Typically, homeowners don’t give a lot of thought to their yard grading, let alone understand the important role it plays in their entire landscape.
Grading refers to the slope of your yard and is done to direct water away from your home and prevent excess water from pooling. It is also done to level or sculpt land before installing plants, shrubs, or hardscape elements such as a driveway, patio, or walkway.
Our landscape grading contractors at Greenway of Nashville are here to answer any questions you have about yard grading and help ensure your landscape is functioning as it should.
Grading is crucial to the foundation of your landscape. Just as your home depends on its foundation, much of your yard relies on its grading. Proper grading does its job and goes unnoticed, but if your yard has poor grading, you’ll start to see problems arise that can eventually lead to expensive repairs.
Here’s how expert residential grading can benefit your yard:
Unwanted water can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Excess water and moisture can do serious structural damage to your home’s basement and foundation. Problems such as cracks, leaks, mold, and mildew are often the result of insufficient grading. If these issues progress, they can threaten the integrity of your entire home. You can avoid these costly problems by grading (or sloping) the land around your home so that water flows away from the foundation and towards a drain in your yard or a storm drain. However, knowing exactly how much slope is needed can be difficult. Our landscape grading contractors will identify any issues and regrade your lawn to protect your home from water damage.
Regrading will also lead to improved yard drainage. You’re likely suffering from insufficient grading if excess water pools in certain areas of your lawn. Not only can this waterlog and eventually kill your grass and plants but it can also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Correct yard grading is essential to successful drainage systems and resolving the problem areas of your lawn.
Grading your yard and installing the best drainage system is a complex job that requires a skilled hand. When it comes to something as important as grading, you don’t want to leave anything up to chance. To avoid making costly mistakes, it’s in your best interest to contact landscape grading contractors.
Uneven or hilly lawns can be difficult to landscape and maintain. If you’re considering adding landscape features to your backyard but don’t have a level surface to work with, landscape grading can optimize your backyard by creating a more usable space.
Again, grading your yard is no easy task. While we recommend enlisting the help of a professional landscape grading company, here are the basic steps to successful yard grading:
Before you actually begin grading, it’s important to plan ahead. You’ll need to be aware of any existing utility lines including water, gas, telephone, and electric lines. These lines should be marked, so they’re not damaged during the digging process.
Next, you may need to obtain a permit. In some cases, a grading permit is required for projects within Metro Nashville/Davidson County. Lastly, the area you would like for runoff water to be diverted will need to be identified.
Once you have a plan in place, the first thing you’ll need to do is remove the topsoil (roughly 8 inches), so you can sculpt the land beneath it to your desired slope and level. Now the actual grading will begin, as you form a downward slope towards the pre-established drainage area. Generally, a good slope to aim for when grading land is 6 inches for the first 10 feet away from your home’s foundation, or a 2 percent grade at minimum. If you’re installing any irrigation lines or drainage systems, such as a French drain, this is the time to do so.
After the proper slope has been formed, the topsoil should be added back. At this point, you’ll need to ensure that the newly graded land is level and smooth. If you’ve achieved the proper slope, water will be absorbed by the soil and any excess water should effectively drain away.
This is one of the biggest cost determinants. If your yard needs a dramatic change to the current slope, it will require a considerable amount of effort and labor to create a level surface, which will, in turn, increase the cost.
Materials such as fill dirt and sod are also calculated into the total price of grading projects. landscape grading contractors can determine the amount of soil you’ll need. While the cost of dirt is typically inexpensive, ranging from $8-$15 per cubic yard, high-quality variants can be more expensive.
If the area you want to re-slope has a lot of compacted soil containing rocks, it will be more difficult than moving loose soil. Therefore, grading projects that require excavation tend to be more expensive. Typical residential grading jobs last a few days and can cost between $1,000-$3,000. However, this number varies greatly depending on the factors mentioned above and the individual job. When you call our landscape grading contractors, we’ll sit down with you and discuss your goals and budget. We provide 100% guaranteed quotes, so you always know what to expect.
Poorly graded yards should be taken seriously, as they can wreak havoc on your home and your entire landscape. For this reason, you need a team you can trust to identify problems, determine what’s necessary for the best grade, and do the work the right way.
If you’re searching for residential grading services in Nashville, TN, give us a call at Greenway of Nashville. Our landscape grading contractors will ensure your landscape grade is nothing short of an A+.
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