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Terraced Austin backyard with board-formed concrete retaining walls, a gravel-jointed flagstone patio, and steps that step the slope down to manage runoff
5.0

Drainage Solutions in Austin, TX

Thrive Landscape and Design is a veteran-owned, locally based drainage team moving water off properties across the greater Austin area for more than 20 years. French drains, regrading, and erosion control built for our expansive clay and Hill Country slopes — engineered to pull water away from your slab foundation and stand up to the flash-flood downpours Central Texas is known for.

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Drainage Services

Every Drainage Solution We Offer

From standing water against the slab to a Hill Country slope washing out every storm, every job starts with a walk of the property, a read of the grade and the soil, and an honest look at where the water actually goes. Browse the services below, or check the City of Austin flood resources if you want to understand your lot's risk before we meet.

Recent Projects

Water Moved, Slopes Held

Grading, terracing, and erosion control read across plenty of our recent builds — the retaining walls that step a Shoal Creek slope, the re-shaped grade at Westlake Hills, the rock-lined runoff at Dripping Springs. Browse a few projects from across the greater Austin area and see how we get water moving the right direction.

More From Thrive

Pairs Well With Our Other Work

Drainage rarely stands alone. We tie French drains into hardscape builds, coordinate runoff with irrigation, and handle the grading and structural work as part of a full landscape construction project.

FAQ

Drainage Questions, Answered

  • Blackland clay east of MoPac barely absorbs water, so a heavy rain sits on top instead of soaking in. Compacted fill from the original build, a flat or negative slope near the house, and downspouts that dump right at the foundation all make it worse. We read the grade and the soil on site, then route the water out with a French drain, a regrade, or a catch basin tied to a solid outlet so the yard drains in hours, not days.

  • Expansive clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it dries, and that constant movement is what cracks slabs and racks door frames. The fix is keeping moisture steady around the perimeter: positive grade that falls away from the slab, extended downspouts, and a French drain to intercept water before it pools against the foundation. We aim for the fall the Foundation Performance Association recommends so the soil under your slab stays as stable as we can keep it.

  • A real French drain is a sloped trench with washed gravel, a perforated pipe wrapped in filter fabric to keep clay fines out, and a daylight or pop-up outlet that carries water off the property. The detail that fails cheap installs is the fabric and the consistent fall. We hand-grade the trench bottom, set the pipe on a measured slope, and confirm the outlet runs before we backfill so it keeps moving water years down the road.

  • Usually, yes. The first six to ten feet around the slab should fall away from the house, and a lot of Austin lots were left flat or pitched the wrong way. We cut and fill to re-establish positive slope, shape swales to carry runoff to the property line, and tie low spots into a drain when the grade alone cannot move enough water. Regrading is often the cheapest first step before anyone buries pipe.

  • Central Texas gets dumping rains that move fast over thin Hill Country soil and rip channels into a slope. We slow and spread that water with terraces and retaining walls, line concentrated flow paths with river rock or rip-rap, and re-vegetate bare ground with deep-rooted natives that hold the soil. The goal is to take the energy out of the runoff before it carves a gully.

  • It can. Properties over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge and Contributing Zones fall under TCEQ Edwards Aquifer rules meant to protect water quality, so how we handle runoff and any disturbed soil matters. We design outlets and erosion control to slow water and trap sediment rather than blast it downhill, and on regulated sites we flag when a plan needs to follow the Edwards rules before we dig. Call us at (512) 503-1935 and we will walk it with you.

Let’s Get Water Moving the Right Way

Veteran-owned, 5.0-rated, and based right here in Austin. Tell us where the water goes wrong and we will walk the property with you, free of charge, and put together a clear plan to move it away from your foundation.

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