Service · Denham Springs & Greater Baton Rouge
House Pads & Concrete Pads
A house pad or concrete pad is a graded, compacted building surface prepped to hold a slab or foundation without settling. We build pads for houses, shops, and outbuildings across the Baton Rouge area, and fill is placed and compacted in lifts, not dumped and leveled in one pass — the single biggest reason slabs crack in gumbo clay soil is fill that was never properly compacted to begin with.
What's Included
What we handle on a pad job
- Removal of unsuitable material — topsoil, old fill, stumps, organic debris
- Fill placement and compaction in lifts to spec
- Grading to finished pad elevation, coordinated with builder plans
- Compaction to engineer or builder density requirements when specified
- Concrete pad prep for shops, slabs, and outbuildings
- Site access grading so trucks and equipment can reach the pad
Our Process
How a pad job runs
Walk the site & check plans
We review the footprint and elevation your builder or plans call for, and check existing soil conditions.
Written scope & quote
A written estimate covering fill volume, compaction, and finished elevation — within 48 hours.
Clear, fill & compact
Unsuitable material removed, then fill built up and compacted in lifts to the elevation and density needed.
Final check & handoff
We verify elevation and compaction, then hand the pad off ready for your builder or concrete crew.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Pad size & heightA pad built up several feet above grade needs far more fill than a minor level-out.
- Existing soil conditionsRemoving old fill, topsoil, or organic material adds time before building back up.
- Compaction requirementsAn engineer-specified density test standard takes more passes and time than a general-use pad.
- Fill sourcingWhether suitable fill is available on site or needs to be trucked in affects cost.
- AccessHow easily trucks and compaction equipment can reach and work the pad site.
- Coordination with testingScheduling around a third-party density or proctor test can affect timeline.
Local Know-How
Why local experience matters
Gumbo clay is expansive — it swells when wet and shrinks when it dries out, which is exactly the kind of soil that punishes a poorly built pad. A pad that isn't compacted correctly in lifts will settle unevenly as the clay beneath it moves through wet and dry seasons, and that shows up later as cracked slabs or doors that won't close right.
Because this area sits low and flat, we also build pads with enough elevation above the surrounding grade to keep the finished floor clear of standing water after typical rain events, and we check where that elevation needs to land relative to flood-zone requirements where they apply.
We coordinate directly with builders and surveyors who work this area regularly, so the pad we hand off lines up with what they're expecting — right footprint, right elevation, right compaction — the first time.
FAQ
Common questions
How high should a house pad be built up?
It depends on the surrounding grade, flood zone status, and your builder's or engineer's specification. In much of the Baton Rouge area we build pads up above the natural grade to keep the finished floor elevation clear of typical ponding and to meet flood-zone requirements where they apply.
Do you compact the pad, or just pile and level dirt?
We compact in lifts — building up material in layers and compacting each one — rather than dumping fill and grading it flat. Uncompacted fill settles unevenly over time, especially in clay soil, and that's exactly what causes cracked slabs later.
Can you build a pad to a specific engineer's spec or compaction test?
Yes. If your builder or engineer has a compaction density requirement, we build to it and coordinate timing with your testing company if you're having proctor or density tests run.
How long before a builder can start on a pad you've prepped?
A straightforward residential pad is usually ready in 2 to 4 days depending on size and fill volume needed. We'll give you a firm date so you can coordinate with your builder or concrete crew.
What if the pad site has old fill, debris, or organic material in it?
We remove unsuitable material — old fill, stumps, topsoil, organic debris — before building the pad back up with proper material. Building on top of organic matter is one of the most common causes of settling foundations we see.
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