Land Leveling & Grading: Fix the Flow of Surface Water

 When water flows toward your house instead of away from it, gravity is working against you. Before we ever put a pipe in the ground, we look at the natural shape of your yard. Land leveling and grading is the process of reshaping the earth so that gravity naturally pulls surface water away from your foundation and out of your usable lawn space. 

 Grading is simply adjusting the slope of the soil. When a house is first built, the builder grades the dirt so water runs away from the foundation. Over time, that dirt settles, compacts, and washes away, creating negative slopes where water funnels directly into your basement walls or creates massive puddles in the middle of your yard.

Professional leveling and grading corrects these "bowl" effects. By carefully sculpting the land, we eliminate the low spots where water gets trapped and create a smooth, positive pitch that directs surface water exactly where it needs to go.

 Water obeys one rule: it flows downhill. Grading ensures the hill goes the right way.

• High spots that block water and low spots that trap it are first identified.
• Excess soil is removed from problem areas, or fresh, high-quality topsoil is brought in to fill depressions.
• The land is sculpted to create a smooth, invisible slope (usually a drop of at least 1 inch for every 4 feet of distance) moving away from the home.
• The new soil is compacted so it doesn't just settle right back into a hole after the first heavy rainstorm.

 You likely need professional grading if you are experiencing any of these common surface water issues:

• Water Pooling at the Foundation: Rainwater collects right against your brick or siding, threatening to seep into your basement or crawlspace.
• The "Birdbath" Lawn: Deep depressions in your yard hold standing water for days, turning sections of your grass into an unusable mud pit.
• Mulch & Soil Washouts: Every time it rains heavily, the water strips the topsoil and mulch out of your garden beds and washes it across your driveway or sidewalks.
• Exposed Tree Roots: Years of water runoff have eroded the topsoil away, leaving dangerous and unsightly roots exposed across your property.

 We treat dirt with the same engineered precision as our piping systems. We don't just "eyeball" the slope.

When we grade a property, we use laser levels and transit tools to calculate the exact elevations. Once the math is confirmed, we utilize precision equipment to efficiently move the earth. If topsoil needs to be brought in, we only use clean, screened soil—never cheap fill dirt that is full of rocks and weeds.

Because we are a premium drainage company, we often pair grading with our subsurface systems. We will reshape the surface to handle the bulk of the heavy runoff, and seamlessly integrate a catch basin or French drain to handle the rest. Once the grade is perfect, we lay fresh, premium sod or seed, leaving you with a yard that is both dry and beautiful.

 Because grading relies heavily on the volume of dirt being moved and the heavy machinery required, pricing is entirely dependent on the square footage of the problem area.

For a professional Go Away Drains grading project—including precise laser leveling, fresh topsoil delivery, compaction, and surface restoration—clients typically invest between $1,500 and $4,000+. Small foundation re-sloping projects sit at the lower end, while major yard reshaping that requires mini-excavators and dozens of yards of dirt sits at the higher end.

Because guessing leads to hidden costs, we offer our comprehensive $65 Drainage Evaluation. We will come out, shoot the elevations with our lasers, calculate exactly how many cubic yards of dirt need to be moved or delivered, and hand you a fixed, line-by-line blueprint. You’ll know exactly what the permanent solution will cost, with zero surprises.

Learn about Downspout Drainage on the next page.