step from raw lot to a pad your foundation crew can pour on. A typical residential site prep job covers:

• Clearing and grubbing — removing brush, roots, sod, and organic material so the pad sits on stable subgrade, not decomposing wood.
• Cut and fill — moving soil from the high side to the low side to hit your building elevation, then compacting the fill in lifts so it holds.
• Rough and finish grading — shaping the pad and the surrounding grade to drain away from the structure, within a tenth of a foot of plan.
• Compaction testing — running the plate compactor or roller to spec so the pad won't settle under the weight of the build.
• Erosion control — silt fence, rock entrances, and inlet protection to meet Clean Water Services rules from day one.
• Over-excavation and rock — when soft or wet soil shows up, we dig it out and bring in crushed rock to build a stable base.

Why Site Prep Matters More in the Willamette Valley

Hillsboro sits on ground that punishes shortcuts. The clay-heavy soils around South Hillsboro, Witch Hazel, and out toward North Plains drain slowly and swell when wet, so a pad that isn't properly cut, filled, and compacted can shift with the seasons. We've prepped lots from the new subdivisions near Orenco Station to rural acreage on the Jackson School corridor, and the approach changes with the dirt. We test what we're working with, build the pad to match, and document the erosion control so your inspection goes clean.

Built for the wet season

Most of the year in Washington County, water is the real enemy of a good pad. We grade positive drainage into every site, keep fill compacted so it sheds water instead of soaking it up, and stage the work so we're not trying to compact soup in January. If your lot has a spring, a seasonal high water table, or a low corner that ponds, we deal with it during prep — not after your slab is down.

How Much Does Site Preparation Cost in Hillsboro, OR?

Most residential site preparation in Hillsboro runs $2,500 to $8,000, and the real number comes down to lot size, how much dirt has to move, slope, soil and rock conditions, and access for equipment. Excavator-and-operator time runs about $110 to $190 per hour, imported crushed rock for a stable base runs roughly $35 to $60 per ton delivered and placed, and hauling spoils off site costs about $60 to $120 per cubic yard. Below are typical ranges we see across Washington County so you can budget before we ever come out.

Permits and Erosion Control We Handle

Most site prep that moves real soil in Hillsboro needs a grading permit from the City of Hillsboro or Washington County, and Clean Water Services erosion-control rules apply to nearly every site. Jobs that disturb an acre or more also need Oregon DEQ 1200-C stormwater coverage. Hillsboro Excavation Co. pulls the right permits, sets up the erosion control, and keeps it maintained through the job so you pass inspection and stay compliant — you don't have to chase any of it.

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