Cost to Level or Regrade a Yard | Angi (2023)

FAQs

How much does foundation regrade cost? ›

Labor usually costs about $50 per hour, and permits typically run between $100 and $500. Smaller jobs, like those around pools, patios, or a single side of a home's foundation, may run from $500 to $3,000. However, grading around an entire home is closer to the $3,000 to $5,000 range.

A level yard provides stability to your outdoor landscape. It also allows you to avoid serious damage and costly repairs to your foundation. Your lawn must slope away from your home gradually to allow rainwater to drain away slowly from your foundation.

Normal range: $1,004 - $3,223. The average U.S. homeowner spends about $2,113 to level a yard. Depending on permits, landscaping needs, and labor, most spend between $1,004 and $3,223 . If you have a smaller space, like a yard, patio, or pool area, it can cost as little as $400 for leveling services.

Grading a yard costs about $50 per hour of labor. The landscaping company you choose will have to clear the site, dig out any spots, then fill in the dirt, which will take 12 to 24 hours. On average, this will raise the total cost of labor to around $900.

Use a rake and shovel to smooth out high areas and depressions. Dig out your sod and set it aside (ideally in a shady spot) until it's time to replant it. Mix equal parts topsoil, compost, and sand to make a topdressing mixture. Fill dips in your lawn with the topdressing until the area is level.

Regrading a yard is not a project that should be done on your own. It's best to leave it to skilled and experienced professionals who know just what it takes to get the job done right. When a regrading project is done incorrectly, you could be looking at much bigger problems down the road. Don't risk it.

Fill Dirt. If your land has only a few low spots in it, adding some fill dirt is a quick and easy fix. Use a lawn-leveling mix from your local garden center or mix sand with garden soil at a 1-to-1 ratio. Load up a wheelbarrow with the fill dirt mixture and shovel a 1/2-inch layer into the depressions.

When to level your lawn. The best time of year to start your repairs is in spring once frosts have passed and grass is actively growing. This will allow grass seed time to grow in whilst providing sufficient moisture for the soil to settle.

If you have any low spots or divots deeper than 2 or 3 inches, you should remove the grass on top of them before filling the holes.

This yard grading project, just like every other project, took a bit of planning. The actual grading of the yard wasn't difficult at all– except for the mix of 90 degree heat and manual labor. Despite its simplicity, here are some potential items you should address before starting the project.

Can you level a sloped backyard? ›

You can level your yard yourself on a budget, for next to nothing, using a rake, play sand and some soil from your yard. Firstly, level any small bumps (under one inch) with your feet, making sure the ground is moist when you step on them.

Here are some tell-tale signs that re-grading might be in order. Dips, humps, pooling water, and run-off are pretty basic signs that your yard might need some work. When the lawn mower mows off the top of the sod or you consistently fall into holes, something has gone awry.

Carving out part of the slope and adding a retaining wall to hold back the soil will allow you to create a flat area in your backyard. These can create planting areas, seating areas, or recreational areas for the family.

Spread a layer of debris-free topsoil or potting soil into the hole—enough to bring the turf patch level with the surrounding lawn. As you work, water the soil lightly to remove air pockets; this helps to prevent future settling. Replace the turf patch, pressing the grass back into place with your hand or foot.

Adding soil over grass can be another effective form of repairing a lawn. It is possible to dump new soil over top of what you have, and prepare it for sod or seed. This option will save you money on excavation costs of removing the old soil and grass.

Most yard grading jobs take from 2 or 3 days to a week. See below the average rental cost for grading equipment. (These costs are for DIY only – they do not include labor costs for a professional operator). Choosing the right piece of equipment depends on project and land.

Ideally, the ground should drop one inch for every one foot that you move away from the house for the first 5-to-10 feet around your house. While this is not always possible, the ground should never be sloping upwards as you move away from your house foundation.

For a domestic lawn, topdressing is the perfect way to smooth out the surface of your lawn without going to the trouble of lifting it or returfing. Simply distribute the topdressing material around your lawn then work it into the sward using a broom or the back of your rake.

Gently Compacting the Soil

You can fill deep uneven sections of your lawn by compacting the soil gently and watering the section as you fill up the uneven areas. By piling loose dirt, the soil will settle without killing the grass. You can compact the soil by walking on it regularly.

What equipment do I need to grade my yard? ›

My Recommended Tools

Flathead shovel. Wheelbarrow. Topsoil for fill. Grass seed and seed mulch.

The basic equipment you will need to level a lawn is a simple rake, a landscaping rake, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a large push broom. You can also buy a leveling rake from your local hardware store.

Most grass seed will start growing in about 10-14 days, but sometimes it can take up to 30 days.

A flat lawn is easier to mow. A level lawn means that more water can absorb into the soil, meaning it will have more nutrients. There is more space to relax on or for kids to play on.

The number one benefit to topdressing with sand is that it's the easiest and most effective way to level your lawn. Having used topsoil as well as various topdressing mixes over the years I can attest that sand is by far the easiest to spread (whether wet or dry).

Topdressing mix: Topdressing mix is a mix of sand, compost, and topsoil used to fill in depressions and unevenness throughout the entire yard. The sand keeps the lawn level, while the soil and compost add nutrients to the grass.

Run your irrigation system after the turf has been aerated. Aeration will help ensure your soil is ready to absorb all of the nutrients and seeds that come its way with topdressing and overseeding. That's why you should aerate before overseeding.

Bulldozers. Powerful earthmoving machines, bulldozers can use their front blade to perform all sorts of grading operations—from leveling the land for roads, buildings, landscaping, and railways to putting the finishing touches on already graded surfaces.

The maximum slope for the soil you can safely go without having a retaining wall is 35 degrees. This is especially important if the soil is granular. If the angle is steeper than 35 degrees, you need a retaining wall to keep the landscape in place.

However, the good news is that for levelling a garden, no planning permission is required. However, if what you're doing impacts bushes and trees that are protected, then you will require planning permission.

What is the best dirt to use around the foundation of a home? ›

Loam is the best soil type for construction due to its ideal combination of silt, sand, and clay. It combines the best of all their qualities into the ideal balance for supporting a foundation. Loam generally does not shift, expand, or shrink drastically and handles the presence of water very well.

Choose plants that will anchor the hillside, such as shrubs, ornamental grasses, and prairie plants, like coneflower, that form a mat of roots. All these plants hold the ground in place and require minimal maintenance during the growing season.

Steep, sunny slopes are perfect for perennials such as daylilies, creeping phlox, lamb's ears, stonecrop and a variety of ornamental grasses. A number of woody plants can also serve as good groundcovers, especially creeping juniper, fragrant sumac, bearberry, and Russian arborvitae.

The two most common forms of slope creep mitigation are retaining walls (to intercept the slope) and steel pier underpinning (to secure and stabilize homes and decks against lateral movement).

Using rocks for drainage around a house's foundation helps prevent water from gathering, ultimately ensuring minimal risk of basement flooding. Not only does gravel ensure water flow moves quickly through the area, but it also prevents plants within the bed from receiving too much water and drowning.

Gravel Beds Provide Natural Drainage

Water drains more quickly through gravel compared to most types of soil, so puddles form less-readily on gravel-covered pathways and borders than they do on soil surfaces.

Land grading cost is $0.08 to $2.00 per square foot, with homeowners typically paying $770 to $3,000 to grade and level a 1,000 to 2,000 square foot lot. The price for grading an acre is $15,800 to $44,535, with a national average of $30,000.

To fix or improve the grading, you can add soil next to the foundation and slope away from the house, however, you should have at least four inches of your foundation (concrete, block, or stone) showing above the soil. The soil and vegetation should not be in contact with the siding or any wood.

How do you fix below grade foundation? ›

Underpinning is usually the best solution. Many repair contractors offer some sort of underpinning work as a key part of their business. It involves installing a system of steel, concrete or wood piers under the foundation to carry the weight of the structure. Fortunately, very few homes will ever need underpinning.

Gravel. Laying gravel around the house as a foundation landscaping material helps ensure your foundation stays protected from outside elements. Along with its protective nature, gravel provides a natural look that can be spruced up to fit your overall landscaping style.

The most common house leveling project that includes “a bit of everything” will usually cost between $5,000 to $8,000 to complete.

Foundations walls should be level within 1/4 inch in 10 feet, while the entire foundation should be level within 1/2 inch. The Handbook states that there is no single accepted tolerance for rough framing, although a tolerance of 1/4 inch in 10 feet is frequently used and is acceptable.

Fine, small cracks in the exterior walls or on the steps are usually nothing to worry about. Exterior cracks that are large and have a zig-zag pattern may be a sign that there's something wrong with the foundation. Brick cracks or bricks that are protruding from the wall should be checked.

Loam is the best soil type for construction due to its ideal combination of silt, sand, and clay. It combines the best of all their qualities into the ideal balance for supporting a foundation. Loam generally does not shift, expand, or shrink drastically and handles the presence of water very well.

While mulch is great, it also creates an ideal environment for pests like termites to congregate. The mulch shields them from the elements so that they can thrive. For this reason, it's not always the best idea to lay mulch right next to your home's foundation.

The best way to move surface water away from the foundation is to install an underground roof (also called below-grade flashing) made from heavy-duty plastic or roofing membrane attached to the foundation and sloped away from the house. The depth depends on foundation plantings, soil type, and amount of surface water.

However, there are times when a foundation may be considered to be irreparable. That can happen when the cost to repair the foundation won't add enough value to the home. Fortunately, this rarely happens and usually, if it does, it's because the foundation has totally collapsed causing irreversible damage to the home.

What happens if foundation is not level? ›

When the foundation of a home or business is unlevel, it can cause structural damage throughout the entire structure, and lead to foundation failure.

Yes, you should be landscaping around your house foundation. Proper grading and yard maintenance can prevent water from draining toward your foundation, leading to hydrostatic pressure, bowing walls, leaks, and structural cracks. Excess water in your soil can lead to so many problems.