Shady Oaks Express

Based in San Antonio, Texas, Shady Oaks Express supplies topsoil, fill and excavation services and sand and gravel to homeowners, landscapers and contractors across the area. Google lists the business under 10 categories — Topsoil supplier, Building materials supplier, Construction material wholesaler, Excavating contractor — which points to a broader inventory than a single-product yard carries.

The business holds a 5.0-star Google rating from 5 reviews. That sits above the Texas average of 4.5 measured across 1,358 listed suppliers.

What Shady Oaks Express supplies

Screened topsoil is the workhorse material for new lawns, raised beds and regrading work. Yards typically screen to ½" or ⅜" to pull out rocks, roots and clods, and many sell blended mixes that cut native soil with compost or sand to improve structure and drainage.

Ask which blend you are buying. Straight screened topsoil suits filling and levelling; a 50/50 or 70/30 soil-compost blend performs far better as a planting medium. Pure fill dirt is a different product entirely — unscreened, often clay-heavy, and meant for structural filling rather than growing.

Excavating outfits frequently sell and haul fill dirt, topsoil and aggregate alongside their site work. For larger volumes they are often cheaper than a retail yard because they are already running trucks.

Because Shady Oaks Express carries several material lines, it is often possible to combine an order across products — soil, mulch and stone on one truck — rather than paying separate delivery charges to two or three different yards.

How much material you need

Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard. A cubic yard of topsoil weighs roughly 2,000–2,400 lbs depending on moisture, so a half-ton pickup safely carries about one yard.

As a rough guide: 1 yard covers about 100 sq ft at 3 in; 3 yards covers about 325 sq ft at 3 in; 10 yards covers about 1,080 sq ft at 3 in.

Have length, width and target depth ready when you phone. Yard staff convert those into cubic yards far more reliably than a generic online calculator, and they know how their own material settles.

Ordering and delivery

Ask about delivery minimums and trip charges up front — for smaller orders these often matter more to the final bill than the headline per-cubic yard price.

Check where the truck can actually dump. Tandem trucks need overhead clearance and firm ground, and most drivers will not reverse across a soft lawn or a new driveway. If access is tight, ask whether they run a smaller truck or can leave the load at the kerb.

Pricing for bulk material is rarely published in full, since it moves with stock and season. The business website may list current products, but a phone call will get you a firm delivered number faster.

Ratings and reputation

Of the 5 reviews on file, 5 are five-star (100%) and 0 are four-star. No reviewer has rated the business below three stars.

Among the suppliers we list across Texas, this rating places Shady Oaks Express in the top 11%.

Across the 56 suppliers we list in San Antonio, the average rating is 4.5.

Review volume matters as much as the score. A 5.0 drawn from 5 reviews rests on a small sample, so weigh it accordingly.

Hours and visiting the yard

Shady Oaks Express is open 6 days a week, closed on Sunday. The yard opens as early as 8 AM and runs until 7 PM.

Saturday opening makes this a practical option for weekend projects — a real advantage, since plenty of bulk yards shut for the weekend and leave homeowners unable to collect material outside working hours.

Loading is weather-dependent whatever the posted hours say. Heavy rain turns yards to mud and makes wet material heavier and harder to spread, so call the same morning if conditions look poor.

Best time to buy in Texas

Texas's longer growing season spreads demand across more of the year, which generally means better availability than northern markets. Even so, spring remains the peak for topsoil, and summer heat makes midday loading and installation punishing — early-morning pickups are worth the alarm clock. Autumn and winter are frequently the best value windows, with shorter queues and more flexible delivery scheduling.

Other suppliers nearby

There are 6 other suppliers we list within a short drive, the closest being Legacy Turfgrass in Pleasanton, roughly 3 miles away. 33 suppliers sit within a 25-mile radius of this yard.

If this yard is short on what you need, the suppliers listed below carry overlapping inventory and will often deliver into the same area.

Buying topsoil in San Antonio

We list 56 bulk suppliers in San Antonio and 1,358 across Texas, spread over 316 cities and towns.

Bulk material pricing is intensely local. Trucking is a large share of the delivered cost, which is why a nearby yard usually beats a cheaper one further out once the full quote lands.