Land grading decides where water goes, and water decides what your property does. Wet spots that never dry, a lawn you cannot mow without rutting, mulch washing across the walkway, a basement that smells like moisture every spring. All of it traces back to a surface that slopes the wrong way or does not slope at all.
Our land grading crews reshape the ground so water leaves the areas where it causes damage and ends up somewhere it can safely go. That means cutting and filling to establish positive slope away from foundations, smoothing out the humps and hollows, and integrating drainage where surface grading alone is not enough. Then we restore turf so the yard looks finished, not excavated.
Almost no drainage product works if the grade is still pointed at your foundation. Land grading comes first, and it does most of the work.
We shoot grades to see exactly where water is going before moving any soil.
Soil moved, added, or hauled off to establish consistent slope away from the house.
Surface raked and rolled to a clean, mowable finish without dips that hold water.
Sod or seed installed over the finished grade so the repair disappears into the lawn.
Uneven, rutted, and bumpy lawns brought back to a smooth, usable surface with precise land grading.
Positive drainage established and drains installed where slope alone cannot solve it.
Slopes stabilized so soil and mulch stop migrating downhill with every storm.
Rough and finish grading for new patios, additions, sheds, and driveways.
The general standard is roughly six inches of fall over the first ten feet from the foundation, then continued positive slope beyond that. Many properties, especially older ones, have lost that grade over time as soil settles. Land grading restores it, and it also keeps runoff out of storm drains and local creeks, an idea the EPA covers in its Soak Up the Rain program.
Sometimes, and it should always be the first thing addressed. When the yard is flat, surrounded by higher ground, or has clay that will not drain, grading gets combined with a drain system to carry water off the property.
It addresses a very common cause, which is surface water collecting against the foundation. It cannot fix a failed interior drain tile, a cracked foundation wall, or a high water table, so we are straightforward about what grading will and will not solve.
Areas being regraded do get disturbed, yes. We keep the work zone as tight as the job allows and restore with sod or seed so it grows back in quickly.
Somewhere legal and safe, which typically means a lower area of the property, a swale, a dry well, or an approved discharge point. We never solve your drainage by pushing water onto a neighbor.
Questions? Call us!