How to Grade and Prepare for Sod

Put on work gloves and walk over the soil to locate any bricks, sticks, large rocks and other large debris. Collect these items and throw them in the trash.

Walk around the yard and locate any clearly visible depressions. Fill these depressions with topsoil until they are level with the surrounding surface.

Walk to the side of the house or the top of the installation area farthest from the road. Begin raking the soil, using a heavy-duty rake. As you rake, move areas of higher soil around until they're level. Work in small areas along the top of the installation area.

Move downward along the installation area and continue the raking process, sloping the soil down toward the road as you do so.

Loosen the soil to a 2-inch depth, using a tiller. Push the tiller in side-to-side rows across the soil to avoid shifting the soil up- or downhill.

Spread 2 to 4 inches of compost over the area. Next, fill a fertilizer spreader with a starter fertilizer, using the amount specified on the package for your size of lawn space. Push the spreader over the soil to distribute the fertilizer evenly.

Set the blade depth on the tiller to at least 6 inches, and push it over the soil again to mix in the compost and fertilizer.

Rerake the soil to grade it until it is smooth. Test the slope by placing a tape measure or a ruler against a sidewalk, retaining wall or the soil next to the lawn. The soil should slope 2 to 3 inches every 10 feet for proper drainage.

Place a lawn roller at the side of the area, and roll it back and forth to compact the soil until the surface is completely smooth. Proceed with the sod installation.