# How to grade land



## tiffany2001

Does anyone know how i would grade land with out having to hire someone and pay out a lot of money. its not to big of a space. but i was wondering how did they do it in the old days? and if it could be done with some hard work real labor but need to know how and what i could use besides big machines? thanks


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## jmb324

Hi....you can rent small rotatillers etc to help you break up the soil/ground to make it much easier on you and be more effective, otherwise its good old wheelbarrows, shovels, picks and steel tooth rakes.
Its important to understand the depth and height of grade needed and if youre grading is to control water drainage etc...for example grading so that water is carried away from the foundation of the house or if the yard/area has a lot of run off during rain. Sometimes additional dirt, sand or rock may be needed. Hope this helps.


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## jmb324

came back to add these links of more in depth information that I googled.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2153788_grade-yard-drainage.html

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Landscaping-Design-724/Grading-Yard.htm

http://www.yardcare.com/expertadvice/buildinglawn/preparation.html


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## r3dmonk3y

I heard of this thing called a water level.
It's basicly an old method to leveling your land.
It's typically use to level are where some part of the land are high and orther part are low.

You will need a bucket and a hose and water.(rulers or some sort of stick and you mark it in inches.)
This is almost the same as modern day laser level.
You will need a pretty long clear hose. Depending on the distance you need, you will have to get that length pluse a an extra few feet.

a) Fill a bucket halfway with water.

b) Put the bucket of water on the highest spot of the ground . (the highest area where you want to level.) Stick a ruler into the ground next to the bucket and mark the water level of the bucket onto the ruler.

c) Take a clothes hanger (or you can just tape it) and secure one hose into that bucket of water and start syphoning the water and once ithe water come out, cover with your thump.

d) With clear hose covered by thump in one hand, walk to the lowest area that you want to grade and stick a ruler into the ground.

e) Place the hose(face the hose up) next to the ruler and take your tumb off the end of the hose.wait like a few second and once it stop going up and down(when its balance) mark that line on the ruler. If water comes out, that mean your too low and raise the hose higher.

f) Remeber that bucket never move only you and the hose that contain water do. Do steps D and E if you want more cordenance. 

g) Once all of your rulers have been mark, take a string and tire throughout all of the ruler. (like a square)
Deduct the height of the water inside of the bucket and there is your reference height. 

Now you can dig or fill dirt to match the reference height (leveling out dirt).
Or if you just want to know the distance in height in certain area, just use the ruler that is marked and do the math. 



Another way to level out land is using a line level but that is difficult if your doing a large area.
Line level is good for leveling area about the size of 30x30 or less. 

It's simple since all you do is stab 4 wood spike into the ground and wrap it with yarn/string. 
Clip the line-level to each line (in between the wood spike). 
If your doing a square area, you would need 4 line level. Adjust the line so that it's level.

Oh yeah, I'm not an exspert nor have I done this method but I think it should work. :thumbsup:


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## downunder

> Oh yeah, I'm not an exspert nor have I done this method


That is obvious.


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## r3dmonk3y

downunder dont try to discredit people when you, yourself, did not put any input to the situation.
This method works and people do use water level and line level. So next time when you think about being a smartass, make sure you have a better method. 
Tiffany want to know old school method of grading land. This is 2 of the method of leveling out land that are done in the old days and is still currently used. 
Like I said, the modern method is using a laser level.

downunder, your not helping with your negativity!


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## downunder

To correctly use a water level, one holds both ends of a tube side by side and fills the tubing with water leaving a small space on each end. Usually about a foot, maybe two works well. In other words, the tube is not completely filled to the point to where the fluid (water usually) will run out the end. Holding both ends in this way, the water level will be exactly the same in both tubes side by side. Make a mark on both tubes- even with the top of the water. Then mark whatever measurements are appropriate for the accuracy you need, whether it is inches, 1/16 inch, etc.

In reading this, one may notice the absence of reference to buckets of water, stakes, lasers, rulers, etc. PS- I am a professional landscaper and have used water levels as well as lasers. I would even suggest that a water level is more accurate than some of the lasers I have used. Laser shoots very straight, but can be refracted and care must be taken in getting the unit itself PERFECTLY level. Unless you are using a self-leveling unit. I have never, however, used a level (instrument) to do any grading. I do that with tractors, shovels, rakes, and convicts.

Having said that, the original question was about how to "grade land with out having to hire someone and pay out a lot of money."

A "level" as a measuring instrument will assist in grade measurement with respect to level, plumb, etc

jmb324's suggestion of using a rototiller more correctly addresses the task of actually grading the land, which seems to me to be the question at hand considering the parameters of labor, "big machines", and expense.

I do wonder, though if the OP intends to grade the land level, or at a particular slope?

For now, the other dozen or so errors are moot.


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