# who should I hire to regrade my yard?



## 19mquinn79 (May 15, 2009)

I've called around to many "landscaping" companies, asking if they would regrade my yard. (the ground slopes towards my house, causing water problems.) each one has no experience with this -- they all seem to be lawn mowing a little else.

who should i call? what type of company should i search for? anyone out there have experience with this?


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## NegativeTen (Mar 29, 2013)

I just had to have some dirt work done, and I hired an excavation company.. you might check into that.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Go online and look for the landscape contractors association in your state (you have not posted your geographic location to your profile or I would have looked it up for you). Most will have a finder utility and will link you up with someone that does more than landscape maintenance. It is confusing that landscape construction gets bundled with landscape maintenance. 

You might also search for grading contractors. Same deal. 

Your library or city or county office may have a list of both.

Finally, a civil engineer or landscape architect will not cost you that much and you will be sure to get a new grade that works and drains properly. They will have contractors they work with and will turnkey everything for you. Truth is you may not be able to make major grade changes that effect neighbors without signoff on a new grading plan and a permit anyhow. Even if allowed, if your neighbors find your grade change puts water in their basements or across their lands in harmful ways you are ripe for a piece of litigation. Best to make the grade changes correctly.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I know many excavators do the grading before a landscaper arrives to rake and plant grass---


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

oh'mike said:


> I know many excavators do the grading before a landscaper arrives to rake and plant grass---


Me too! But I get the feeling this an established site and excavators and original landscape contractors are long gone. I am also assuming neighbors are happy with the lay of their land? 

Changing grade and moving water over neighboring land is the stuff feuds have been built on for ages. And it does not matter if .125 acre or millions of acreage.

Mike, I guess one of us should ask? 

"OP is this new construction with non-planted scraped land or are you in an established house and the only one with these problems?"

I hate new construction developments. Earth movers come in, scrape the topsoil, sloppy grade the property, and leave it for homeowners to fix grading and drainage problems. First buyers in own the grade. Person on the low end gets everybody else's floating or jetisoned stuff water can carry. Person in the middle if last to buy, gets land drainage from both sides.


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## 19mquinn79 (May 15, 2009)

sdsester said:


> Me too! But I get the feeling this an established site and excavators and original landscape contractors are long gone. I am also assuming neighbors are happy with the lay of their land?
> 
> Changing grade and moving water over neighboring land is the stuff feuds have been built on for ages. And it does not matter if .125 acre or millions of acreage.
> 
> ...


established house, only one with these problems. but, the way the houses are set up, there is a swale between each house. if i were to regrade, the water would run into the swale instead of into my foundation. shouldn't be a problem.

that being said, I certainly want to avoid causing any problems for neighbors. do you guys think a landscape architect would keep that in mind when helping me set up the regrade?


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

A landscape architect is not likely to be needed ---a skilled excavator should be able to shoot the grade and get this job done---start asking around----


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