Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [grading]

Grading is the term for altering the slope of an area, typically for producing a level base for a structure or an even slope for landscaping. Use this tag for questions about when grading is appropriate or how to grade an area.

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16 questions
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What's the best way to remove grass/topsoil to prepare for grading?

I want to remove about 250 square feet of grass/topsoil and then lightly grade for drainage below a future deck. Should I: Man up with a spade & a rake? Rent a sod cutter & go deep? Use some tool I'm not aware of but you're about to explain?
Mike
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Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution

We just bought 28 acres of land with a 30 year old existing house in the center on about 1 acre cleared, the rest is completely tree filled. There is a natural slope only a few degrees heading from the back of the house towards the back yard,…
Gary
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New House, Dirt Yard, Ideas in Mind, where to begin?

I moved into my house back in December of 2015. We still have a dirt yard and want to try and get something in before summer time. I have had a few quotes that are a little out of budget for me so I was thinking about taking this project on myself…
SBB
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Realtime landscape plus design program, final ground height

I have Realtime Landscaping Plus 3D landscape design program and I cannot find any way to see what the the final height of the ground is in my design. The design has lots of slopes, height grids, terraces and such all overlayered and adding or…
Zeddikus
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8
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What should I do about old invasive redwood roots after the trees are cut down?

Our redwood trees were too big and too close to the house so we had them cut down. Now we will grind out the stumps and remove the large roots. However, the ground is totally saturated with the smaller old redwood roots. What should we do about…
Lorrie
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Can I add new soil on top of existing lawn without trouble?

I have a very uneven back yard, from a combination of settling, bad maintenance, and a very enthusiastic dog (digger) that a previous owner kept out there. As part of a large backyard landscaping project, we will be flattening this lawn and growing…
ench
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4
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Side yard flooded, low spots near patio, nasty bare clay spots.. best route to take?

I've always loved reading these posts but never thought to make an account. So here goes nothing. New homeowner, want to fix the drainage issues and get some trouble areas growing. -My side yard holds water, its mainly an orange clay like substance…
FLYNAVY
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Will Patio Base Trap Water?

we are planning to build a patio at our backyard against the back wall. The backyard is wet for the most of the year. Most of the videos I saw recommend to dig to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, and fill in with base and so on. But will the patio base be…
M.Sun
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How thick does the impermeable layer need to be when grading a yard?

I'm grading my yard and have found a deep layer of sand (at least 2 ft) extending out about 10ft. Perhaps the sub base for a patio? I understand I need an impermeable layer to ensure rain runs away from the house rather than draining downwards. I…
Tenz
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Increasing the grade on a lawn--in the simplest case is this basically all that would be involved?

Pretend I have just a square house on a flat lawn, plenty of room on every side. Assume there's already grass planted on the yard all the way up to the house. I want to change the grade of the yard from flat to having that minimum 2% grade or…
user3752935
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First time home owner, leaky basement, and a poorly graded yard.

First time home buyer here looking for some insight on proper drainage around the base of my house. I'm looking at digging a french drain on the side of my house because water pools there when it rains. We recently had a ton of rain where I'm…
NoName
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Is my calculation of 1x Cubic meter of Top Soil correct?

I have a 366cm * 366cm round above-ground plastic pool - but the yard runs at a downhill slope. I want to lay down soil (the grass must grow back when we remove the soil) so as to level the 366cm * 366cm area. I tried to indicate the slope in the…
Peter PitLock
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Is my yard not usable?

We are in the process of buying a home - and the builder says the yard is "4:1" or a "25% grade" - I am trying to understand if this will need to be leveled, and at what cost to be able to use the yard for a swing set/etc - just an estimate? The…
pwalia
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Yard Grading. Moving dirt from one side to another?

On the side of my house I have a slop that I want to grade.i attached a quick mock up of what it looks like: At the top of the slop is my fence. At the bottom of my slop is a retaining wall (approx 4ft in height) of loose rocks. The rocks outline…
Padawan
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What can I use to grade the garden around my house so water flows away from foundation?

I live in Southern California. We get rain maybe two to three weeks a year if we’re lucky. Three sides of the house have grass, plants, dirt going up to and touching the foundation. We are going to eventually to do some landscaping. What is an easy…
milesmeow
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