Landscape grading allows homeowners to address drainage issues and create beautiful gardens. But what happens when this delicate process goes wrong? 

River Bottom Topsoil in Sacramento, California, provides a variety of landscaping services, including grading. Here they explain three ways improper grading can cause serious issues in your yard:

1. Problematic Drainage

Negative landscape grading that forces precipitation to run toward your home can cause foundation leaks and other serious forms of water damage. Positive grading creates slopes that alter that flow for the better, sending runoff away from your property, or to a more suitable area for drainage. It’s easy to turn negative grading into positive grading with the help of additional soil or retaining walls.

2. Uneven Features

Yard grading should level out your landscaping to the exact height of features like sidewalks, patios, and grass that’s already in place. If you need to install sod, you must leave room by making the grade an inch or two below the rest of your yard. Without correct planning, your sidewalks may sink a few inches below your lawn and patio, leading to navigational confusion and drainage problems.

3. Less-Than-Perfect Aesthetics

Perhaps you’re seeking landscape grading because you want to change the look of your yard. Gardeners love creating specific zones throughout their property for flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants. By digging depressions around each tree and raising certain flower beds, grade work can allow nature to assist these efforts. Lowering the grade an inch or two will push rainwater into the lower soil, hydrate the plants, and limit the amount of manual labor needed.

Are you ready to transform your yard with grading? Call River Bottom Topsoil at (632) 462-5331 or visit the website to learn how their 20 years of landscape experience can benefit your personal garden.