Lot grading
- Existing and proposed grades
- Finished floor elevations
- Slopes away from the structure
- Spot elevations at the corners that matter
Services
Grading, drainage, and stormwater plans.
Good drainage starts with understanding the lot. We prepare grading and stormwater plans that show proposed elevations, drainage paths, and storage areas, with calculations to support the design.
Drainage
- Swales and positive drainage paths
- Inlets, pipes, and discharge points
- Connections to existing storm systems
- Overland flow routes for larger storms
Stormwater
- Retention and detention areas
- Volume and sizing calculations
- Treatment requirements for the project type
- Maintenance notes for the owner
Construction phase plans
- Erosion and sediment control
- Construction entrances and staging
- Phasing where the site is worked in pieces
- Notes for the grading contractor
Flood and elevation items
- Flood zone information from the survey
- Finished floor above the required elevation
- Documentation for the elevation certificate
- Coordination with the local floodplain requirements
Review support
- Responses to drainage comments
- Revised plans after a reviewer question
- Additional calculations when they are requested
- Coordination with the civil set or on its own
Review comments
What drainage comments usually say.
Drainage and elevation questions are among the most common comments in our project records. Many ask for information missing from the drawings, such as discharge points, finished-floor elevations, or storage calculations.
Where does it discharge?
The plan shows the water leaving the property but not where it ends up, or the discharge point cannot be verified.
The finished floor is missing
The reviewer needs an elevation to compare against the flood requirements and the grades around the building.
Grades do not match the survey
The existing grades on the plan and the elevations on the survey tell two different stories.
Retention calculations are missing
The plan shows a storage area but does not include the calculations needed to check its capacity.
Common questions
Before you order drawings.
Do I need a survey with elevations?
For most grading plans, yes. The survey gives us the existing ground and the flood information, which everything else is measured against.
Can we work with the grades that are already there?
We check whether the existing grades work with the proposed project. Some lots need only minor changes; others need more substantial grading to provide drainage.
Who handles the stormwater calculations?
We do, as part of the grading and drainage scope. If a water management district or the local jurisdiction asks for more detail, we prepare the response and revise the plans.
Start a project
Send the address and the survey if you have one.
Tell us what is being built and what the site looks like now. We will tell you what the grading and drainage scope needs to cover.