Site prep for new buildings in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
A lot of new building in Los Ranchos goes on land that was a hayfield, a pasture or an orchard not long ago. That history is under your pad, and the site prep has to deal with it.
Start with the village, not the bulldozer
Los Ranchos has its own zoning and permits, separate from Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, and the village puts real weight on open space and mature trees. Before we clear a building site, check what the village requires for your structure and ask whether any tree rules apply to the trees near it.
What irrigated ground does to a pad
Years of flood irrigation leave valley silt and loam rich, soft and full of roots. That's good for pasture and poor for supporting a slab, so we strip the organic top layer off the footprint and build the pad back up with fill compacted in lifts.
The field around the pad still needs to irrigate and drain. We grade so the new building sits above the water's path and the rest of the field keeps receiving it from the ditch the way it did before.
Larger building sites may also need a fugitive dust control permit and federal NPDES Construction General Permit stormwater coverage. We go over both with you early.
Typical building sites in the village
A new home at the back of a family property
The pad goes behind the original house, reached by a long gravel drive that also needs grading and a base for construction traffic.
Horse barn at the edge of a pasture
The barn pad is raised out of the irrigation flow, with the paddocks around it graded so they dry out after a storm.
Casita in an old orchard
A few trees in the footprint come out with their roots, while the rest of the orchard and its irrigation stay as they are.
Workshop near the ditch
The building is moved back so the pad and its fill stay out of the MRGCD easement.
Keeping the land around the building intact
Most owners here want a building that fits the property, not a scraped lot with a house on it. We agree on a work area during the walk-through and keep trucks, stockpiles and turning machines inside it.
Book a walk-through in Los Ranchos
Tell us the address and what you want done. We walk the property and give you a written quote.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (505) 578-0369.
Site prep & pads questions in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
Can you save the topsoil you strip from the pad?
Yes. Valley topsoil is worth keeping. We can stockpile it on site and spread it back over disturbed areas or garden beds when the building work is done.
Does it matter what time of year we build in an irrigated field?
It can. Ground that was just irrigated is often too soft for heavy equipment. We schedule around your watering turns where we can and wait for the soil to firm up.
Will you dig utilities for the new building as well?
We can. Trenches for water, sewer or septic lines, and power are dug after a New Mexico 811 locate, and we leave them open for your installers and any required inspection before backfilling.
More services in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque
Site prep & pads nearby
Let's walk your property. The estimate is free.
We come out, look at the lot with you, and hand you a written quote. No pressure, no obligation.