What is yard grading, and why does your lawn need it?

Key points

• Yard grading helps create proper water drainage around your home.

• Small grading projects can be DIY, but larger yards and complex draining call for professional help.

• Yard grading costs $2,000 to $6,000 for residential projects.

Though it may sound like something you do on evening strolls as you admire your neighbors’ handiwork (“Now, that lawn striping is a solid A+!”), yard grading has nothing to do with judging grass and gardens.

It is, however, the foundation for creating a solid lawn and is crucial for protecting your home from water damage. “It’s the first step in building your landscape after any demolition or removal of unwanted material,” said Coleman Cosby, a landscaping expert at online landscape design service Yardzen. The cost of which can range anywhere from $300 to $3,000 or more, depending on the scope of the work. 

To understand why, we’ll dig in more on the ins and outs of yard grading.

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What is yard grading?

Whether you realize it or not, any truly A+ yard is cultivated on a slope, even if it’s slight. That’s because the slope — which naturally directs water away from the highest point — protects your home and plants from the damaging effects of standing water. 

Yard grading is the process of creating this slope. Though it’s sometimes used interchangeably with yard leveling, the two are technically different. Leveling is all about creating a flat, uniform service. 

The two landscaping projects may be combined, however. Integrate the two approaches in shaping the ideal terrain that slopes away from the house and isn’t riddled with bumps or low points.

Why is yard grading important?

The objective of land grading is all about yard drainage. “If your terrain slopes toward your house or puddles in and around your house, it can cause moisture damage to the foundation, plus it can just be unpleasant to have standing water around the house if your yard has high and low areas,” said landscape designer Sara Bendrick of Sarita Landscape Design in San Diego. 

Nobody wants their home surrounded by a muddy moat or, even worse, their basement flooded. Yard grading helps prevent this from happening. It also ensures that grass and other plantings thrive and don’t wither in puddles of water. 

What do you need for yard grading?

Depending on the size of the yard and how much soil needs to be moved to achieve proper grading, a DIY project may be possible. “For smaller projects, especially on flatter properties, it’s quite possible to DIY grading,” Cosby said. A shovel and wheelbarrow can be used for importing and exporting soil, while rakes and hand tampers are useful for smoothing. “To break up soil, the use of a rototiller can be helpful,” he added.

For larger jobs, however, working with hand tools can be incredibly labor intensive. In this case, Bendrick recommended renting a small skid steer for a couple of hundred dollars a day or using a multitasking gardening tool. “I use it with the tilling attachments to till up the first four inches or so of soil and then rake out the desired grade — this is my go-to method for small-to-medium-size projects,” she said.

In some cases, moving dirt around and raking it out won’t take care of all excess water and more complex drainage solutions may be needed, such as installing an underground French drain to direct runoff away from your home’s foundation. 

This is when you’ll likely want to call in professional landscaping help. “If you have a big project and are investing a lot of money, you’ll want to address the grading with a professional to assess for small retaining walls, steps or adding a drainage system to get the right flow of water away from your investment,” Bendrick said.

How much does yard grading cost?

DIY tools such as shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows — along with soil and disposal fees — can cost you a few hundred dollars if you tackle yard grading alone.

Grading costs for residential projects are estimated in the $2,000 to $6,000 range.

Coleman Cosby

For professional yard grading services, expect to pay around $5 per square foot, according to Cosby. “On average, we at Yardzen see grading costs for residential projects estimated in the $2,000 to $6,000 range,” he said. As landscape grading is very labor intensive, this is where the majority of the cost lies. 

Joe Raboine, vice president of design at Oldcastle APG, an Atlanta-based collection of outdoor brands, estimated the cost of around $3,000 per day for labor, equipment and materials. “For a small yard, it’s possible to complete it in a day, but large yards can easily be several days or more,” Raboine said. In that case, you could be looking at upwards of $10,000. 

Professionals have tools and machinery the average homeowner doesn’t have access to, which can help speed the process along.

“Most of the time, it’s better to hire a professional for yard grading,” said Raboine. “They will have a better understanding than most DIYers on the proper depth for the project and will have the right tools and equipment to get the job done quickly, efficiently and correctly.”

[Professionals] will have a better understanding than most DIYers on the proper depth for the project and will have the right tools and equipment to get the job done quickly, efficiently and correctly.

Joe Raboine

What is the process of grading a yard?

Whether you’re planting a lawn for the first time on new construction or regrading after noticing water pooling at your home’s foundation, the steps are similar.

Step 1: Measure

First things first, you’ll want to see what you’re working with. Measuring the current slope of your yard will let you know how far you’re off from the ideal grade, which is generally between 3% and 10%.

Measuring the land grade is often done with two stakes and a 10-foot string tied between them. Drive the first stake into the ground near your house’s foundation and stretch the other stake away from your home, keeping the string at ground level on both sides. 

Hang the level halfway between the stakes, then adjust the string on the second stake until the leveler’s bubble is perfectly centered. Measure the distance from the ground to the string’s new placement on the second stake and divide this number by 100. That’s your yard grade measurement. Repeat this same process at other points around your home’s foundation.

Step 2: Rough grading

Here’s where the heavy lifting happens and you create the basic shape of your yard. “Soil may be loosened, brought in or removed, then compacted as needed,” said Cosby. 

Tackle leveling that’s necessary by removing small hills with a shovel and rake and filling in low spots to make the lawn uniform — use a wheelbarrow to bring in extra soil and the rake to smooth it once it’s in place. Edges along walkways or your driveway are often graded flush with the concrete since the soil will settle a bit when watered regularly. 

Step 3: Finish grading

Finally, you’ll prepare your topsoil for grass seed or any other planting that will take place. “Once the base soils have been installed, it’s necessary to have at least a few inches of soil added wherever you will be planting grass or landscape plantings,” Raboine said. Smoothing this topsoil is the final step of the grading process.

What’s next?

The yard grading process doesn’t have to be intimidating. Bring in a lawn care professional, especially if you’re working with new construction or installing a major feature in your yard, such as a deck or paver patio.

Once yard grading is complete, you can focus on establishing a lawn maintenance schedule that includes fertilizing and mowing your lawn, as well as dealing with pests such as lawn grubs.