A civil plan built around the property
A building does not work in isolation. Vehicle access, parking, pedestrian connections, site elevations, drainage, and utility connections all need to work together. We help owners, architects, and contractors evaluate those relationships before the civil documents are prepared.
Commercial site work spans offices, retail, industrial, multifamily, school and campus, and faith and community projects. Residential design focuses on custom single-family homes. We also assist with improvements to existing sites, where proposed construction must fit around the buildings, paving, drainage, and utilities that remain.
From early site questions to construction documents
Early work can include reviewing available surveys, developing conceptual site layouts, identifying utility availability questions, and evaluating civil development constraints. These steps help define the information needed to advance the project and establish a practical scope.
Design services can include grading and paving plans, storm drainage and detention design, water and sanitary sewer layouts, site fire service utilities, stormwater quality plans, and erosion control sheets. The specific documents and coordination responsibilities are established in the project proposal.
Coordination for Houston-area development
The reviewing agencies and design criteria depend on the property's location and the proposed work. We identify the applicable civil review path and coordinate with the owner's design team, utility providers, and agencies as included in our scope.
Based in Houston, MacDonald Engineering serves Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties, with project experience elsewhere in Texas.
Existing sites and redevelopment
For an existing property, the starting point is understanding what will remain and what will change. Paving modifications, additions, new buildings, and utility changes can affect how the property functions and drains.
Useful starting information includes a current survey, existing civil plans if available, a proposed building or site layout, the property address, and the owner's intended use. If that information is incomplete, we can help identify the next civil questions to resolve.