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Mud gets everywhere on a new home build. Your jobsite can turn into a mud pit pretty quickly.
If I were building, I’d do a few simple things early to keep as much of that mud outside as possible.
Put #4 Gravel Around Contractor Parking
Start with the areas where your contractors are going to park.
Put down #4 gravel, or a similar larger stone, before those areas turn into mud.
The gravel gives trucks and work vehicles a more stable surface and helps keep tires from constantly tracking mud through the jobsite.
I’d also use it along heavily traveled paths where crews are walking back and forth every day.
You don’t need to gravel your entire lot. Focus on the places getting the most traffic.
Use It Where You’re Eventually Pouring Concrete
If an area is eventually getting a driveway, sidewalk, patio, or other concrete, getting stone laid down will solve two problems at once.
It’ll keep the jobsite cleaner but also allow those big heavy trucks and traffic to to pack down the gravel so you’ll have a really solid base when it comes time to pour concrete, which means a reduced chance of settling and cracking.
Screenings Are Another Option
Trying to keep the cost down?
Screenings can be another option for muddy areas.
They’re made up of smaller crushed stone particles and can be cheaper than larger gravel depending on what’s available locally.
Personally, I’d rather have something on the ground than let contractors park and walk through mud and dirt for months.
Talk to your contractor about where screenings make sense and where they’d rather use a larger stone or properly compacted aggregate base.
Add a Boot Scrubber at the Main Entry
The gravel is your first line of defense.
A boot scrubber is your second.
Put one near the entrance your contractors are actually using and leave it there.
You’d be surprised how much it gets used.
It won’t keep every speck of dirt out, but knocking the heavy mud off boots before someone walks across your new subfloor can make a big difference.
Link: https://geni.us/bootscrub
Do This Before the Rain
Don’t wait until your contractor parking area already looks like a muddy swamp.
It’s a relatively simple jobsite decision that can make the entire build cleaner and easier to navigate.
This is exactly the type of detail that’s easy to overlook when you’re focused on floor plans, cabinets, and finishes. That’s why I created the Ultimate Home Building Checklist. It’s packed with the little things I’d want you thinking about throughout your build, before the opportunity to do them easily is gone.
