Land grading is an engineered technique or mostly a vegetative practice of providing surface drainage for controlling erosion and providing sedimentation while reshaping and stabilizing your ground’s surface. It can also be a combination of an engineered technique and a vegetation process.
Grading your land is an essential thing to do as this may remove unwanted puddles in your yard and driveway. Grading may also help maintain a perfect grass yard and may help resolve unwanted damage to paths and sidewalks.
Since grading involves overall maintenance of your land it is wise enough to expect that the land grading price 
will be a bit expensive so make sure you are well prepared with your money that you will be spending for leveling your land.
Average Cost of Land Grading
According to the data gathered by Improve Net from their site members the average cost to level land is $1, 587 and this is based on the cost profiles of 1710 people who had their land graded by a landscaping professional. The minimum possible cost that you can find will be around a hundred dollars and the maximum cost to grade yard will be priced at $4,500. Most homeowners spent around $1,041 to $1, 650.
A typical land grading job that will take a few days may cost at around $2,500. This includes materials like the topsoil and sod. Although it is important to remember that the price may vary greatly depending on the specific job needed to be done on your land.
Some land grading professional may start their price at $500 for a minor work and it may go up to several thousand dollars or more if it is a major job.
Most residential properties’ average cost to level land may fall in between $1,000 to $6,000.
Factors Involved in Land Grading Cost
Thinking about what to consider when your land grading company provided you a certain price quote? Then read on to know what factors are involved in your land grading price.
– Companies who offer their services for land grading may price you depending on the size of your yard.
– Depending on your land, some companies may require doing extra services that are not involved in their price quotes.
– Pricing may also depend on your desired outcome so the more complex the job is the higher the cost may be.
– The quality and characteristics of the soil also affect the cost to grade yard.
– Erosion control.
– Overall assessment of your land.
– The extent of the damage done to your land.
If your soil is a thick, compacted, heavy or rocky type of soil it will cost you more for your land grading than having a loose type of soil. This is because professional land graders will have to remove these rocks or any other debris around the foundation. If your yard is very dense then this will require large equipment like bulldozers or dump trucks.
Land assessments are done by land surveyors. If the size of your land is big you may want to know up to what part of your land will be graded and this is where the job of the land surveyor will come in. Land surveyors may cost you at around $200 for the job. Assessment of a land will help you know if the type of land leveling that you want will not affect your neighbor’s land or any public property close to your area.
Around $645 will be spent when delivering soil, mulch, or rocks for land grading. A heavily damaged yard may require you more soil than usual. Extent of damage may also include knowing if your foundation has taken a hit and needed fixing to prevent further damage to your land.
DIY Land Grading
If you got loads of free time this do-it-your guide for land grading for a proper drainage may help you lessen your expenses and not waste more money. Just be ready for some sweat running down your skin and more patience than usual.
- Start with ordering a truckload of dirt, soil, or rock that you will need for you land leveling. Make sure that you get more than enough to not waste more money by buying just a few of it.
- Find the high and low points of your yard and make sure you mark these areas. The high point is where
your water starts draining in the wrong direction. The low point is where your water will end up turning into a puddle. - Find the slope of your yard by putting a tight string that has a level on it from your yard’s high point own to its low point. Once done, make a measure starting from your ground’s low point all the way up to the string. This will indicate how much of a slope your yard has.
- Start dumping the pile of dirt at the low point. You can do this by shoveling the dirt into a wheelbarrow then start dumping the pile of dirt at your yard’s low point. You may want to dump more piles of dirt against your foundation if it happens that water is running from this direction and make it leveled to your high point.
- Pull the dirt from your new high point (your old low point) carefully and slowly to your new low point (old high point) by using the back of a rake. Smoothen down the dirt and make sure that your goal of reversing your low and high points is met.
- Check if there are any areas that needed extra soil so as not to get a loose area and turn into a puddle when the rainy season starts. You may want to use plywood for this one if you like or anything that may be laid flat on the pile of dirt as you jump and stomp on it making sure all areas are intact.
You may also want to check this video for a quick tutorial on how you can level your yard in just a short time with just a few easy steps and may not even cost you anything much at all.