Contractor Operations
Jobsite Coordination Checklist
Sequencing deliveries, staging, access, and utilities so install days run on material flow instead of firefighting.
Most blown install days die by logistics: the truck that cannot reach the backyard, the pallet parked where the patio goes, the locate that never got called. This checklist front-loads those decisions into the week before mobilization.
One week out
- Call 811 at least two full business days before any digging; confirm the ticket covers the whole work area and re-verify private utilities (irrigation mains, lighting, propane, pool lines) yourself — public locators do not mark them.
- Walk access with measurements: gate widths (a standard gate is 36 inches; most compact equipment needs 48 to 72 inches), overhead lines, tree limbs, septic and sprinkler zones you must not track over.
- Set the staging plan on a site sketch: bulk drops, pallet zones, spoil pile, dumpster, and portable toilet — placed so nothing gets moved twice and nothing sits on finished or soon-to-be-finished surfaces.
- Schedule deliveries in build order with realistic windows, and confirm what equipment each delivery needs on your end (see delivery notes below).
- Notify the client and neighbors about trucks, noise windows, and driveway blockage; on commercial sites, confirm dock/gate hours and any badge or escort requirements.
- Confirm crew plan, equipment reservations, and fuel the night before — rental counters at 7 am are where schedules go to die.
Sequencing deliveries in build order
| Phase | Deliveries | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Demo / rough grade | Dumpster, equipment | Spoil pile located downhill of work, on fabric or plywood if on turf |
| Drainage / irrigation rough-in | Pipe, basins, wire, sleeves | Small footprint; stage near trench lines |
| Hardscape | Base rock, sand, pavers/stone | Bulk first, pallets as close to the work as the driver can safely set them |
| Planting | Trees first, then shrubs, then flats | Trees same-day-planted or watered and shaded; do not take Friday delivery of plants for Monday work in summer |
| Finish | Mulch and steel edging | Mulch last — it hides everything and gets trashed if it arrives early |
Delivery-day details that save an hour each
- Mark drop zones with paint or cones before the truck arrives, and send the driver a pin plus gate photos with the order.
- Know each truck's needs: a bulk end-dump needs overhead clearance and a straight back-out; a flatbed with a piggyback forklift can place pallets but needs firm ground; a boom truck needs outrigger room.
- Protect surfaces on the route: plywood over sidewalks for tracked equipment, mats over turf that must survive.
- Check quantities and condition against the ticket at the tailgate, not at the end of the day — shortages found at 8 am get solved by 10.
- Stage plant material in one shaded holding area with hose access, not scattered at planting positions where it wilts while hardscape finishes.
Order lead times at the yard
Orders confirmed before 3 PM are usually ready for pickup within about an hour; order by noon for next-day delivery. For very large plant orders or multi-pallet loads, call ahead so we can confirm stock and staging. An early bulk drop is worth an hour of crew time versus a mid-morning one.
Run the same map at day's end in reverse: empty pallets stacked for pickup, unused material consolidated and covered, trench plates and cones out. A site that resets clean every night is the cheapest marketing on the street.
On HOA and commercial sites, add one more line item to the pre-mobilization list: written notice of work hours and any noise or blocked-access windows, delivered to the property manager or HOA office, not just the homeowner. A crew that shows up to a locked gate or a noise complaint at 7:15 am loses more time than the notice ever costs, and a paper trail of notice given is the fastest way to clear a dispute if one comes up later.
Have a question about material for this job? Call the yard at (817) 431-9490 or browse live inventory.