Industrial pads east of I-35 in New Braunfels start with a question most buyers do not ask early enough: how deep is the rock, and what will it cost to get a flat, drained, load-bearing surface on top of it? We build the answer into the bid, grading and trenching through limestone ledges and clay seams, then placing the slab, the truck court and the underground lines in one coordinated sequence so the building contractor receives a finished pad rather than a list of open items.
The city sits about 32 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio along the Balcones Fault, with the Comal River winding roughly 3 miles through town before it meets the Guadalupe River. Those are general geography notes, but they explain why a New Braunfels site report can change from one corner of a parcel to the other, and why we like to see borings before we price cut and fill. Manufacturing owners here are expanding. A plastics molding plant announced for the city in September 2025 carries 149 jobs and over $15 million of planned capital investment, and an automotive systems plant has been described in local reporting as employing about 450 people while the city explored an abatement path for added production and storage space.
We manage the concrete, the earthwork and the pipe for projects like these. That keeps one crew accountable for elevation, drainage and cure from mass grading through the last saw cut.
Rock, clay seams and flood exposure on a New Braunfels pad
A fault line and two rivers are the first things a geotechnical engineer notices in this part of Comal County. Shallow limestone makes excavation slower than clay country, and it shifts the question from "can we dig" to "how much can we blast, ripple or hammer before the unit price changes." We ask for the boring logs, plot the top of rock against finished grade, and identify where the building footprint can stay on rock-supported footings and where it needs a thick lift of engineered fill. See our work on rock and hard ground excavation for how we price those conditions.
Where the pad drops toward a creek bottom, clay seams and spring-fed moisture get in the way of compaction. We dry or lime-treat the problem zones, proof roll, and keep tests current so the slab is poured only on a documented subgrade. If part of the site is near the Comal River or its tributaries, drainage design decides the schedule, so we verify the detention basin and outfall before we set building pad elevations.
What we build for plants and parts warehouses in the corridor
A molding or machining plant needs reinforced slabs-on-grade with heavy equipment pads, trench drains, pits and a process area that tolerates washdown. We handle slab on grade work with controlled joint layouts, vapor retarders where the floor covering demands them, and curing compound or wet cure matched to the weather. Equipment foundations are a separate pour with their own rebar cage and anchor bolt template, set to the vendor drawing and checked before the concrete truck arrives.
Outside the building, truck courts, trailer drop areas and employee parking take the abuse. We design the pavement section around the traffic mix, whether that is concrete aprons for dock approaches or flexible base under asphalt, and we tie the storm inlets, fire lines and domestic water to the same trench plan so lines are not cut twice. The truck courts and dock aprons crews we coordinate form and finish these heavy panels with load-transfer dowels at every joint.
Permits, abatements and the infrastructure around you
New Braunfels has been moving land for future employers. In June 2024 the city council approved $20 million for the economic development corporation to buy up to 100 acres of a 240-acre tract at Kohlenberg Road and FM 1101, intended for industrial, commercial or institutional use. Lots that come out of a tract like that arrive with public water, sewer and road frontage requirements, and the first site contractor often builds the street connections, the detention that serves more than one lot, and the utility stubs for neighbors.
Road work nearby also changes how trucks reach a site. Local reporting lists a $6 million I-35 and FM 725 intersection project and a $24.78 million Loop 337 improvement on Common Street between Loop 337 and Gruene Road funded by the May 2023 bond. We check haul routes against project schedules and lane closures, and we plan concrete deliveries so a ready-mix truck is not stuck in a work zone with a load already batched. Texas accessibility rules for projects of $50,000 or more require registration with the state, and we line up that paperwork with the owner's design team before pouring sidewalks or ramps.
Owners who build here, and how we fit their schedules
Plants that add production space usually need to keep the existing building running. That means separate haul routes, silt fence and dust control, and work windows that avoid shift changes. For industrial and manufacturing owners we schedule noisy cutting or demolition at times the plant manager approves, and we phase a new slab so the loading dock stays open.
Developers and brokers who plan speculative buildings want pads that deliver the same ground every time. Logistics and warehouse developers benefit from a site contractor who can hold elevation tolerances across a 200,000 square foot floor and still deliver grading and utilities before the tilt-wall crew mobilizes.
Sequencing the pour season in Comal County
Summer afternoons in the Hill Country edge are hot and drying, and a large slab needs a plan for evaporation. We pour early, use set retarders when the batch plant recommends them, and keep curing materials on site rather than waiting for a delivery. In winter the issue is rare freezes; we keep blankets and insulated forms available so an unexpected cold snap does not stop a slab that is already placed.
On a combined job, we start with clearing and rough grading, install deep utilities before the base, and keep concrete crews one step behind the fine-grading operator. If you are also weighing a tilt-wall building or a metal building on the same lot, tell us early and we can set the slab joints and edge thickenings to suit the wall system.
Neighboring markets we run from the same crews
The I-35 corridor ties New Braunfels to its larger neighbors, and many owners compare bids across the I-35 cities. Crews that work in Seguin to the east and in San Antonio to the south often move between sites on the same week, which helps us hold mobilization costs down. Buyers wanting a single site contractor for a multi-city program can contact us once and get unified pricing.
Plan the pad before the plant
Send us the boring logs and a site plan for your New Braunfels project. We will price the earthwork, the concrete and the underground lines together, and tell you where the rock and flood questions could change the number. See also our site utilities work.
Common Questions
Do you price rock excavation separately from regular excavation in New Braunfels?
Yes. We carry a base price for common excavation and a separate unit price for rock that cannot be moved with a standard excavator, with the boring logs and a test pit protocol that define which is which. That keeps the owner from paying a rock price for soil and protects us from unlimited unknowns.
How do you keep a slab flat when the subgrade moisture varies across the site?
We condition the subgrade to a consistent moisture, either by drying wet areas or by adding water in dry zones, and proof roll before the base goes in. The vapor retarder, base thickness and curing method are chosen for that day's weather. Joint spacing follows the slab thickness and reinforcement so shrinkage cracks are controlled at the saw cuts.
Can you build the road connections and utility stubs for a lot in a new industrial tract?
We can. Many lots in a new tract need street tie-ins, water and sewer stubs and shared detention. We coordinate with the city inspector and the civil engineer, install lines to the plans, test them, and leave stubs marked so the building contractor can connect without further excavation.
What if a plant expansion has to stay in production during construction?
We plan access routes, haul schedules and noise windows with the plant manager before we mobilize. Dust control, covered stockpiles and clean tires keep the work from affecting the production floor. Slabs are poured in phases so the loading dock and employee entrance stay open.