Water goes away from the house. Everything else follows.
Finish grade looks like the cosmetic step and it isn't. It's the last chance to make sure the site sheds water, that the ground falls away from the foundation, and that nothing is pooling where somebody's going to want a lawn.
Get it wrong and you get a wet basement, a soggy yard that never dries out, and a landscaper's bill to fix dirt work.
What's included
- Final grade around new construction and additions
- Positive slope established away from foundations
- Rough spots, ruts, and construction damage smoothed out
- Topsoil spread and leveled
- Ground prepared for seed, sod, or a landscaper to take over
- Site stabilized so the next rain doesn't undo the work
Grade to the water, not to the eye
A yard can look flat and still drain toward the house. On sandy shoreline lots the water disappears fast enough to hide a bad grade until a heavy year; on the clay ground further inland it shows up the first spring.
Around Berrien County, the things that decide a finish grade are where the downspouts and sump discharge land, where the neighbor's water arrives from, and whether there's a swale or ditch to take runoff away from the site. We shape to those, not just to a smooth surface.
On a permitted site, erosion controls have to stay in place and be maintained until the ground is stabilized — seeded, mulched, or otherwise held. Finish grade and stabilization are the same conversation.
Common questions
Usually right away — that's the point of leaving it ready. Timing depends more on the season than on the grading.
Yes, we can bring topsoil in or work with what was stripped and stockpiled on site, whichever makes sense for the job.
Often, though sometimes it needs drainage work as well as reshaping — a swale, a French drain, or a proper outlet. We'll look at where the water's coming from before promising a fix.
Get a quote on your finish grading
Tell us where the property is and what you're trying to do with it. We'll come look, and the estimate is free.
Other services
Ready to get dirt moving?
Tell us about the property and we'll come look at it. Estimates are free, and we'll tell you straight if the job needs a permit before anyone touches the ground.