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.
JMB Builders does yard grading and leveling across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. We strip or work the existing turf, cut the high spots, fill the low spots, set the slope so water runs away from the house, then spread topsoil and leave it raked ready for seed or sod. Every dig starts with a Gopher State One Call locate. Priced per project, quoted from photos or a short site visit.
- Priced per project
- Low spots filled, slope set away from house
- Topsoil raked ready for seed or sod
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most yards get uneven slowly: settled trenches, old garden beds, frost heave, tree roots, or a builder grade that was never finished. The result is a lawn that is hard to mow, puddles that sit for days, and in the worst spots a grade that runs water back at the foundation.
Leveling a yard is not the same as dumping dirt on it. The high spots come down, the low spots are filled with soil that is compacted so it does not sink again, and the whole surface is shaped to a slope that carries water somewhere useful. Topsoil goes on last, spread to an even depth so the new grass roots in the same soil everywhere.
A basement leaking after heavy rain is often a grading problem before it is a waterproofing problem. Soil settles along the foundation, the ground ends up tipping toward the house, and every downpour soaks the backfill against the wall until it finds a crack. Regrade the yard so the ground falls away from the house, get the downspouts out past the backfill, and many wet basements dry up. It costs a fraction of digging out the wall, so it is worth trying first.
The work is done with a skid steer, grading box or land plane and hand rakes, and by hand along the house, fences and beds where a machine should not go.
What you supply
- Photos of the whole yard, ideally one taken during or right after a rain
- Where the water goes now and where it could go: street, ditch, swale or a low corner
- Marked private lines: irrigation, invisible fence, septic, power or gas to a shed or garage
- Your choice of seed or sod, or tell us to leave the topsoil raked for you to finish
What JMB supplies
- Gopher State One Call locate before any digging
- Turf stripped or tilled in, as quoted
- High spots cut and low spots filled and compacted
- A finished slope that carries water away from the house
- Screened topsoil spread and hand-raked along the house, walks and beds
- Seed with erosion blanket or sod, quoted as its own line when you want it
- Cleanup of the access path and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Size of the area and how far out of level it is
- How much fill or topsoil is brought in, or whether soil on site can be moved around
- Access for a machine: gate width, slopes, fences, trees
- Existing turf: tilled in, stripped and hauled off, or killed first
- Irrigation heads, buried lines or tree roots to work around
- Seed and blanket or sod on top, if you want it done
Send photos of the whole yard, the gate or access, and where water sits after rain. We tell you from the photos whether a short site visit is needed first.
How long it takes
A typical city backyard: one to two days of grading plus the day the topsoil is spread. Larger yards or a lot of imported soil: a few days.
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
Leveling a bumpy lawn
Ruts, settled trenches and old bed outlines filled and smoothed so the mower rides flat. Often done without stripping the whole lawn when the turf is thin.
Full backyard regrade
The turf comes off, the yard is reshaped to one even slope toward the street, a swale or a low corner, and topsoil goes on for new seed or sod.
Fixing a grade that runs to the house
Soil along the foundation built back up and sloped away so roof and yard water leave the house. Downspout extensions and buried drain lines have their own page.
Yard Grading and Leveling — Low Spots Filled, Sloped Away From House: questions, answered
How do you level a bumpy yard?
The high spots are cut down, the low spots filled with soil and compacted so they do not sink again, and the surface is dragged smooth with a grading box or land plane. Topsoil is spread over the top to an even depth so the new grass grows the same everywhere. Topdressing a thin layer of soil over the grass works for small dips, not for real low spots.
Can you fix low spots in my lawn without tearing out the grass?
Shallow dips can often be filled with a thin layer of topsoil a little at a time so the grass grows up through it. Deeper low spots and ruts need the sod cut back, soil added and compacted, and the sod laid back or reseeded. We look at the photos and say which one your yard needs.
Which way should my yard slope?
Away from the house first, then toward a place the water can leave: the street, a ditch, a swale along the lot line or a low corner that drains. The ground right next to the foundation should fall away noticeably, and the rest of the yard needs enough fall that water does not sit. Water should not be sent onto a neighbor's lot.
Should I seed or sod after grading?
Sod gives you a finished lawn the same day and holds the soil on slopes right away, but it costs more and needs daily water at first. Seed with an erosion blanket is cheaper and works well in spring and late summer. Either way the topsoil is raked smooth first, and we can do either or leave the topsoil for you.
When is the best time to regrade a yard in Minnesota?
Late spring through fall, once the ground has thawed and dried enough that a machine does not rut it. Soaking wet soil smears and packs hard, so grading waits a few days after heavy rain. Late summer is a good window if you plan to seed.
Do you need to call 811 before grading a yard?
Yes. We place a Gopher State One Call request before any digging or cutting of the grade and wait for the utility marks. Those marks do not cover private lines, so tell us about irrigation, invisible fence, septic, and power or gas run to a shed or garage.
Water is pooling in my backyard after rain — who do I call in Minnesota?
An excavation or grading contractor, not a landscaper who only plants. The fix depends on the water: if the ground can be reshaped to drain, regrading does it; if the soil stays soggy with no puddle, a French drain pulls the water out; if a flat yard puddles at one low spot, a catch basin piped to an outlet takes it. We look at all three on one visit and quote the one that fits.
My basement leaks after heavy rain — will regrading the yard fix it?
Often, yes, when the leak comes from surface water. If the ground next to the house is flat or tips toward the wall, rain soaks the backfill and pushes through cracks. Regrading so the soil falls away from the foundation and extending the downspouts fixes many wet basements before anyone pays for waterproofing. If the wall still leaks after that, the next step is a foundation dig-out and drain tile.
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.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
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