How to Grade a Side Yard

Grading your side lawn is important to create a slope so that rainwater and water from sprinklers run away from your house's foundation. Consistent water exposure near the foundation can cause the soil underneath the concrete foundation to soften and weaken, which in turn can cause the foundation to become damaged. Moreover, grading also slopes water away from the street drains, keeping fertilizer from entering nearby bodies of water.

Wood stakes
Rubber mallet
String
Line levels
Landscaping rake
2-by-4 board

Instructions

- 1
  Place two wood stakes in the ground beside the exterior wall of your house. Hammer them into the ground with a rubber mallet.
- 2
  Hammer two more stakes about 10 feet away from the house, parallel to the stakes near the house.
- 3
  Wrap string around each stake, just 5 to 6 inches from the ground, creating two lines running perpendicular to the house.
- 4
  Hang a line level on each string and adjust the two strings as necessary until the strings wrapped around the stakes away from the house are 2 to 3 inches lower to the ground than those next to the house, creating a visible downward slope away from the house.
- 5
  Spread dirt/soil inside the strings on your side yard to match the slope in the strings, using a landscaping rake.
- 6
  Smooth the dirt/soil using a 2-by-4 board like a screed, smoothing from the exterior of the house away from the home to finish.

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