Dirtwork term
Pad
also called: building pad, slab pad
Prepared, compacted area of ground sized and elevated for a structure to be built on top of it.
A pad is the finished sub-grade for a building. For a residential slab, the pad is the area cut to the right elevation, with the structural fill placed and compacted, ready for the foundation crew to set forms and pour. For a commercial or industrial structure, same idea at larger scale and tighter tolerances.
Pad size is the building footprint plus a few feet of working area on each side. Pad elevation is usually one to two feet above natural grade for drainage. Pad compaction is spec'd by the engineer or, on standard residential work, follows a default of 95% standard Proctor.
A framer rolling onto a bad pad is bad for everyone. We hand off pads with finished elevations checked, surface dry and graded to drain, and any structural fill verified for density when the spec calls for it.
Hiring this done?
Pad comes up on excavation jobs all over East Texas.
If you're reading up because a project is coming, we'll walk your site and show you exactly how this applies to your dirt. Free estimate, no obligation.
When you need it
When pad comes up on a job
You need a pad built any time a structure is going up and the dirt under it has to become a level, stable platform first. A house, a shop, a barn, a metal building, or a mobile home all start here, cut and filled and compacted to hold what goes on top.
Services where this shows up
We use pad on
Related terms
Other words that come up alongside this one
Sub-grade
The natural soil surface that supports everything you build on top of it, pad, road base, slab.
Compaction
Mechanical pressing of soil to reduce air voids, increase density, and provide a stable surface.
Finish Grade
The final surface elevation a site is brought to before turf, paving, or other surface treatment goes on top.
Cut and Fill
Moving dirt from high areas (cut) to low areas (fill) to reach a planned grade, balanced so net hauling is minimized.
Select Fill
Imported soil chosen for known compaction and stability properties, used where native soil isn't suitable.
Get in Touch
Ready to Start
Your Project?
Call or send a message. We respond within one business day and come to you for the estimate, no charge, no obligation.
- Free on-site estimates
- Response within 1 business day
- Licensed & insured
Step 1 of 6
What's your first name?
So we know who we're talking to.