Drainage Grading & Slope Correction

Drainage Grading
Drainage & Slope Correction

Drainage Grading That Solves the Water Problem at Its Source

Standing water in the yard, a soggy strip along the foundation, downspouts dumping right beside the house, a low corner that turns into a pond after every storm. These problems get progressively more expensive the longer they wait, because water that cannot leave eventually finds its way into your foundation, your hardscape base, or your lawn’s root zone. Professional drainage grading fixes the cause instead of chasing the symptoms year after year.
Every drainage grading project starts by figuring out where water is coming from and where it needs to end up, then correcting the slope so gravity does most of the work. Where surface grading alone is not enough, we add the right drainage component, whether that is a swale, a French drain, a catch basin, or downspout extensions carrying roof water well clear of the house.
Underground catch basin and corrugated drainage pipe being installed in a residential yard to collect and redirect stormwater
Grade Plus the Right Drain

Every Property Drains a Little Differently

There is no single drainage product that fixes every yard, which is why our drainage grading process always starts with the grade itself. From there we follow the same runoff management logic the U.S. EPA recommends for keeping stormwater away from the places it does not belong.
Positive Slope Away From the House

Drainage grading re-establishes positive fall, so surface water moves away from foundations instead of toward them.

Swales and Surface Channels

Shallow shaped channels that carry runoff across the property without looking engineered.

French Drains and Catch Basins

Subsurface collection installed where standing water cannot be graded away.

Downspout Management

Roof water piped well away from the foundation instead of dumping at the corner of the house.

Professionally graded residential lawn sloping away from the home to help direct surface water and improve yard drainage.
Residential and Commercial Applications

Drainage Grading Problems We Correct

Standing Water and Soggy Lawns

Low areas re-sloped and drained so turf stops drowning.

Water Against the Foundation

Negative grade along the house corrected to shed water outward.

Runoff Across Hardscape

Water redirected so it stops washing across and undermining patios and walkways.

Neighboring Property Runoff

Swales and grade changes that intercept water arriving from uphill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Regrading first, almost always. A French drain installed under a grade that still slopes toward the house is treating a symptom. Once slope is correct, a drain becomes a highly effective supplement in the spots grading cannot reach. In practice, drainage grading comes first and the drain is added second.

Deep enough to be out of the way of mowing and to maintain fall to the discharge point, typically a shallow trench with solid pipe. Solid pipe rather than perforated matters here, since you want roof water carried away, not released back into the soil next to the house.

Often, yes. Many problems are concentrated in a specific area, and we keep disturbance limited to the zone that needs correcting. Targeted drainage grading in one low corner or one side of the house is very common.

Considerably. Northern Illinois clay drains very slowly, so surface grading carries much more of the load and subsurface drains need to be designed with that in mind rather than assuming water will percolate.

No. We design outflow to a legal and appropriate discharge point on your property or an approved location. Shifting a problem next door is not a solution.