How to Prepare Your Property for a New Shed

Good site prep is invisible when it is done right and obvious for years when it is not. Here is the checklist we walk with every customer.

Pick the spot deliberately

Consider drainage, sun, access, distance from the house and power, setbacks and the view. Stake the corners and live with it for a couple of days before committing.

Call for utility locates

Kentucky 811 marks buried lines before digging. It is free and required. Also flag private lines — septic laterals, water lines to a barn, invisible fence — which locate services do not cover.

Clear and grub

Remove sod, roots, stumps and organic material from the footprint plus a working margin. Organic material left under a pad decomposes and settles.

Establish drainage

Water is the enemy. Crown or slope the pad, cut a swale on the uphill side if needed, and make sure roof runoff from nearby structures is not aimed at the new building.

Build the pad

Compact in lifts with dense-grade aggregate, extending the pad at least a foot beyond the footprint on all sides. Verify level across both diagonals before the build day.

Clear the access route

We need a path for a truck and trailer, plus room to stage material near the site. Trim low branches, note soft spots and mention any gate widths or weight limits.

Plan utilities

If electricity or water is ever going out there, trench during site prep. It is dramatically cheaper than cutting a finished pad or a lawn later.

Day-of checklist

Pets secured, vehicles moved, access gates unlocked, pad clear, and somebody reachable by phone for quick decisions. That is genuinely all we need.

Common questions

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