Grading & Drainage Prep
in Austin & Central Texas
Finish grading sets the final slopes that carry water away from your foundation. We do finish grade, swales and corrective regrades on residential and small commercial lots in Austin and Central Texas, typically $2,500–$8,000 per lot (to $12,000+ with rock) in one to three days. We shoot elevations to check the fall before we leave.
Water moves where grade tells it to. If the grade is wrong, water finds the foundation, the slab or the neighbor's lot. We finish grade to your plan and check it with elevation shots before we leave.
What does grading and drainage prep include?
Three jobs. Water goes where the plan says.
Finish Grade to Engineered Plan
We grade to the drainage plan, not to "looks flat." Every finished surface gets slope direction and percentage matched to what the civil engineer or architect specified. If there's no plan, we grade to the IRC R401.3 minimums and note what we built.
Swales + Surface Flow
Swales collect and route water off the lot. We form them to the plan dimensions, verify they drain continuously with no low spots that would allow ponding, and check them against adjacent grades so they actually connect to the downstream system.
Corrective Regrades
When existing grade has settled, was built wrong, or doesn't match what the drainage plan calls for, we regrade it. This is common on lots that have been through multiple contractors, infill sites with legacy fill that has shifted, or older pads that need adjustment before a new structure goes in.
Catch basins, channel drains and piped drainage are outside this scope. We grade so water reaches them and coordinate with the contractor who installs them. Rule source: International Residential Code, section R401.3. Check which edition your city has adopted. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Why does grading fail a drainage review?
Three common reasons.
Grading problems usually trace back to the same few causes, and none of them are exotic. They're execution problems that happen when grading is treated as an afterthought instead of something that gets measured.
Grade checked by eye, not instrument. "It looks right" doesn't hold up against an inspector with a level. A list of elevation shots gives you something to point to if a slope is questioned.
Slope direction wrong at the foundation. The most common failure: positive drainage toward the structure instead of away. Usually happens when a contractor grades "level" instead of grading to a plan.
Swale has a low spot that ponds. A swale that doesn't drain continuously creates a standing water point. East of the Balcones Fault, Blackland Prairie clay makes this worse. Water that ponds at the edge of the lot ends up at the foundation.
Grade Measured.
Not Assumed.
Elevations are checked from the RTK drone surface model (optional scan, $500–$1,500 per scan), not a verbal "looks good." You have the data. Your GC has the data. Your inspector can check it. This is elevation verification, not a sealed survey.
Why does the elevation check matter?
The drainage review is the finish line.
For an infill builder in Austin, a failed drainage review can hold up a permit and push the build schedule. The city's reviewer has a level and a plan set. You need to have graded to that plan set.
The optional scan closes that gap. We grade to plan, check the elevations against the drone surface model and send you the data. If a reviewer questions a slope, you have the data. If a GC questions a swale elevation, you have the grid. Our drone scans measure surfaces, quantities and grades. They are not a boundary survey or a sealed survey by a licensed surveyor, and a drone cannot see below the ground surface.
- Grade checked against plan dimensions, not by eye
- Swale elevations shot to confirm continuous fall and no ponding points
- Elevation data delivered before we leave the site
- Pairs with site prep and pad prep, so the final grade pass rides on the same mobilization
How does a grading job run?
From rough grade to final check.
Plan Review + Scope Confirmation
We review the drainage plan or grading plan before mobilizing. Target elevations, slope directions, swale dimensions, and drainage structure locations are all confirmed against what's on the ground before the first blade pass. If there's no plan, we document what we're grading to and confirm with you before we start.
Existing Grade Assessment
With the optional drone scan, we map the existing grade before touching it. This gives us a baseline: where the high and low spots are, how much material needs to move, and whether existing conditions are close to plan or well off.
Rough Grade + Swale Formation
We move material to get close to target elevation and form the primary drainage features — swales, berms, and transitions between grade zones. This is the bulk of the earthwork. We work from high points toward drainage outlets so water has a continuous path.
Final Grade Pass
Final pass refines slope percentages, eliminates any low spots or flat spots in drainage paths, and brings the surface to finish tolerance. At this stage we're checking slope with every pass — not eyeballing it at the end.
Elevation Check
Before we leave, every finished drainage surface is checked against the plan. With the optional drone scan, the surface model confirms continuous fall along the full length of each swale. Slopes adjacent to the structure are verified against the plan. We find problems before your inspector does.
Hand-Off
You get the elevation list and before-and-after photos. If your plan includes catch basins, channel drains or piped drainage, the contractor who installs them starts from a surface that has already been checked. Grade first, structures after, so everything ties in cleanly.
What does grading and drainage prep cost?
$2,500–$8,000 per lot
Grading is usually the final phase of a site prep or excavation project. These ranges apply when grading is scoped on its own, most often on sites where earlier work is done and the final grade pass is what remains. Rock, access and how much material has to move set where in the range a lot lands.
| Scope | Lot Size | Timeline | Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish Grade to Plan | Residential lot | 1–2 days | $2,500–$8,000 per lot | Finish grade to plan, swale checks, elevation list delivered. To $12,000+ with rock. |
| Swales + Surface Drainage Grading | Per lot | Half day to 1 day per swale run | $2,500–$8,000 per lot | Swales formed and checked for continuous fall, tied to the downstream outlet |
| Corrective Regrade | Residential lot | 1–3 days | $2,500–$8,000 per lot | Existing grade corrected to plan: legacy fill, settled pads, wrong slope direction |
| Grading with Pad Prep | Residential or small commercial lot | See site prep | $12,000–$22,000 per lot | Cut/fill, compaction and final drainage grade in one mobilization. To $30,000 with rock and engineered fill. |
Prices reviewed: September 2026. Ranges for Austin and Central Texas; your site walk sets the final number. See all pricing or use the excavation calculator.
Who is this for?
Anyone who has to pass a drainage review.
Your Schedule Doesn't Have Room
For a Failed Drainage Review.
On an infill lot, a re-grade and re-inspection lands on a schedule that was already tight. What helps is a grading contractor who hands over data your reviewer can check against the approved plan.
Clear Ground grades to your civil engineer's plan, checks it, and with the optional drone scan sends you the elevation data before we leave the site. If the inspector questions a slope percentage, you have the data.
- Grade checked against the approved drainage plan, not by eye
- Optional: drone scan and 3D surface model, $500–$1,500 per scan
- Swales checked along their full length to confirm continuous fall
- Protected tree root zones flagged before we start
- Usually bundled with clearing and pad prep in one mobilization
Grading and drainage questions
Ready to Grade.
Measured. Handed Off.
Tell us what you've got and we'll quote from your plan. The site walk sets the final number.
Austin & Central Texas · Insured · Written quote within 48 hours of the site walk
Rather talk to a person? (512) 880-8888