Grading & Excavating in Cape Coral, FL
Chops Grading and Excavating builds house pads, backfills stem walls, clears lots, cuts driveways and sets final grade on new homes across Cape Coral and Southwest Florida. Call Chop at (239) 560-2996, or (305) 506-7420 en español, for a free quote.
Se habla español: (305) 506-7420
- Owner-operated
- Licensed & insured
- 15+ years on heavy equipment
- Se habla español
- CCCIA member
Site work for new homes, from raw lot to sod
Most of our work happens between the day a lot is bought and the day the house gets its certificate of occupancy. We clear the lot, bring in fill, build the pad, backfill the stem wall after the pour, cut the drive, set the culvert where the city calls for one, and shape the yard so water runs to the swales and away from the house. We also do demolition, rip-rap shorelines on canal lots, base rock, fill delivery, storm cleanup, excavation for permitted septic work, and sod.
Cape Coral is home base, and most of our jobs are on its single-family lots. We also work across Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties and anywhere else in Florida, from the quarter-acre and half-acre lots of Lehigh Acres to Port Charlotte and Golden Gate Estates. Each county and city permits site work its own way, and our service areas page shows where we go and who issues the permits there.
- 15+yearsrunning heavy equipment
- 16servicesone owner-operator
- FLstatewidebased in Cape Coral, works all over Florida
- 2phone linesEnglish & Español
Our services
Five kinds of work, all done with Chop's own machines. Not sure which one your lot needs? Call (239) 560-2996 and describe it.
Pads & fill
House Pads & Lot Fill
Fill hauled in, spread and compacted to plan elevation so the pad passes its density test and the lot drains away from the house.Stem Wall Fill & Backfill
Filling inside stem walls in compacted lifts for the density test, then backfilling and grading around the outside after the pour.Mono Slab Pads
Compacted fill pads built to plan elevation and shaped for the forms, so the mono slab crew can trench footings and pour.Site Grading & Final Grade
Pads to plan elevation, side-lot swales and a final grade that drains away from the house and passes the CO inspection.For Builders
Clearing, pads, backfill, culverts, base rock and final grade for builders, from bare lot to sod-ready.
Clearing
Lot Clearing
Clearing quarter-acre canal and dry lots: Brazilian pepper, scrub and trees removed, burrows protected, debris hauled off.Land Clearing (Acreage)
Acreage and homesite clearing in Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers, Alva and Buckingham, with stumps grubbed and debris hauled off.Forestry Mulching
Underbrush, palmetto and pepper ground in place on acreage, fence lines and trails, with the trees you mark left standing.
Hauling & more
Fill Dirt Delivery
Fill, lime rock and shell rock delivered and spread to grade, plus spoil and debris hauled off your lot.Storm Cleanup & Debris
Downed trees, surge sand, broken fences and sheds loaded and hauled off, then the yard regraded so it drains again.Septic Excavation
Excavation for septic tank abandonments and new systems, dug to the permitted plan, backfilled and regraded.Sod Installation
Sod laid on fresh final grade, with swale sod set to the city's stake-out and yards ready for inspection.
From raw lot to sod
The order the work runs on a new home lot in Cape Coral. Chop can do every step, or just the ones your builder needs. Our guide to building on a Cape Coral lot covers the inspections in between.
ClearBurrow check first, then brush, trees and debris off the lot.
Haul in fillFill trucked in and spread in lifts across the lot.
Build the padPad brought to plan elevation and compacted for the density test.
Culvert & driveCulvert set where the city calls for one, then the drive cut and base.
Final gradeYard shaped so water runs to the swales, ready for the CO.
SodSod laid on the finished grade.
Rip-rap rock shoreline on a Cape Coral canal lot, with a yellow turbidity barrier in the water and a compact track loader. Service: alternative seawalls and rip-rap.
Building on a canal lot
Cape Coral has more than 400 miles of canals, and a lot on one of them takes more planning than an inland lot. The pad and yard still have to drain to the plan, but now the back of the lot ends at water. The city prohibits dumping fill into canals, swales or drainage inlets, so fill gets placed and shaped with the bank in mind, and a floating turbidity barrier goes in the water while shoreline work is underway. You can see that yellow barrier in our photos from canal lots.
Many canal lots also need work at the shoreline itself. On freshwater canals, the city has accepted alternative seawall designs for applications filed on or after January 1, 2022, with plans signed and sealed by a Florida engineer, a slope no steeper than 4 to 1 where it begins and 3 to 1 at the property line, and no fill placed in the canal. Saltwater canals add state or federal approval. We build rip-rap and sloped shorelines to the engineer's plan, then grade and sod the yard down to them.
For builders and GCs: pads, backfill and final grade on schedule
A builder needs three things from the site contractor, in order. First, a pad at the elevation on the plan, compacted in lifts so it is ready for the density test Cape Coral requires in the bottom of the foundation wherever fill was added or soil was disturbed. Second, the inside of the stem wall backfilled after the stem wall pour, so the slab crew can get started. Third, final grade at the end, so the lot is ready for the CO inspection.
Cape Coral's inspection checklist spells out final grade: lot grading has to match the approved plot plan, slopes can be no steeper than 4 to 1, swales have to be present at the side property lines, and the ground has to fall at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet away from the foundation. We grade to those numbers, not by eye. Send the plans and the survey, tell us where the job sits in your schedule, and we plan our days around your other trades. The site grading and final grade page covers that last phase in detail.
For lot owners building in Cape Coral
If you own a Cape Coral lot and plan to build on it, with a builder or as an owner-builder, the site work comes in a fixed order. Before any machine moves, the lot gets checked for burrowing owl and gopher tortoise burrows. The city wants a notarized affidavit with the new-home permit that lists burrows on your lot, in the right-of-way and on vacant lots next door. After that comes clearing, then fill and the pad, the foundation, the drive cut and a culvert if the stormwater inspector calls for one, final grade and sod.
We look at the lot, tell you what it will look like after each step and what the city inspects along the way, and give you a free quote. Our guide to building on a Cape Coral lot lays out the whole sequence in plain terms. When you are ready, send us the lot address or call Chop.
“SHOWED UP and SHOWED OUT”
Luke R., on Facebook, after Chop dug out a septic tank abandonment for his owner-builder job in Cape Coral. Chop took his call from the cab of another job and worked around a reschedule.
Why builders and owners call Chop
Chop runs the machines himself
Chops is owner-operated. Nick Timiraos, the Chop in the name, is the one in the seat of the loader or excavator on your lot. The man who looked at your job and quoted it is the man grading it, so nothing gets lost between an office and the field.
He answers his own phone
Call (239) 560-2996 and you reach Chop, often from the cab on another job. For Spanish, call (305) 506-7420. Se habla español, so owners and crews who would rather talk the job through in Spanish can do that.
15+ years, licensed and insured
Chop has run heavy equipment for 15+ years and is a heavy equipment mechanic as well as an operator. The company is licensed and insured in Florida and takes residential and commercial site work.
Cape Coral based, CCCIA member
We are based in Cape Coral and belong to the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association. The city's owl affidavit, its 12-inch fill limit in flood zones and the stormwater stake-out for drive cuts shape every lot we touch here, so we plan around them from the first visit.
Recent work
Drone and ground photos from Chop's own jobs: the same canal lot during fill and finished, then a few more. Each caption says what the photo shows and, where the photo file says so, the town and month. See every photo, job by job.
Where we work
We are based in Cape Coral and take grading, clearing and excavating jobs across Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties and anywhere else in Florida. Each town page covers who issues the permits there. All service areas.
Lee County
- Cape CoralHome base. Every service on this site.
- Lehigh AcresLot Clearing · House Pads & Lot Fill · Culvert Installation · Demolition · Driveway Base Rock · Fill Dirt Delivery · Stem Wall Fill & Backfill · Site Grading
- North Fort MyersLot Clearing · Demolition · House Pads & Lot Fill · Culvert Installation
- Fort MyersLand Clearing · Demolition · Storm Cleanup & Debris Hauling · House Pads & Lot Fill · Lot Clearing · Culvert Installation · Fill Dirt Delivery · Site Grading
- Estero & Bonita SpringsLot Clearing
- Pine IslandLot Clearing
Collier County
Guides for lot owners and builders
The rules behind the site work on a Southwest Florida lot, from the offices that publish them. All guides.
Building on a Cape Coral Lot: The Site Work, Step by Step
On a Cape Coral lot the site work runs in a set order: owl and tortoise check, clearing, survey and stake-out, fill or stem wall pad, density test, drive cut and culvert, base rock, final grade, sod, then the certificate of occupancy.How Much Fill Dirt Do I Need? The Cubic Yard Math, Explained
Multiply length by width by depth, all in feet, to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards.Stem Wall vs Monolithic Slab: What Each One Means for Your Fill
A monolithic (mono) slab is poured in one piece on a compacted fill pad, so the fill carries the house up to floor height; a stem wall gets its height from block walls, and the fill goes inside them as compacted backfill.Burrowing Owls and Gopher Tortoises: What to Do Before You Clear a Lot
Before clearing a Cape Coral lot, search it, the right-of-way and the vacant lots next door for burrows, list each one on the city's notarized affidavit, and rope off a protection zone: 33 feet around an owl burrow from February 15 to July 10, 10 feet the rest of the year, and 25 feet around a gopher tortoise burrow all year.Cape Coral Driveway and Culvert Permit: The City Packet, Explained
In Cape Coral, a driveway or drive cut across the city right-of-way needs a permit from the Stormwater Division, filed online through EnerGov, with a $26 processing fee and a $99 permit fee per driveway.Seawall Alternatives for Freshwater Canal Lots in Cape Coral
On a Cape Coral freshwater canal lot, a sloped and stabilized bank can take the place of a vertical concrete seawall under city guidelines for applications filed on or after January 1, 2022.
Common questions
More in the full FAQ, or call Chop at (239) 560-2996.
Talk to Chop
(239) 560-2996Se habla español: (305) 506-7420
Email: chopsgradingandexcavating@gmail.com
Get a free quoteWhat parts of a new home build does Chops handle?
The dirt side of it, start to finish: clearing, fill and the house pad, stem wall backfill or a mono slab pad, drive cuts and culverts, base rock, final grade and sod. On canal lots we also place rip-rap shorelines. Demolition comes first when an old structure is in the way.
Does Chops work for homeowners or only for builders?
Both. Builders and contractors hire us for pads, backfill and final grade, and homeowners and owner-builders hire us for the same work on their own lots, plus smaller jobs like a drive cut, fill for a low spot or a storm cleanup. We take residential and commercial work.
How far from Cape Coral will Chops take a job?
Anywhere in Florida. Most jobs are in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. That covers Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Pine Island, Estero and Bonita Springs in Lee, Naples and Golden Gate Estates in Collier, and Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda in Charlotte.
Can I talk to someone in Spanish about my lot?
Yes. Call (305) 506-7420 for Spanish. Se habla español. The English line is (239) 560-2996.
Is Chops Grading and Excavating licensed and insured?
Yes. The company is licensed and insured in the state of Florida. If your builder or lender needs insurance paperwork for the file, ask for it when you call.
Does a quote from Chops cost anything?
No. Quotes are free. Give us the lot address, and if you have them, the survey, site plan and foundation type, and we will price the work from what the lot and plans call for.
Have a lot that needs work?
Call Chop with the address. He looks at the lot, tells you how the job will run and gives you a free quote. For Spanish, call the second line.