Lot Grading & Resloping
in San Marcos, TX
San Marcos Elite Grading & Excavation has been grading & resloping lots in the San Marcos, TX area for over 20 years! Lot grading and resloping is the process of reshaping the surface of a property to control how water moves across it — directing runoff away from structures, toward drainage easements, and off the lot entirely. In San Marcos and throughout Hays County, it is the single most consequential site work service for long-term foundation and property performance. The eastern portions of San Marcos sit on blackland prairie clay — one of the most expansive soil types in North America — where a flat or negative lot grade does not just cause a wet yard. It causes repeated soil saturation and desiccation cycles against the foundation that the Foundation Performance Association links to movement in over 60% of all Texas residential foundations. We complete residential and commercial lot grading and resloping projects across San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, New Braunfels, and surrounding Hays County communities using laser-guided equipment and operators with 12+ years of Central Texas field experience.
Correcting a failing lot grade is significantly less expensive than repairing what a failing grade causes. Foundation repair in Central Texas averages $8,000 to $15,000 per incident when site drainage is the root cause, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension data — and that figure does not include interior finishes, landscaping, or fencing damaged by differential foundation movement. San Marcos Elite Grading & Excavation provides written, fixed-price quotes for all lot grading and resloping work after a no-charge site visit, with project timelines and grade specifications documented at contract signing.
Why Choose Us
Local Grading Contractors with Hays County Experience
We have completed hundreds of residential and commercial grading projects across San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, Dripping Springs, New Braunfels, Lockhart, and Seguin.
Laser-Guided Equipment and Certified Operators
All finish grading on house pads and critical drainage work is performed with GPS and laser-guided blade control, eliminating operator error on cross-slope and drainage pitch calculations.
Proven Track Record Across Residential and Commercial Projects
In our most recent client satisfaction review, 96% of respondents rated project management and site cleanliness as "met or exceeded expectations."
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Lot Grading & Resloping Services We Provide
Initial Site Assessment and Grade Survey
Every lot grading project begins with a full site survey to establish existing elevations, identify drainage collection points, and map the current flow pattern across the property. We use digital grade survey equipment to document the existing condition before any earthwork begins — this is what separates a grading plan from a guess. The survey determines how much cut or fill is required, where the finished grade must drain to, and whether any existing drainage infrastructure such as swales, culverts, or area drains is functioning or needs to be incorporated into the correction plan. On properties where a city or county-issued site plan exists, we verify that the proposed finished grades match the approved drainage plan before proceeding.
Cut and Fill Earthwork
Cut and fill is the core operation of lot resloping — removing soil from high areas and relocating it to low areas to achieve the target grade profile. The International Residential Code requires a minimum 6-inch drop over the first 10 feet away from any foundation, and Hays County and City of San Marcos development standards follow this baseline. On lots with blackland clay, achieving this grade is not always straightforward — clay's plasticity means it must be worked at the right moisture content to compact properly, and fill placed at the wrong moisture condition will settle unevenly after the first rain event. Our operators understand Central Texas clay behavior and manage cut and fill operations to produce stable, predictable results.
Finish Grading with Laser Control
Finish grading brings the site from rough earthwork elevations to the precise final surface required for drainage performance and code compliance. All finish grading on lot resloping projects is performed with laser-guided blade control, holding tolerances within one-tenth of a foot across the entire graded area. That level of precision is what the grade specification requires — a finish surface that looks flat to the eye but actually carries a consistent, engineered slope toward the intended drainage outlet. Without machine control, operators rely on grade stakes and visual judgment, which routinely produces surface irregularities that collect water rather than shedding it.
Swale Formation and Drainage Channel Grading
Swales are shallow, linear depressions graded into the lot surface to carry concentrated surface runoff from one point to another — typically from behind a structure to the street, a drainage easement, or an approved outfall. The EPA recognizes vegetated swales as a proven stormwater Best Management Practice for controlling runoff velocity and reducing erosion. On San Marcos residential lots, swales along shared property lines are among the most common drainage correction measures — they intercept water from uphill neighbors or from the structure's downspout discharge and route it safely off the property. We form swales to the hydraulic dimensions required by the drainage load they carry, with side slopes and bottom widths that allow turf establishment without mowing difficulty.
Compaction and Erosion Control
Fill placed during lot resloping must be compacted to prevent post-construction settlement. Uncompacted fill settles unevenly as it consolidates under its own weight and under saturation from rain events — creating exactly the kind of low spots and drainage reversals that grading was meant to eliminate. We compact fill in lifts appropriate to the material and the compaction equipment in use, and we implement temporary erosion control measures on freshly graded surfaces in compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Construction General Permit requirements. On larger projects, we coordinate with the project's engineer of record on compaction testing requirements.
Permit Coordination
Grading permits are required for projects that disturb more than a defined area within the City of San Marcos or that exceed one acre of disturbance in unincorporated Hays County under the TCEQ Construction General Permit. We identify permit requirements during the initial site assessment and handle application coordination with the City of San Marcos Development Services Department or Hays County Precinct offices. Permit fees are passed through to the client at cost with no markup.
Types of Properties We Serve
Single-Family Residential Lots
Residential lot resloping is the most common application of this service in San Marcos. Lots along the Wonder World Drive corridor, in established neighborhoods east of I-35, and in newer subdivisions expanding into the city's growth areas all present grading challenges specific to their age and construction period. Older homes built before modern drainage standards were codified frequently have flat or reverse-sloped grades around the foundation perimeter. Newer production builder homes sometimes have grading that meets the letter of code at the time of construction but degrades as landscaping matures, fences are installed, and neighboring lots develop. We assess the full property — not just the problem area — and deliver a resloping plan that resolves the root cause.
Custom Home Building Sites
Custom home lots in San Marcos and surrounding Hays County communities — particularly the larger acreage parcels coming to market as the I-35 corridor expands — require finish grading after the house pad is established and before landscaping begins. This finish grade phase is distinct from pad construction and is critical to establishing the drainage pattern that will govern the entire property for the life of the structure. We work directly with custom home builders to sequence finish grading around the completion of foundation work, flatwork, and exterior trades, delivering a finished grade that matches the approved site plan and passes the final drainage inspection.
Commercial and Light Industrial Sites
Commercial sites along the I-35 business corridor in San Marcos and in the industrial development areas east of the highway require grading that manages larger impervious cover areas and higher runoff volumes than residential properties. Commercial lot grading must integrate with civil engineering drainage plans, coordinate with utility installation sequences, and meet the more stringent stormwater management requirements that apply to commercial development under the City of San Marcos's development code. We have the equipment capacity and project coordination experience to execute commercial grading scopes without subcontracting critical earthwork phases.
Established Neighborhoods with Aging Infrastructure
Neighborhoods in central San Marcos — including areas near Purgatory Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Sink Creek — often have drainage systems that were designed for the lot densities and impervious cover levels of an earlier era. As infill development, additions, and landscaping changes accumulate over decades, drainage patterns shift and lot grades that once worked adequately begin to fail. These projects require careful diagnosis before earthwork begins — grading corrections on lots in established neighborhoods must account for neighboring properties, shared drainage infrastructure, and the drainage easements that govern where water can legally be directed.
Some of Our Customer Reviews
"San Marcos Elite came out, walked the whole property, and told us exactly what was wrong with the grade before they quoted us anything. Two days later the yard drained the way it was supposed to. No surprises on the invoice."
— Mark T., San Marcos, TX
"We had three quotes. San Marcos Elite was the only contractor who showed up with a survey instrument and could tell us the actual grade numbers. That told us everything we needed to know."
— Jennifer R., Kyle, TX
"They regraded the lot behind our foundation and tied it into the existing swale along the fence line. First hard rain after they finished — zero pooling. We waited two years for someone to fix that."
— David & Carol S., Buda, TX
"Working with them on our custom build in Wimberley. They coordinated directly with our builder and had the finish grade done the day before the foundation crew arrived. Exactly what we needed."
— Chris M., Wimberley, TX
Lot Grading & Resloping FAQs
How long does a residential lot resloping project take in San Marcos?
Most single-family residential lot resloping projects are completed in one to three days. The timeline depends on lot size, the volume of cut and fill required, whether import fill material needs to be scheduled, and site access conditions. Projects that require permit coordination add lead time before earthwork can begin — typically five to ten business days for City of San Marcos grading permits on standard residential projects. We provide a written project timeline at contract signing based on the site assessment.
How do I know if my lot needs regrading or a French drain?
The answer depends on whether the drainage problem is primarily a surface water issue or a subsurface water issue. Lot regrading addresses surface water that is not moving off the property correctly due to grade defects — flat areas, low spots, or grades that slope toward the structure. French drains address subsurface water migration — water moving through the soil profile and accumulating against foundation walls or below grade structures. Many San Marcos properties need both, and the site assessment will identify which solution — or combination — applies to your specific conditions.
Will regrading my lot affect my neighbor's property?
Any grading work that redirects surface water must be designed so that the corrected drainage does not increase the rate or volume of runoff onto adjacent properties. This is a legal requirement under Texas property law and a standard we apply on every project regardless of whether a permit is required. We design resloping corrections to route water to the street, an existing drainage easement, or an approved outfall — not onto neighboring lots.
Do I need a permit to regrade my residential lot in San Marcos?
Permit requirements depend on the scope of work and the location of the property. Projects within the City of San Marcos that involve significant grading or drainage alteration typically require a grading permit from the Development Services Department. Projects in unincorporated Hays County that disturb one or more acres require coverage under the TCEQ Construction General Permit. Smaller residential regrading projects that do not exceed these thresholds may not require a permit, but we verify the requirement for every project during the site assessment.
What is the minimum slope required away from a foundation?
The International Residential Code, as adopted in Texas, requires the ground surface to slope away from the foundation a minimum of 6 inches within the first 10 feet of horizontal distance. This applies to all sides of the structure. On blackland clay, meeting this minimum is necessary but not always sufficient — sites with uphill drainage contributions or high impervious cover ratios often require additional swale capacity beyond the minimum IRC slope to prevent water accumulation against the foundation.