Lot grading and yard leveling in Canandaigua and the Finger Lakes
Lumpy lawns, negative grade at the foundation, the low spot that won't dry — reshaped so water leaves and mowing is easy.
Grading is the least glamorous excavation work and probably the most valuable. A yard that slopes toward the house sends water into the basement. A yard with a bowl in the middle stays wet until June. A new-construction lot that was rough-graded by the builder and never finished stays lumpy forever. All of that is a machine, a laser, and a day or two.
We do rough grading on new sites and finish grading before seed or sod; we regrade existing yards to correct drainage; we level areas for pools, sheds, play sets, and patios; and we cut and fill to create usable flat space on sloped lots — a big deal on hillside properties around the lake where flat ground is scarce.
Finish grading includes topsoil. We bring in screened topsoil where the site needs it, spread it to a consistent depth, and rake it for seed. If you want the lawn back fast we can hydroseed or coordinate sod.
What's included
- Foundation regradingCorrecting negative grade so water runs away from the house — usually the cheapest wet-basement fix there is.
- Yard levelingFilling low spots, cutting humps, and establishing a smooth, mowable surface.
- Rough and finish gradingNew construction: rough grade after backfill, finish grade with topsoil before lawn.
- Pool, shed, and patio padsCut level and compacted, ready for the installer.
- Cut and fill terracingCreating flat, usable areas on sloped lakefront and hillside lots.
- Topsoil, seed, and hydroseedScreened topsoil delivered and spread; seeding or hydroseeding to finish.
Grading in this part of New York
The classic call from Victor, Farmington, and the newer neighborhoods in Canandaigua is a five-year-old house where the backfill around the foundation has settled and the grade now runs toward the wall. It's normal — backfill settles — but it needs fixing, and the fix is a few yards of fill, a positive slope of at least six inches in the first ten feet, and extended downspouts. Half a day, and the basement is drier for it.
On lakefront and hillside lots the request is usually the opposite: make some flat ground. A cut-and-fill terrace, sometimes with a small retaining wall on the downhill side, can turn an unusable slope into a lawn or a patio spot with a view. We're careful about slope stability and erosion on those, and about the towns' steep-slope rules near the lake.
Topsoil around here is thin — six inches on a good farm field, less on a hillside. Builders scrape it off and rarely put enough back. If you're finish grading a new lot, budget for four to six inches of screened topsoil across the lawn area; the grass will show you the difference for the next 20 years.
What moves the price
- Area to be graded and how much material must be moved or brought in.
- Topsoil quantity and whether the existing soil can be reused.
- Drainage work needed alongside the grading.
- Access and obstacles — fences, trees, septic fields, and utilities.
- Seed, hydroseed, or sod to finish.
Lot Grading & Yard Leveling: questions we get
How much does yard grading cost?
Regrading around a foundation is often a half-day job in the low thousands including fill and topsoil. Leveling a whole yard or terracing a slope costs more. We quote by looking at it; there's no honest per-square-foot number that works for every lot.
How much slope should a yard have away from the house?
The standard is a six-inch drop over the first ten feet from the foundation, then a gentler slope beyond that. Around here, with our clay, more is better.
Can you level a yard without killing the grass?
Not really — grading moves soil, and the grass goes with it. We finish grade, add topsoil, and seed or hydroseed. In three to four weeks you've got a better lawn than before.
When is the best time to regrade and seed?
Late August through early October is the best seeding window in the Finger Lakes. Spring works too but you'll fight weeds. We grade year-round when the ground allows and time the seeding for those windows.
Do you deliver topsoil?
Yes — screened topsoil by the yard, delivered and spread or dumped for you to spread. See our gravel and stone delivery page.
Grading across the Finger Lakes
We do lot grading & yard leveling in every town below. Pick yours for the local details.
Ontario County
- Canandaigua
- Victor
- Farmington
- Bristol & South Bristol
- Naples
- Gorham
- Hopewell
- Manchester & Shortsville
- Clifton Springs
- Phelps
- Honeoye & Richmond
- East Bloomfield
- West Bloomfield
Finger Lakes
- Geneva
- Penn Yan & Keuka Lake
- Middlesex & Vine Valley
- Rushville & Potter
- Seneca Falls & Waterloo
- Lima & Livonia
Rochester Area
Syracuse Area
Get a quote
Call, or send the form and we'll get back to you — usually the same business day. Tell us the town and what you're trying to do; a photo or two never hurts.
(585) 575-0567Serving Canandaigua, Ontario County, the Finger Lakes, and the Rochester area. Larger Syracuse-area projects by arrangement.