Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Bertram, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Burnet County and Central Texas.
Stock tanks and ponds on Bertram acreage. Some of the better dirt in Burnet County, which usually means no hammer and a price near the bottom of the range. This is dirt work, not landscaping.
Every pond gets built for what it actually has to do, whether that is watering cattle, holding through a dry summer, or giving you somewhere to fish. Free quote in 24 hours.
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What Bertram Landowners Need to Check First
The paperwork on a Bertram pond is usually light. A stock tank on your own land for livestock and domestic use does not require a water right under Texas law, and the size we build for ranch use is nowhere near the point where TCEQ dam safety regulation applies.
What is worth checking is whether your site sits in a mapped floodplain. The South San Gabriel and the creeks feeding it run through this part of Burnet County and a flood hazard area means a county development permit before dirt moves. That is a planning question, not a deal breaker, and it is better answered before you pick the spot.
Highway 29 has brought subdividing through here and some of the newer tracts carry deed restrictions covering earthwork and drainage. Those come from the developer, not the county, and they are easy to overlook. Read yours.
Ag and wildlife valuation runs through the Burnet Central Appraisal District. If the pond is part of why you are claiming a wildlife use, get their requirements in hand first.
Pond Building Around Bertram
Bertram has some of the better dirt in Burnet County. The ground north and east of town along the South San Gabriel drainage carries real soil depth, and a dozer can do most of the work there without a hammer ever coming off the trailer. That keeps the price near the bottom of the range instead of the top.
It is not the whole county though. Get up on the higher ground west of town and the limestone comes right up under your feet. On the same property you can have a cheap pond site and an expensive one forty yards apart. We dig test holes across the footprint before we quote so you know which one you have.
Most of what we build around Bertram is stock tanks on working places, twenty to two hundred acres, running cattle or held for hunting. Highway 29 has brought more traffic and more subdividing through here, but the land off the FM roads is still ranch country and it still needs water on it.
The soil around Bertram will hold a pond without a liner in most spots. There is clay in it. We dig, we let it take water, and we watch how it does. That is the honest way to handle it. Nobody can guarantee a pond holds without a liner, and anybody who tells you otherwise is selling something.
What We Build Around Bertram
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Bertram area. Quarter acre stock tanks up to multi acre lakes, plus expansions and cleanouts on ponds you already have.
Stock Tanks & Ranch Ponds
Ranch ponds and stock tanks from a quarter acre up, placed after we have dug test holes and found the clay.
Lake Excavation
Small lakes where there is enough ground draining in to keep one full. Basin, dam and spillway together.
Pond Cleanout & Rehab
Rehab on an existing tank. Silt out, banks back to a stable slope, dam repaired and spillway cut to grade.
What a Good Pond Does for a Place Out Here
Out on acreage a pond earns its keep before it ever looks pretty. It waters stock without running the well pump. It keeps runoff on your place instead of sending it down the road. It gives deer and turkey somewhere to drink in August. And it is the first thing a buyer notices when the place goes on the market.
Key Benefits Include:
- Stock water that lasts through a dry summer
- Runoff kept on your place instead of running off
- Backs up an ag or wildlife valuation
- Fishing and swimming
- Water on hand if a fire starts
- Adds real value to rural acreage
How We Build a Pond That Holds
Four steps. Getting the first one right is most of the work.
Find the Spot
Not the prettiest spot, the one that will hold water. Soil depth, clay and where the runoff already goes.
Set the Numbers
Surface size, center depth, bank slope, dam height and spillway capacity, all worked from your watershed and what you want the pond for.
Move the Dirt
Cut the basin, build the dam in compacted lifts keyed into solid material, and shape the banks as we go.
Walk It With You
Before the trailer leaves we go over the finished job together and fix whatever needs fixing.
What a Pond Costs Around Bertram
| Pond Size | Starting Price | Build Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 acre | from $14,000 | 2 to 3 days |
| 1/2 acre | from $23,000 | 3 to 4 days |
| 1 acre | from $33,500 | 5 to 6 days |
| 2 acre | from $50,000 | 9 to 11 days |
Every size in between, plus what rock, haul distance and access do to the number, is on our Texas pond cost page.
Pond Cost Calculator
Slide in the size, depth and bank slope you have in mind and see roughly how much dirt has to move and what that runs. Works for anything up to 2 acres.
See our full Texas pond cost guide for what drives the price and how the ground changes it.
3:1 is the steepest bank and moves the least dirt. 5:1 is a gentle wade-in bank, easier on cattle and safer around kids, but it takes more digging to get the same water.
- Average depth0 ft
- Water it holds0
- Rate per yard$0
This is an estimator, not a quote. It figures the dirt you would move for a bowl shaped pond at the size, depth and bank slope you picked. What you actually pay depends on whether we hit rock, what shape the ground is in, how far we have to haul spoil, and whether the spot needs clearing first. Rock is the big one. If we run into granite or solid limestone we have to bring a hammer out and that gets billed by the day. Call us and we will come walk it.
Why Folks Around Bertram Call Us
Placement Over Everything
The right spot on your property is worth more than any product we could put in the hole. We find it first.
Spillways Sized for Real Rain
Built for the storm that actually comes through here, not for an average shower on a chart.
Equipment That Fits
A big excavator on a small tank wastes your money. We bring what the job needs.
Straight Talk About Rock
If we find it, we tell you what it means for the schedule and the price before we keep going.
Quotes That Hold
What we quote after the site walk is what you pay unless the scope changes and you approve it.
On Time, On the Day
We keep the date. If weather moves it, you hear from us before it moves.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Burnet County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Bertram, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Bertram, TX
1/5-Acre Pond Expansion - Elgin, TX - 1 Day
1/4-Acre Custom Pond - Burnet, TX - 4 Days
What Our Customers Say
★★★★★
“This is the second time using this company. And always quick responses and follow through! Their quality of work is the best in the industry. I’ve reached out to other companies before and usually slow to respond and set a date to come look at the property for a project and no show. That is something you won’t have to worry about by going with Texas Grading.”
Sean Chandler
★★★★★
“Worked with me to get my pond exactly how I wanted it. Taylor communicated well and was willing to cut me a fair deal when things weren’t exactly as expected. Jonathon is an ace with the dozer. The man can move some dirt like icing on a cake. Well done gentlemen!”
Dennis Pacl
★★★★★
“What a great experience. This company was prompt, and right on budget. They made a pond/tank for me on my ranch. The owner and his team were very professional.”
Glenn Gonzales
★★★★★
“These guys are the best! Hands down, if you need any land clearing or ponds done on your property, do yourself a favor and call Taylor!”
David Williams
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the dirt around Bertram good for a pond?
Generally yes, especially in the draws and along the drainages north and east of town. It carries enough clay to seal. The higher ground west of town is thinner and rockier, so it depends where on your place we are building.
How much does a stock tank cost in Bertram?
A quarter acre starts around $14,000 and a half acre around $23,000 at eight foot center depth. Bertram jobs in good dirt tend to land near the starting number because there is usually no hammer work.
What if my pond does not hold?
We dig first and see how it does. If it will not hold we come back with bentonite worked into the bottom and the banks. That is the normal process out here and it works on most sites, but nobody can promise a pond holds without a liner.
Can you build the pond and the road to it at the same time?
Yes. We run dozers and excavators and we do ranch roads too. Building the access at the same time is usually cheaper than bringing equipment back for a second trip.
How far is Bertram from your yard?
About forty minutes from Johnson City. Short equipment moves keep the mobilization cost down on Burnet County work.
More on Pond Building
- Stock Tank Construction What a working stock tank costs, how deep it needs to be and where to put it.
- Pond Dams and Repair Key trenches, compacted lifts and spillways sized for real runoff.
- Pond Cleanout and Dredging Getting the silt out of a tank that has filled in and quit holding depth.
- Pond Repair Why a pond leaks, and what it takes to fix one that will not hold.
- Lake Excavation Bigger water, and what the watershed has to support to keep one full.
- Pond Permits in Texas When you need one, when you do not, and who to ask.
- How Deep Should a Pond Be? Why eight foot in the center is the default and when to go deeper.
- Building in Rocky Ground Granite, limestone and caliche, and what each does to the price.