Farm & Ranch Pond Construction in Paige, TX
- Stock Tanks, Ranch Ponds and Lake Excavation. Bastrop County and Central Texas.
Ponds and stock tanks in the deep sand around Paige. Easy digging, and we go down to the clay so the water stays where you put it. This is dirt work, not landscaping.
We build each one around what you need out of it. Stock water, a fishing hole, or something that just holds through August. Call and we will come look.
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Permits and Practical Checks Around Paige
A stock tank on your own Paige acreage does not normally need a permit from anybody. Texas law lets a landowner impound water for livestock and domestic use without a water right, and ranch tanks are far below TCEQ dam safety thresholds.
Bastrop County floodplain is the item to check. If your site sits in a mapped flood hazard area along one of the creeks running through this country, the county requires a development permit before earthwork. That is a planning question best answered before you settle on a location.
Out here the bigger practical checks are on your own property rather than at the courthouse. Where is the clay under the sand, is there a septic field or a water line in the way, and can a low boy get to the site without tearing up your drive. We cover all three on the walk through.
Water availability for fire is worth thinking about in the Lost Pines. A pond is a real asset there and it may be worth telling your insurance carrier about.
Valuation questions go to the Bastrop Central Appraisal District.
Ponds in the Deep Sand Around Paige
Paige is deep sand and post oak, some of the sandiest ground we work. It digs fast, which keeps the machine hours and the price down, and it is genuinely pleasant country to work in. The catch is that sand will not hold water and you have to go find the clay.
On most Paige properties there is a clay layer under the sand. How deep varies, and that depth is the number that decides your job. Shallow clay means a straightforward build. Deep clay means moving a lot more material before you get to something that seals, and the pond ends up deeper than you planned. We dig test holes to find out rather than guessing, because guessing wrong out here is expensive.
Bank slope matters more in Paige than almost anywhere. Sandy banks cut steep will slough in and refill the pond with the same dirt you paid to take out. We build them at four to one or flatter and we shape a shelf near the edge so the transition is stable. That is not us adding scope, it is the difference between a pond that stays the size you built and one that shrinks.
Highway 290 runs through and the country off it in both directions is acreage and small ranches. Most of what we build here is quarter to half acre tanks for stock, wildlife and looks.
What We Build Around Paige
We dig ponds on ranches, hobby farms and acreage all over the Paige area. Quarter acre stock tanks up to multi acre lakes, plus expansions and cleanouts on ponds you already have.
Stock Tanks & Ranch Ponds
Quarter acre up to an acre, dug where the ground will hold it and deep enough to carry stock through August.
Lake Excavation
Multi acre water where the property and the watershed will support it. Dam, spillway and basin built as one job.
Pond Cleanout & Rehab
Old tank silted in or quit holding water? Usually cheaper to pull it out and reshape it than to start over.
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
How a pond goes in, start to finish.
We Come Look
Nothing gets quoted off a satellite photo. We stand on the ground, walk the drainage and dig where we plan to build.
Plan and Price
Depth, size, slope, dam height, spillway. You get the plan and a firm number before anybody starts moving dirt.
Build
Dozers and excavators on site. The basin gets cut and the dam goes up in lifts, compacted as it rises.
Finish Out
Final grade on the banks, the spillway cut and armored where it needs it, and the place cleaned up behind us.
What a Pond Costs Around Paige
| 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 Paige Call Us
Test Holes Before Talk
We put a machine in the ground and find out what is down there instead of guessing off the surface.
The Dam Is the Whole Job
Keyed into solid material and placed in lifts. Most ponds that fail did not fail because of the dirt.
Our Own Iron
Bulldozers and excavators we know the condition of, sized to what your job actually needs.
No Padding for the Unknown
We do not build a worst case number into every bid. If rock shows up, you pay for the days it takes.
A Number You Can Plan Around
Published starting prices, then a firm figure after we have stood on the spot with you.
Somebody Answers
You get a person on the phone and a date that holds. That is a lower bar than it should be in this trade.
Locations We Serve
We dig ponds across Bastrop County and the surrounding country. If you are anywhere near Paige, we can get equipment to you.
What You Can Count On
Project Gallery
Recent pond jobs from around Central Texas.
Pond Construction in Paige, 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
Can a pond hold water in Paige sand?
Not in the sand, but there is clay underneath on most properties. We dig down to it and build the pond bottom and banks out of that material. Test holes tell us how deep before we quote.
What if there is no clay under my property?
It happens, and if it does we will tell you. In that case a pond either needs material hauled in or a liner, and both of those change the cost enough that you should know before we start, not after.
Why do sandy ponds need flatter banks?
Because steep sand caves in. A bank cut at two to one will slough into the pond over a couple of wet seasons and you lose depth and volume. Four to one or flatter holds.
Is it cheaper to build in sand?
The digging is cheaper because there is no rock. Whether the whole job is cheaper depends on how deep we have to go to reach clay.
Do you clear post oak off the pond site?
Yes. Clearing is the other half of what our company does, so trees on the footprint or the access route get handled on the same job.
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.