Reference elevations
The fixed points the grade is built from: top of foundation, slab, drive approach, walk, or a survey benchmark. Without one, 'level' means different things to different people.
Southeast Michigan site work
Grading And Leveling
Set the ground to a stated elevation and a stated slope, so water leaves the structure and the next trade gets the surface it expects.
Grade is a number, not an impression. Agree the elevations and the fall before the machines move dirt.
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Describe the parcel and the scope and we will respond with the questions that make the review useful.
Hiring a grading contractor is a decision about elevations. The work compares where the ground is now with where it needs to be, then moves material until the surface holds that shape, drains in the intended direction, and stays there after it settles.
Most grading complaints trace back to one of three gaps: no agreed reference elevation, no stated slope, or no definition of whether the job ended at rough or finish grade. All three are cheap to settle in writing and expensive to argue about afterwards.
This grading and leveling page covers surface shaping and drainage direction; collection systems such as French drains and outlets are planned on the drainage page instead. Grading and leveling planning.
Existing elevations, proposed elevations, and the difference between them
Useful grading starts with two surfaces: what exists and what is proposed. On a project with a survey or civil drawing, the proposed contours and spot elevations are given. On a residential lot without drawings, the reference points are practical ones: the top of foundation, the garage slab, the drive approach, the property line, the neighbour's grade, and wherever water is supposed to end up.
The gap between those two surfaces is the work. It determines whether material can be balanced on site, whether fill has to be imported, or whether excess has to leave. That quantity question is worth answering early, because importing or hauling material usually changes cost more than the shaping itself does.
Grading decisions to settle in the scope
Rough versus finish grade
Rough grade leaves the site shaped and ready for topsoil or another trade. Finish grade is the final surface under seed, sod, or hardscape. State which one closes the scope.
Runoff direction
Where water is intended to go, and the slope away from structures. The plan should name the discharge point rather than pushing water to a property line and stopping.
Material balance
Whether the site balances, needs imported fill, or has to export excess. This is the item that most often changes the total.
Settlement and compaction
How fill is placed and compacted, and whether testing is required. Fill dropped in one lift will settle, and the low spot shows up after the first wet season.
Access restoration
The condition of the route equipment used to reach the work, including drives, lawn, and any temporary stone that has to be removed.
How a grading and leveling project is planned
1. Establish the reference
Agree on the benchmark, the proposed elevations, and the tolerance. Where a civil drawing exists it governs; where it does not, the reference points are recorded in writing.
2. Check the outlet
Confirm where water leaves the property and that the proposed grade actually gets it there without creating a problem for a neighbour or an easement.
3. Move and place material
Cut and fill are balanced where possible, fill is placed in lifts, and unsuitable material is identified rather than buried.
4. Shape and compact
The surface is brought to the agreed elevations and compacted to suit what goes on top of it, whether that is topsoil, aggregate, or a slab by others.
5. Verify and hand off
Elevations are checked against the reference, any required testing is completed, and the access route is restored to the agreed condition.
Site constraints and approvals to confirm
Grading changes where water goes, which makes it a neighbour and jurisdiction question as well as a construction one. Redirecting runoff onto adjoining property or into a county drain without approval creates a problem that outlasts the project, so confirm the intended discharge with the responsible municipal or drain office.
Earth changes above the Part 91 thresholds, and any earth change near a regulated water, need soil erosion approval from the enforcing agency for the parcel. Identify that agency through the EGLE Part 91 list and confirm current requirements before the work starts.
Compaction is what makes a grade stay. Fill placed without lift control, on frozen or saturated ground, or over stripped organics will settle unevenly. Where the grade will carry structure, pavement, or a slab, the placement method and any testing requirements should be written into the scope.
Official sources — confirm current requirements with the office named for the parcel.
- EGLE soil erosion and sedimentation control overview — Part 91 earth-change thresholds and program scope
- EGLE Part 91 agency list — Locating the enforcing agency for a parcel
Service area and next step
West Branch Builders grades residential lots, additions, drives, and small commercial sites across Southeast Michigan, from post-demolition rough shaping through finish grade ahead of landscaping.
Send the address, photographs showing where water currently stands or runs, any survey or site plan, and a note on what goes on the finished surface. If a builder or landscaper follows, name them so the handoff condition is theirs, not a guess.
Related pages: Contact Us, All excavation services.
Related planning guides
Related pages: Site Work Permits, MISS DIG and Excavation Safety, Choosing an Excavation Contractor.
Questions to carry into the review
How much slope should the ground have around a house?
Fall away from the foundation is the goal, and the applicable building code or approved site plan for the project sets the requirement. Rather than applying a number from a general article, confirm the required fall with the building department or the site plan for your address, then have the grading scope state the elevations that achieve it.
What is the difference between rough grade and finish grade?
Rough grade brings the site to shape and elevation, usually before topsoil. Finish grade is the final surface prepared for seed, sod, or hardscape, worked to a tighter tolerance. They are separate scopes; a quote for one is not a quote for the other.
Why did my yard develop a low spot after grading?
Usually settlement. Fill placed in deep lifts, placed over organic material, or compacted poorly will consolidate over the following seasons. Where a surface has to stay true, the fix is placement and compaction control during the work, not topdressing afterwards.
Can grading fix a wet back yard on its own?
Sometimes. If water is sitting because the surface has no fall and there is somewhere for it to go, reshaping solves it. If groundwater is high, the outlet is blocked, or the water arrives from off site, the answer involves a collection system and an outlet, which is a drainage scope rather than a grading one.
Ready for a more specific conversation?
Send the parcel address, photographs of the site and access route, any site plan or soil evaluation, the date the site is needed, and the condition the next trade expects.
Call (734) 476-1098