Texas Sitework Costs, Region by Region

The most-studied expansive clay in America runs under the east half of the Metroplex. Houston Black and Heiden clays swell enough to lift slabs and shear utilities, so moisture conditioning, lime treatment and select fill are standard line items, not extras. West of the Balcones the Cross Timbers sands are kinder. Big competitive market; unit rates below the Virginia baseline.

Counties: Dallas County, Tarrant County, Collin County, Denton County, Rockwall County, Kaufman County, Ellis County, Johnson County, Parker County, Wise County, Hunt County, Hood County, Somervell County, Grayson County, Cooke County, Fannin County, Navarro County, Erath County, Palo Pinto County, Rains County, Van Zandt County

Flat, wet and expansive. Houston sites drain nowhere without help: detention drives the grading plan, the water table sits within a few feet, and the Beaumont-Lake Charles clays move like the Blackland. The largest sub market in the state keeps pricing competitive, but drainage and dewatering scope make Houston the highest Texas multiplier.

Counties: Harris County, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, Brazoria County, Galveston County, Liberty County, Waller County, Chambers County, Austin County, Colorado County, Walker County, San Jacinto County, Polk County

Corpus Christi industrial wages meet the wettest ground in the state. Marsh soils in Aransas, Calhoun and Matagorda need undercut or stabilization, dewatering is universal, and hurricane windows shorten the season. Price the water before the dirt.

Counties: Nueces County, San Patricio County, Aransas County, Refugio County, Calhoun County, Victoria County, Jackson County, Matagorda County, Wharton County, Bee County, Goliad County, Kleberg County, Kenedy County, Jim Wells County, Brooks County, DeWitt County, Lavaca County

Interstate 35 is a geology line. East of it the Blackland Prairie clays of Travis, Williamson and Bell counties swell and shrink; west of it the Edwards limestone means trench rock, mass rock and karst voids under Edwards Aquifer recharge-zone rules. Strong demand keeps Austin near Houston pricing.

Counties: Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County, Bastrop County, Caldwell County, Burnet County, Blanco County, Llano County, Lee County, Fayette County, Milam County, Bell County, Coryell County, McLennan County, Falls County, Bosque County, Hill County, Limestone County, Freestone County, Robertson County, Brazos County, Burleson County, Washington County, Grimes County, Madison County, Leon County, Lampasas County, San Saba County, Mills County, Hamilton County

Rock excavation is the Hill Country's defining cost. Limestone sits at or near the surface across Comal, Kendall, Kerr and Bandera, karst voids appear without warning, and the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone adds TCEQ water-quality requirements to the stormwater design. Blackland clays return on the east side of Bexar County.

Counties: Bexar County, Comal County, Guadalupe County, Wilson County, Atascosa County, Medina County, Bandera County, Kendall County, Kerr County, Gillespie County, Kimble County, Mason County, Real County, Edwards County, Uvalde County, Frio County, Karnes County, Gonzales County, Menard County, Schleicher County, Sutton County, Kinney County, Val Verde County

Timber country prices low: rural wages, sandy topsoils that grade easily and no rock. The costs hide in the river bottoms, where seasonal water and soft clays call for undercut, and in haul distances for stone and asphalt.

Counties: Smith County, Gregg County, Harrison County, Upshur County, Wood County, Camp County, Titus County, Morris County, Cass County, Bowie County, Red River County, Lamar County, Delta County, Hopkins County, Franklin County, Marion County, Panola County, Rusk County, Cherokee County, Anderson County, Henderson County, Houston County, Trinity County, Angelina County, Nacogdoches County, Shelby County, San Augustine County, Sabine County, Jasper County, Newton County, Tyler County, Hardin County, Jefferson County, Orange County

The lowest labor rates in Texas with a drainage problem. The Valley's delta clays are as expansive as the Blackland and the terrain is flat enough that every site needs an engineered outfall. Caliche in Webb and the brush country gives cheap, stable subgrade.

Counties: Hidalgo County, Cameron County, Willacy County, Starr County, Webb County, Zapata County, Jim Hogg County, Duval County, Zavala County, Dimmit County, Maverick County, La Salle County, McMullen County, Live Oak County

Rural rates and mixed ground: moderate shrink-swell clays, sandstone ledges in the Callahan Divide, and long hauls for materials. Few surprises, thin sub coverage.

Counties: Wichita County, Archer County, Clay County, Montague County, Jack County, Young County, Stephens County, Eastland County, Callahan County, Taylor County, Jones County, Shackelford County, Throckmorton County, Haskell County, Knox County, Baylor County, Wilbarger County, Hardeman County, Foard County, Cottle County, King County, Stonewall County, Kent County, Fisher County, Nolan County, Comanche County, Brown County, Coleman County, Runnels County, Mitchell County, Scurry County

Oilfield wage competition keeps the Permian multiplier above its neighbors even though caliche makes cheap, stable earthwork. Gypsum and limestone ledges bring rock pricing in Pecos and Crockett counties; El Paso prices similarly on desert alluvium with its own labor market.

Counties: Midland County, Ector County, Tom Green County, Howard County, Martin County, Andrews County, Glasscock County, Reagan County, Upton County, Crane County, Ward County, Winkler County, Pecos County, Reeves County, Loving County, Crockett County, Irion County, Sterling County, Coke County, Concho County, McCulloch County, Borden County, Dawson County, Gaines County, El Paso County, Hudspeth County, Culberson County, Jeff Davis County, Presidio County, Brewster County, Terrell County

Lubbock and Amarillo rates with predictable ground: caliche a few feet down, well-drained clay loams, almost no rock excavation. The wind and the playa basins, which hold water and clay, are the two things that change a price.

Counties: Lubbock County, Potter County, Randall County, Hale County, Floyd County, Motley County, Briscoe County, Swisher County, Castro County, Lamb County, Hockley County, Cochran County, Bailey County, Parmer County, Deaf Smith County, Oldham County, Hartley County, Dallam County, Sherman County, Hansford County, Ochiltree County, Lipscomb County, Hemphill County, Roberts County, Hutchinson County, Moore County, Carson County, Gray County, Wheeler County, Collingsworth County, Donley County, Armstrong County, Hall County, Childress County, Terry County, Yoakum County, Lynn County, Garza County, Crosby County, Dickens County