What Is the Best Time to Regrade Your Yard?
The fall has ideal weather and growing new grass on your sloped yard
Highlights
Fall is usually best for yard regrading because of the minimal precipitation and temperature, which is ideal for growing new grass.
The best time to regrade a yard can vary based on your climate and soil conditions.
Winter is typically the worst time to regrade your yard because the ground can freeze, making the work more challenging.
Best Time to Regrade Your Yard
The best time to regrade your yard is usually in the fall before the ground freezes in the winter, which makes grading more challenging. Fall often brings some rain, but it is less than you’d see in the spring, so the soil won’t be saturated and difficult to work with. However, minimal rainfall will help settle the new soil.
Fall is also a great option if you’re planting cool-season grass in your yard, which will take root and thrive in the cooler autumn temperatures.
Factors That Affect Yard Regrading
It’s important to note that fall isn’t always the best season to regrade your lawn, and there are a few factors to consider before planning your regrading project.
Precipitation
First and foremost, you should think about precipitation. Some precipitation is a good thing after regarding because it helps settle the soil without overwhelming and eroding it as heavier spring rains might do. Fall usually brings less rainfall than spring, but check your local climate to see when the heaviest rains come, and try to avoid that season.
Temperature
The average temperature in your area can affect your regrading in two ways. First, cooler fall temperatures are more comfortable to work in than freezing winter days or the summer heat.
Second, temperature plays a role in new grass growth, affecting how quickly your new grass takes root and how successful your seeding efforts are. Regrading and seeding in the fall is ideal if you're putting down cool-season grasses. If you’re putting down warm-season grasses, you may want to consider regrading in the spring.
Soil Composition
Finally, you should consider your soil composition. Homeowners who have clayey soil are more likely to find heavier, water-logged soil for days after rainfall, which can mean springtime is off the table. If you have sandy or loamy soil, you’re less likely to run into issues in the spring, but the fall is still often the best time for regrading.
The Worst Time to Regrade Your Yard
The worst time to regrade your yard is the winter for a few reasons.
First, the lower temperatures mean less comfortable working conditions, as well as a higher risk of the ground being frozen and more challenging to excavate. Second, areas with heavy snowfall are going to see saturated soil even in the colder months, which can mean heavier soil that’s, once again, more challenging to work with, especially if you’re excavating manually.
Finally, winter isn’t a good time to plant new grass, so once you’re done excavating, you’ll likely need to wait until spring to lay down warm-season grass or almost an entire year until fall if you’re putting down cool-season grass.
Cost to Regrade Your Yard
The cost to regrade your yard averages around $2,000, but you could pay as low as around $375 for regrading small areas or up to $6,500 if you need your entire yard regraded, you’re working with a steeply sloped property, or you have obstructions, like large rocks or trees. Most homeowners pay somewhere between $1,000 and $3,300 to hire a professional for yard regrading services.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Grading small sections of your yard—like sloping the soil away from your foundation or pool—is an easy DIY project that often just involves bringing in soil and building it up gradually at the proper slope. Doing this work yourself could save you a few hundred dollars if you already have manual tools like shovels and wheelbarrows to get the job done.
If you’re working on regrading your entire yard or need to do any excavation to get the work done, we strongly recommend hiring a professional. Excavating and backfilling near your foundation can cause structural damage if you make mistakes, and you have to be careful about underground utility lines in certain areas. A professional will have the knowledge and experience to get the work done safely without causing property damage. Professionals can also pull necessary excavation permits for your job, which might be necessary based on the scope and your location.
Unless you’re working with a small section of your yard and don’t need any excavation, we recommend hiring a landscaping grading company near you to get the job done correctly. Hiring an expert is an especially good idea if you also want a yard drainage system installed while they’re on-site with excavation equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regrading a yard can involve adding soil on top of your existing grass to level out dips or create a small slope away from a foundation or pool. However, more intensive regrading involves excavating soil with heavy machinery to bring the lawn down to a level base and then adding and smoothing soil over it for a perfectly level yard. You’ll then need to seed the area to grow new grass.
Yard grading is a key component of proper drainage because runoff naturally moves with respect to gravity. If you have low spots in your yard, rain and snowmelt will settle there and oversaturate the soil, promoting root rot and fungal growth. If the low spots are near your home’s foundation, you could even end up with foundation leaks or structural damage due to poor yard grading.
Yes, you can put soil on top of existing grass to level small areas. This is helpful for filling in small divots or leveling out minor dips in your yard that collect rainwater. However, this isn’t a good option if you need to regrade your entire lawn. It’s better to have a professional excavate some of the dirt first so that the level of the lawn doesn’t rise too high.
Aeration can level your lawn if the issue is minor soil compaction, so it can help smooth things out if your yard is bumpy from foot traffic or vehicle traffic. However, it won’t slope your yard. If you have small areas where water seems to pool after precipitation, aeration could help, but larger issues with improperly sloped lawns and problems leading to foundation leaks or structural damage will require more comprehensive solutions.