# Reduce the grade/slope of yard



## klsmith259 (Oct 6, 2020)

I would like to get opinions on whether it is worth bringing in topsoil/sand to help reduce the grade/slope (guessing 30-45% at the far right) of the yard. I know some of the slope has eroded away over the years since the tree roots are starting to be exposed but i'm not sure how much I can reduce the grade. The middle of the right side seems to dip drastically then slope with less grade.

The other question is if I do bring in topsoil/sand about how much would I need and assuming it's on a slope it would need to compacted quite a bit to help with run off?

The intention would be to level the yard and also reduce the grade then lay sod (bermuda) instead of the KBG that is in the yard currently in the spring. I plan on reel mowing the bermuda. I would rent a mini skid steer and necessary attachments to make the project easier and less laborious.

Let me know if more pictures are needed or with something for scale/size to help understand the grade.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Are you planning on keeping the rock river bed in the middle of the lawn? I'm assuming it's there for drainage from the neighbors property so you would need to keep something there to keep the water flowing.

I don't think you really need more soil but remove the soil from the top of the hill and grade it out more gradually towards the house and then you would need to add a retaining wall where you removed the soil. You would also need to find a way to move the drainage ditch too as it would need to come closer to the house to give you more room to grade the hill out. I don't think there is any perfect solution as a lot of compromises will have to be done. You will also want to make sure that the lawn is grades away from the house too.

A mini skid steer and a harley rake could get the job done in a day or two most likely.

This is just a couple of ideas off the top of my head of what I would do if it was my lawn. Now is the perfect time to start making a plan and start running ideas through your head as I am sure the project will change over time. I just redid my lawn last Fall/Winter/Spring and I planned pretty good but got behind a little bit due to all the rain we had last year so I was limited to when I could do things plus equipment wasn't always available. Come Spring time a lot of the equipment you will need will be rented out to Landscape companies doing the something you are wanting to do so plan accordingly would be my best advice and call and reserve equipment weeks in advance if you can.

Remember the 7 P's
Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.


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## klsmith259 (Oct 6, 2020)

Thanks @Mightyquinn. I am planning on keeping the river bed in the middle. There is a lot of run off from the house behind and the hill. The entire river bed fills up at times. On the left side I also have the drain from my neighbors downspout and mine from the left side of the house.

As for the retaining wall and removing the the soil from the top I never thought about removing from the top. I have thought about a complete retaining wall along the back and then stepped up from the sides to match the slope, but this isn't our "forever home".

I'm definitely in the planning stage and would like to aim for a solution that makes the slope a bit easier to mow and mow it low. As for the grade from the house I will definitely grade it towards the river bed. There isn't a lot of grading to do except for filling in a few dips and leveling the lawn. My plan would be to bring in a mix of 70/30 or 60/40 sand/topsoil to fill in and level and then lay sod.

My other option is leveling and keeping the KBG SPF30 (heat/drought tolerant) but I want to cut it low and I think it will be more of a challenge than what it's worth during the summer (lots of water). The reason it looks so bad at the moment is at the end of the season I started to cut it lower and I was out of town and the rain and higher temps led to a lot of fungus.


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## Jagermeister (May 18, 2021)

@klsmith259 have you thought about installing a yard drain from your neighbors yard and maybe a french drain to collect any water using a swale? I would think that would be better than have a rock bed right through the middle of the yard and you could easily bury this while you are doing a major regrade. You could also run yard drains for you downspouts and tie these together and on to the outlet.

I have some major drainage issues in my back yard and am planning to do some water management projects in late winter.


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## klsmith259 (Oct 6, 2020)

The neighbors on the back hill and my downspouts tie into the river bed currently. The river bed is essentially the swale and it is sloped to the neighbor to the right. There is an enormous amount of water when it rains. I'm not sure my wife would let me remove the river bed/rocks.

I'm up for the idea/suggestion if you could post a few pictures of what you are referring to. I'm having a hard time visualizing how it would be much different except with the river rocks removed.


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## Jagermeister (May 18, 2021)

klsmith259 said:


> The neighbors on the back hill and my downspouts tie into the river bed currently. The river bed is essentially the swale and it is sloped to the neighbor to the right. There is an enormous amount of water when it rains. I'm not sure my wife would let me remove the river bed/rocks.
> 
> I'm up for the idea/suggestion if you could post a few pictures of what you are referring to. I'm having a hard time visualizing how it would be much different except with the river rocks removed.


You can move a lot of water through yard drains and french drains. If there is too much water, you can use larger pipes or more pipes. Maybe watch the French Drain Man on You Tube. A bit too much marketing but he has a lot of good points. The benefit would be a full, smooth yard.


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## robbybobby (May 15, 2017)

Given the river bed isn't moving, I would give the property some dimension and build a retraining wall immediately behind the river bed (think just in front of the tree). Lose the grass up top in favor of a few trees or just shrubbery. Could provide some privacy from the neighbors behind. Realistically the grass you're looking to gain back isn't worth the squeeze in my opinion.


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## klsmith259 (Oct 6, 2020)

I don't disagree @robbybobby. We aren't sure if we will be in this house for more than a year from now due to my parents health. Otherwise, I would be on board and install a retaining wall and flatten the majority of the yard. I will in the short term try to lessen the slope some to make it a bit more manageable. The right side is worse than the left. I do appreciate everyone's thoughts and suggestions.


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