Excavation and grading
Excavation, gradingand dozer work.
Digging, cutting and moving dirt on rural and homesite ground: grading and leveling, cut and fill, tank basins and the dirt side of a build. Dozer work done in the right order, with the water planned for.
- Dozer work
- Cut and fill
- Grading
- BeforeAn Edwards Aquifer plan must be approved before regulated soil disturbance in Bexar, Medina and ComalSource
- 5 acDisturbing more than five acres on the Edwards contributing zone brings in TCEQ's rulesSource
- 400Acres shredded and smoothed on one Highlander job
- FreeEstimates. A name and a phone number to start
Excavation & Grading
Dirt moved
where it needs to be.
Excavation is the heavy end of land work: cutting high ground down, filling low ground up, digging basins and shaping the land so it works and drains.
Our job photos show a dozer working graded sites and tank basins, a backhoe in a wide caliche dig, big pads graded out, and basins cut with smooth banks. It is rural and homesite work: the dirt side of a ranch or a build.
Grading done right moves water where you want it. Grading done wrong sends it into the shop or across the road. That is why the plan comes before the dozer.
What the work covers
What excavation and grading covers
Not sure if we handle it? Call and ask.
Dozer work
Pushing, cutting and spreading dirt on open ground.
Grading and leveling
Ground shaped to a grade so it is level where it needs to be and drains where it does not.
Cut and fill
High spots cut down and the dirt moved to fill the low spots, compacted as it goes.
How it is done
How an excavation job runs
- 01
Walk the site
What is going where, how the water runs now, and how machines get in.
- 02
Check the rules
Aquifer zone, floodplain and city rules, before any soil moves.
- 03
Cut, fill and compact
Dirt moved to grade and packed in layers.
- 04
Shape and finish
Final grade set so water runs away from what matters.
Dirt work in the right order
Most rural projects need several kinds of dirt work, and the order matters. Clear first. Cut the road in so trucks can reach the site. Dig the tank and use good spoil where fill is needed. Cut the pad last, so it is not torn up by traffic.
Because one outfit does the clearing, the road, the tank and the pad, the dirt from one job can feed the next, and nothing gets done twice.
Rules that touch dirt work
Moving soil is what triggers most of the rules around here, so they are worth knowing before the dozer starts.
- Edwards Aquifer. In Bexar, Medina and Comal counties, an Edwards Aquifer Protection Plan must be approved before soil is disturbed for regulated activities such as construction and land clearing (TCEQ). There are exclusions, including agricultural activities and single-family homes on lots over five acres (30 TAC 213.3).
- Contributing zone. The rules apply when more than five acres are disturbed, and erosion and sediment controls go in before work begins (TCEQ RG-11).
- Floodplain. In Bexar County, construction near the 100-year floodplain goes through a Public Works review (Bexar County).
- Trees. San Antonio's tree ordinance applies to construction in the city and the ETJ (City of San Antonio).
We point you to the right office. The decision is theirs. See the Edwards Aquifer guide.
On the job
Excavation, up close
Photos from Highlander Construction jobs. See more in recent work.
Questions
Excavation questions
What is dirt work?
It is the general name for moving soil: clearing, cutting, filling, grading, digging basins and shaping pads and roads.
Do you run a dozer?
Yes. Dozer work shows up throughout our job photos, on cleared ground, pads, basins and graded sites.
Can you level my land for a building?
Yes. See building pads and site prep. Your builder or engineer sets the pad spec and we build to it.
Do I need a permit to move dirt?
In Bexar, Medina and Comal counties, TCEQ's Edwards rules can apply before soil is disturbed, and cities have their own rules. See the Edwards Aquifer guide.
Do you dig septic systems, pools or utility trenches?
Not sure if we handle it? Call and ask.
Where we do it
Towns and counties
Highlander Construction is based in Helotes and serves these areas. Not listed? Call and ask.
Pages for your area
Excavation and grading in San Antonio.
Excavation, grading and dozer work in San Antonio and its ETJ, mostly on the northwest side. Over the Edwards Aquifer, the paperwork comes before the...
Read the page HelotesExcavation and dirt work in Helotes.
Excavation, grading, pads and tank basins in and around Helotes, from an outfit based in Helotes. Helotes Creek, the Edwards contributing zone and...
Read the pageRelated services
Building Pads & Site Prep
House, barndominium, shop and RV pads cut, filled and compacted level, and ground leveled for concrete.
See the service Related serviceStock Tanks & Ponds
Earthen stock tanks and dirt ponds dug and shaped, with the spoil pushed up into a berm, ready to catch and hold water.
See the service Related serviceRanch Roads
Ranch roads and long drives cut and graded, surfaced with caliche or base, with the water turned off the road.
See the serviceGuides
Edwards Aquifer rules for land work.
Which counties, when a TCEQ plan is needed, what is excluded and what it means for each kind of job.
Read the guide
Do you need a permit to clear land here?
Tree ordinances, the Helotes survey, Edwards Aquifer plans, floodplains and who to call.
Read the guide
Building a stock tank that holds water.
Siting, soil tests, clay, sizing for the herd, depth for drought and the 200 acre-foot rule.
Read the guideSources
- TCEQ, Edwards Aquifer Protection Program: applications and the San Antonio Regional Office
- 30 Texas Administrative Code 213.3, definitions (Cornell LII)
- TCEQ, Rules Protecting the Edwards Aquifer (RG-11)
- Bexar County Public Works, Floodplain Development Permits
- City of San Antonio, Tree Preservation Ordinance FAQ