Countryside Construction Inc.

For more than 30 years, Countryside Construction Inc. has been providing integrated septic design, installation and maintenance services throughout central Texas. Walker Chapman, founder, owner and president of Countryside Construction, established the business in the early 1980s and has been building relationships with area contractors, homeowners, property managers and other clients in Canyon Lake, Texas, and the surrounding areas for more than 30 years.

It all started when Chapman retired from the insurance business. “I needed something to do,” he laughs. “Our first project was installing a septic system for a mobile home on a rental property. I bought an old backhoe and we started doing it ourselves. Eventually, people came asking for our services and it became a business.”

Now Chapman and his team provide septic design, installation and maintenance for commercial and residential customers throughout the region. With more than three decades under his belt, Chapman and his team have established a good reputation for skill, efficiency and professionalism.

Complex projects

From a single location in Canyon Lake, the Countryside Construction crew provides leading expertise in the region. While a majority of the company’s volume consists of smaller residential and commercial installations, Countryside Construction is known for its ability to provide solutions for complex, large-scale projects.

“We install five or six septic systems every week – mostly in the residential sector, but often for small businesses such as convenience stores, which are about the same size,” Chapman explains. “For the most part, our work is fairly routine, but we do take on larger endeavors from time to time.”

One example is the company’s recent installation for a new drive-in theatre. “This was a very extensive and time-consuming project,” says Chapman. “It’s called the Stars and Stripes Drive-in in New Braunfels, Texas. It’s a lot like the old drive-ins, but the speakers for your car are more high-tech and all the huge screens are completely digital. In addition to facilities just for the theater aspect, there is also a café on-site. That meant we were installing three monster-sized 1,500-gallon-per-day units as well as equalizations, pump tanks and grease traps. It was a big deal in our local area.”

Maintaining septic systems – and relationships

While the company is known in the industry for integrated, quality septic services, Countryside Construction’s employees set the business apart more than anything else. “I’m most proud of our people,” says Chapman. “Many of our employees have been here more than 12 years and our management has been her even longer. We have great operators and they are all skilled, dependable people.”

His team continues to keep Countryside Construction moving forward in the market. While Chapman says he does not have any major projects or extravagant growth plans coming up in the immediate future, he is seeing consistent growth. Between repeat business and new customers drawn by the company’s reputation, Chapman says it is getting harder to keep up.

“We have a great, capable team here, but we don’t want to outgrow our staff,” he explains. “One of our biggest concerns is taking on too much work and compromising the standards of quality we strive for. In our area, a lot of people went to work in the oil industry. As time goes on, it is harder to find people who want to do this kind of work and are capable of this kind of work.”

Chapman plans to stay the course for the time being, although as the housing market recovers from the recent recession, he sees growing demand for his company’s services. “We’re on a slow but steady incline as far as the recovery goes,” he explains. “We are pretty well governed by the economy and the housing market.”

As this demand grows, the team continues to focus on aspect of growth that the company can control. Chapman and his colleagues excel at managing finances, building feasible and efficient schedules, and delivering quality projects. Countryside Construction also has lasting relationships with suppliers, which make it easier and more efficient to provide value.

Chapman’s primary goal is 100 percent customer satisfaction. His approach to service has allowed the business to maintain a high return rate of customers. Often property owners and managers who have Countryside Construction install a septic system return for continued maintenance and service. And when another project arises, they know who to call.

With three decades of experience, well-honed expertise and in-house resources, Countryside Construction Inc. is the go-to contractor for septic systems throughout central Texas.