How do I know if my yard needs to be graded?

If water pools near your foundation after rain, your yard has low spots or ruts, or the ground slopes toward the house instead of away, it needs grading. When I come out to bid, I walk the yard and show you where the water's actually going.

Is grading a yard expensive?

It depends on the size of the yard, how much dirt has to move, and how bad the slope is. A small backyard fix is a lot cheaper than a full re-grade. I bid every job in person so you get a real number, not a guess over the phone.

Do I need a permit to regrade my yard?

Most simple residential grading in Lincoln County doesn't need a permit, but it depends on your town and whether you're moving drainage near a property line. I'll tell you straight if your job needs one before we start.

Why does a track loader handle our soil better?

Lincoln County is clay-heavy hardpan. My Kubota SVL 97-2 is a track machine, so it spreads weight and keeps working in wet clay where wheeled machines spin out and tear up the yard.

God Guides, We Grade.

I'll grade that low spot so the water runs to the ditch, not your basement

That swampy patch in the back third of the yard isn't going to dry out on its own — it's a slope problem, and clay-heavy Lincoln County hardpan holds water like a bathtub. I regrade the ground so it falls away from your house, and I do it with a tracked Kubota SVL 97-2 that won't rut up the rest of your lawn getting there.

Book a Bid for this job Call (573) 754-2482

Brandon Bange, owner. I bid every grading job myself.

You probably know the spot already

It's where the kids' swing set legs stay muddy in May. Where the mower bogs down. Where, three springs running, the water has crept a little closer to the foundation and now there's a damp line on the basement drywall. That's a grade that's running the wrong way — and every year you wait, the water finds a little more of your footing.

How I fix it

Pull a grade away from the house. The ground should fall roughly six inches over the first ten feet out from the foundation. Most flooded yards don't, and that's the whole ballgame.
Cut the high spots, fill the low ones. Box-blade the yard down to a smooth, consistent slope so water sheets off instead of sitting.
Finish-grade for seed or sod. I leave it smooth enough that you (or your landscaper) can put grass right back on it.
Haul off or spread the excess. If we cut more dirt than we fill, I'll haul it or spread the good topsoil somewhere useful on your property — your call. Need material brought in? I haul and place dirt and rock too, so the grade comes out where it needs to be.

Most yards are a day, maybe two. I work fast once the machine's off the trailer. Grading isn't just moving dirt — it's solving the drainage problem under the dirt so the water runs to the ditch, not your basement. Same goes for <a href="/services/driveway-building-pads-prep">building pads and full site prep</a> when you're getting ready to build.

Backyard graded to drain after the dirt work — Backyard that ponded every spring, regraded to drain — off Highway 47 in Troy

Backyard with standing water before grading — Backyard that ponded every spring, regraded to drain — off Highway 47 in Troy

Real reviews from real neighbors are on the way.

I post them with a first name and a town as folks send them in — I don't run made-up quotes. Want to be the first? Book a bid and I'll earn it.

Get a straight number on it

I'll come walk it, tell you whether it's a grading fix or a drain fix, and give you a real bid — not a vague "contact us for pricing."

Book a Bid for this job Call (573) 754-2482

Yard Grading & Leveling questions I hear

Do I need grading or a French drain?

Sometimes one, sometimes both. If the water's a surface problem and there's somewhere lower for it to go, regrading usually solves it cheaper. If your whole yard is flat or the water has nowhere to run, that's where a French drain earns its keep. I'll tell you which when I bid — I'm not going to sell you the bigger job if the smaller one fixes it.

Won't the machine tear up my yard getting back there?

That's exactly why I run a tracked Kubota instead of a wheeled Bobcat. Tracks spread the weight and don't dig in the way tires do on soft clay. The lawn I'm not working on stays a lawn.

How much does it cost to regrade a yard in Missouri?

Most residential regrades run a day or two of work, and the number depends on how much dirt has to move and how far. I'll give you a real figure when I come out — and I'll be honest if the fix is simpler (or bigger) than you thought.

How long until you can start?

I bid the same week most of the time, and the work usually lands in the next two-to-three weeks. Weather's the only thing that moves it. Rather skip the form? Call (573) 754-2482 or text me a photo of the low spot.

Want a ballpark fast? Text us a photo of the problem to (573) 754-2482.

Towns I do yard grading & leveling in

This is some of my most-asked-for work across Lincoln County and the St. Charles County line. Here's where I do the most of it — tap your town for the local details.

See every town I serve →

Worth a read before you call

Book a bid for your yard grading

Four fields. Under a minute. No sales runaround.

Name, phone, your town, and a sentence on what's going on. Email's optional. I come out and look at every job myself — no commercial site work, no landscaping pitch, just honest dirt work for homeowners. Bid this week, work usually in the next two-to-three.