Land Grading
in Houston, TX

What does a grading contractor do?

A grading contractor shapes land to exact elevations. We cut high spots, fill low spots, compact the fill and finish grade the surface. The goal is water off the site and a level base for sod, paving or a slab. The work runs on dozers, motor graders, skid steers and excavators. Excavation is the separate job of digging down for utilities, ponds and footings.

How much does grading cost in Houston?

There is no flat rate, because a yard regrade and a 10-acre site price differently. These move the number:

• The area, and how much dirt has to move.
• Whether cut and fill balance, or dirt has to be imported or hauled off.
• Access, fences and trees near the work.
• Soft or wet clay that needs drying or select fill.
• Survey, grading plan, and sod or seed after.

How much should the ground slope away from my house?

Houston's home code wants at least 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet from the walls. Where a fence or neighbor sits too close, a swale or drain carries the water instead. In that case, paving within 10 feet slopes at least 2 percent away. The slab top also sits at least 12 inches above the street gutter. Local foundation engineers warn that sand over clay traps water like a bathtub, so we grade with select fill. Water left against the slab is a common path to foundation repair in Houston.

What is the difference between rough grading and finish grading?

Rough grading moves the bulk of the dirt to within a few inches of plan, about 0.2 foot under the local engineers' guideline. Finish grading trims to about 0.1 foot, the surface that sod, base or paving sits on. Commercial civil plans set their own tolerance. Under a parking lot, the finished grade hands off to our commercial paving crew.

Do you use laser or GPS grading?

Both load the target grade into the machine, so the blade knows where to cut. A laser plane suits flat pads and lots. GPS machine control uses the engineer's 3D surface on larger or sloped sites, with fewer stakes and fewer passes. On our jobs, we grade to your surveyor's stakes or model and check the work with survey shots.

Do I need a grading plan or permit in Houston?

It depends on how much dirt moves, and where. In the city, placing more than 50 cubic yards of fill on one lot takes a grading permit. So does fill 3 feet deep, fill over 1 foot under a structure, or a cut deeper than 5 feet. Move more than 1,000 cubic yards and the grading plan needs a Texas engineer's seal. In unincorporated Harris County, new residential lots that change the natural ground need a lot grading plan. City fill below the 500-year flood line has to be offset with matching storage. Erosion control goes in before the first cut.