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Grading

Nothing is more important than making sure your grade is prepared properly.  Not to do so is the same as building the foundation that your house sits on crooked. Everything that sits on top of that foundation will now be crooked too unless you do some very avoidable adjustments that cost time and money.

The Basics

Grass and bed areas direcly adjacent to house. 5% slope away from house.  The most important thing is to make sure the grade slopes away from your house. Everything that is designed in your landscape is contingent on this grading after you are certain it slopes properly.  Proper drainage is for every 10 feet, your grade should have a 6 inch drop for something like a grassy slope or planting bed.  Get a straight 2x4 that is 10' long. Put a carpenters level on it and make sure the bubble is centered on the level. There should be around a 6" gap on the end that is away from your house down to the ground.  Sometimes you can get away with less, but to be sure, follow the 5% rule.

Grades for patios and decks. (See section under 'Hardscapes' for specifics)

Steep areas.  If you have a lot of hills on your property, you have some decisions to make:

• Leave the hillside natural and use planting or erosion control to keep it from washing
• Terrace the hillside with retaining walls to make it more usable
• Do you want access up the hillside?
• Cut into the hillside and retain it to make more space at the bottom
• Fill a hillside and retain it to make more space at the top

Plant material on a hillside is more difficult to water as it runs downhill and doesn't soak in enough if the sprinkling system is not planned properly.