Fill Dirt and Topsoil Delivered and Spread — Compacted and Raked
You have a low area to fill, a yard to top off before new grass, or a pile of black dirt on the driveway, and you want it spread right the first time.
JMB Builders has fill dirt and topsoil delivered and spread across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. Fill goes in the low area first, compacted in lifts so it does not settle. Screened topsoil, often called black dirt, goes on top to an even depth and is raked ready for seed or sod. Priced per project, based on the amount of material and how far it has to move.
- Priced per project
- Fill compacted in lifts, topsoil on top
- Delivered, spread and hand-raked
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Fill dirt and topsoil do different jobs. Fill is subsoil: clay, sand or a mix with little organic matter, used to raise a low area because it compacts and stays put. Topsoil, which most people in Minnesota call black dirt, has the organic matter grass needs, but it is soft and settles if it is used as fill.
The common mistake is filling a low spot with black dirt alone, or dumping a thick layer of fill without compacting it. Both settle, and the low spot comes back after a season. Fill goes in first, in layers that are compacted one at a time, then topsoil goes on top to an even depth.
Spreading is where the hours go. The truck dumps as close to the work as it can, a skid steer moves and spreads the material, and the edges along the house, walks, fences and beds are raked by hand so the finished grade is smooth and runs water away.
What you supply
- Photos of the area and where a truck can dump
- Rough size of the area, and how deep the low spots are
- Marked private lines and irrigation heads
- Your plan for grass: seed, sod, or leave it for you to finish
What JMB supplies
- Fill and screened topsoil ordered and delivered, as quoted
- Existing turf killed, tilled in or stripped where needed
- Fill placed and compacted in lifts in the low areas
- Topsoil spread to an even depth and hand-raked at the edges
- Finished grade sloped away from the house
- Seed and blanket or sod quoted as its own line if you want it
- Cleanup of the driveway or street where the material was dumped
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- How much fill and topsoil the area needs
- Type of fill and whether screened topsoil or a blend is used
- Distance from where the truck can dump to where the material goes
- Access for a machine through gates and around trees
- Existing turf that has to be stripped or tilled first
- Seed, blanket or sod on top
Send photos, rough measurements and where a truck can dump. We figure the quantity and quote the delivered and spread price.
How long it takes
A typical yard: one day to spread, sometimes two when a lot of fill has to be compacted in layers. Material delivery is scheduled for the morning of the work.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Fill a low area
A sunken trench, old pool spot or low corner filled with compacted fill in layers, then capped with topsoil so the lawn grows level with the rest of the yard.
Topsoil for a new lawn
Screened black dirt spread over a graded yard to an even depth, raked smooth and left ready for seed or sod.
Spread a pile you already bought
Material already dumped on your driveway or lawn moved and spread where it goes. This fits hourly skid steer work.
Fill Dirt and Topsoil Delivered and Spread — Compacted and Raked: questions, answered
What is the difference between fill dirt and topsoil?
Fill dirt is subsoil with little organic matter; it compacts and holds its shape, so it is used to raise low areas and build up grade. Topsoil, or black dirt, is rich in organic matter and is what grass grows in, but it settles when used in deep layers. Use fill to build up the grade and topsoil as the top layer.
How much topsoil do I need for a new lawn?
Enough to give the grass a good root zone over the subsoil, spread evenly. To figure the amount, multiply the area by the depth to get cubic yards. We measure the area from your photos and dimensions and include the quantity in the quote.
Can I fill a low spot with black dirt only?
For a shallow dip, a thin layer of topsoil worked into the grass is fine. For anything deeper, black dirt alone settles over the next season and the low spot comes back. Deep spots get compacted fill first and topsoil on top.
Why does fill dirt need to be compacted?
Loose fill settles as it gets wet and dries out, sometimes for years. Placing it in thin layers and compacting each one gets that settling done now, so the grade you pay for is the grade you keep. That matters most next to a house, walk or driveway.
Where should the dump truck drop the dirt?
As close to the work as it can safely get without driving on the lawn, septic or drain field, often the end of the driveway or a spot at the edge of the yard. Every trip with the machine from the pile to the work is time. Trucks should not dump on a septic tank or drain field.
Do you seed or sod after spreading topsoil?
We can. Seed with an erosion blanket or sod is quoted as its own line, or the topsoil is left raked and ready for you to seed. Seeding is best in spring or late summer; sod can go down most of the growing season with steady watering.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Yard Grading and Leveling — Low Spots Filled, Sloped Away From House
Your lawn is lumpy, holds puddles after every rain, or tips back toward the house, and you want it reshaped once before you put down new grass.
Read moreSkid Steer Service Near Me — Hourly Work Moving Dirt, Rock and Gravel
You have a pile of dirt, rock or gravel in the wrong place and a list of small jobs that need a machine for a few hours, not a full excavation quote.
Read moreBackfill and Final Grade Around a New House
The foundation is in and inspected, and the dirt needs to go back around the walls and the lot shaped so the basement stays dry and the lawn can go in.
Read moreLawn Repair After Construction — Regrade, Topsoil and Seed
The addition is done, the septic is in, the windows are new — and the yard is ruts, clay and a pile where the lawn used to be. We put the grade back and grow a lawn on it.
Read moreSod Installation — New Lawn Sod and Sod Repair Patches
A lawn that never came back, a new house sitting in dirt, or a strip of bare ground where the trench went through — sodded on prepped soil so it takes root instead of shrinking.
Read moreBury Sump Pump Discharge Line — Freeze-Safe Run to a Pop-Up
The sump line ends at the foundation or in a hose across the lawn, the water comes right back to the pit, and every winter it freezes and ices the sidewalk.
Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
Where we work
Excavation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: