Full site development from raw land to build-ready — clearing, grading, drainage, gravel access, and utility coordination handled start to finish.
Full site development from raw land to build-ready — clearing, grading, drainage, gravel access, and utility coordination handled start to finish. One call covers the whole site package so you can focus on the build.
We walk the site before we quote — no surprises, just an honest written price.
You deal directly with Chandler and the crew running the equipment.
BBB A-rated, fully licensed and insured, serving a 40-mile radius of Hickory.
Urgent job? Typical 1–2 hour response across our service area.
A few recent site development jobs from around the Hickory area.
Turning raw land into a build-ready site takes more than one skill — it takes a crew that can clear, grade, drain, and prepare the whole property as a single coordinated project. That's site development, and it's where Platinum Construction & Crane brings everything together. From raw dirt to a finished, build-ready site across the Hickory area and the Foothills, we handle the full package with one owner-operated crew and no sub-contractor finger-pointing.
Based in Granite Falls, we develop sites within a 40-mile radius covering Catawba, Burke, McDowell, Iredell, and Gaston counties. We work in Hickory, Newton, Conover, and Maiden in Catawba County; Morganton, Valdese, and Rutherford College along the US-70 and I-40 corridor in Burke County; Marion, Nebo, and Old Fort in McDowell County; Statesville, Mooresville, and Troutman near Lake Norman and I-77 in Iredell County; and Gastonia, Belmont, and Mount Holly in Gaston County. Whether a parcel sits off US-321, NC-127, NC-16, or a rural county road, we can develop it into a site that's ready to build on.
The Foothills reward careful site work and punish shortcuts. Sloped terrain, heavy clay, rock, and complex drainage all have to be solved in the right order — clear, then rough grade, then drainage and utilities, then pads and access, then finish grade. Skip a step or get the sequence wrong and you pay for it later in settling pads, failed drives, and water where it shouldn't be. Developing a site is as much about planning and order of operations as it is about equipment, and that's where an experienced local crew earns its keep.
Our site development brings together clearing to final grade, building and pad preparation, driveway and parking construction, drainage systems, and utility trenching and rough-in. We clear the envelope, cut and fill to establish grade, build the pads to spec, shape drainage so stormwater is controlled from day one, cut in drives and access, and finish grade the site so it's ready for foundations, paving, or slabs. Because it's all one crew, the pad the excavator cuts is drained by the same team that builds the driveway to it — every phase informed by the last.
That single-crew continuity is the whole point of site development. Instead of hiring a clearing company, a grading company, a drainage contractor, and a concrete crew — and hoping they coordinate — you get one accountable team from raw land to build-ready. When a schedule other trades depend on has to hold, that accountability is what makes it hold.
We develop single home sites for families building near Conover or Morganton, multi-lot and acreage projects across the Foothills, and light-commercial sites for businesses expanding along the region's I-40 and US-70 corridors. Residential development usually centers on a clean pad, a solid driveway, and drainage that protects the home. Commercial work adds parking, larger pads, and firm schedule commitments. Both get the same owner-operated attention and the same honest, written estimate.
Developing a site well means understanding the specific ground you're working. We know how Catawba County clay behaves, how McDowell County's steeper terrain drains, and how the tributaries feeding the Catawba River shape what you can and can't do near water. That local knowledge — earned across the Foothills, not out of a manual — is what keeps a development from becoming a problem after the builder shows up.
If you've got land to develop anywhere from Hickory to Marion, Statesville to Gastonia, call (828) 764-3306. We'll walk the property, talk through what it needs and in what order, and give you a clear written estimate — with 24/7 response available if weather sets your site back.
Site development is a sequence, and getting the order right is everything. We begin by clearing the site and establishing access, then rough-grade to set the basic shape of the land. Next comes drainage and utility rough-in — because it's far easier to install those before finished surfaces go in — followed by building and driveway pads cut and compacted to spec. We finish with final grading that ties it all together and leaves the site ready for foundations, paving, or slabs. Handle those steps out of order, or split them among contractors who don't coordinate, and you get the settling pads and drainage failures that plague poorly developed sites.
With Platinum, one owner-operated crew carries the project through every phase. The excavator who cuts your pad, the crew who installs your drainage, and the team who builds your driveway are the same people, accountable to one another and to you. That's how a schedule actually holds and how the finished site fits together the way it should.
Developing land well in the Foothills demands understanding the specific ground beneath it. We know how Catawba County clay compacts, how the steeper terrain in McDowell County drains, how proximity to the Catawba River watershed shapes what's allowed near water, and where rock tends to surface across Burke and Iredell counties. That knowledge, earned developing sites from Conover and Morganton to Statesville and Gastonia along the I-40 and US-70 corridors, is what keeps a project on track and out of trouble. Whether it's a single home site off NC-127 or a light-commercial parcel near US-321, we develop it with the whole build in mind — so when your builder arrives, the site is genuinely ready and free of the surprises that cost time and money.
The questions Hickory-area homeowners and businesses ask most. Don't see yours? Call (828) 764-3306.
"Best" comes down to who shows up, does clean work, and stands behind the price — and that's exactly how we've built Platinum Construction & Crane. We're an owner-operated, BBB A-Rated, 5.0-star-reviewed grading and excavation company based in Granite Falls and serving the greater Hickory area. Owner Chandler Shuffler runs the equipment himself, so the person who quotes your job is the person on-site doing it. We're fully licensed and insured, offer free on-site estimates, and back it up with 24/7 emergency response. Have us out and compare — that's the honest way to judge.
Yes. We provide free on-site estimates across our service area. We walk every job before we quote — no surprises for either of us, just a clear, honest written price.
We're based in Granite Falls and serve a 40-mile radius of Hickory — Catawba, Burke, McDowell, Iredell, and Gaston counties, plus the surrounding Foothills. If you're near I-40, US-321, or NC-127, you're almost certainly in range.
Yes — fully licensed and insured, including for septic work, and independently BBB A-Rated. We also offer veteran and emergency-service discounts.
One local crew for the whole site — explore everything else we handle across the greater Hickory area.
Real reviews from real customers here in the Foothills. Have us out for a free estimate and see for yourself.
"I had this company to come out and cut down some trees. They done it in a timely manner were more than professional. They left no mess behind and made sure I was happy with it before they left. I will be using them again and would 100% recommend them."
"Great job at a fair price. Showed up exactly when promised and did a great job. Highly recommended"
