Yard grading in St. Clair Shores, MI and across Metro Detroit: Give the rain somewhere else to go.

Yes. HD Landscape does yard grading in St. Clair Shores, its home base, and across Metro Detroit. Soil maps here show mostly poorly drained ground on slopes of 0 to 2 percent, so a small mistake in a slope shows up as a puddle.

Yard grading is reshaping the surface of your yard so water runs away from the house instead of sitting in low spots. HD Landscape cuts high spots, fills low ones and smooths the ground, usually right before sod, beds or stone go in.

University of Minnesota Extension says at least 1 inch per foot for at least 6 feet from the foundation. Across the lawn, University of Illinois Extension says 1 to 2 feet of drop per 100 feet, which is a 1 to 2 percent slope. Your lot decides what is possible, and a walk of the yard with Jake settles it.

Watch it after a hard rain. Water that stands for more than a day or two, soil that slopes toward the house, soggy spots and mud washing onto the walk are all signs. Still not sure? Text a photo of the wet spot to (586) 718-8762 and ask Jake.

Leveling smooths out bumps and dips. Grading sets the slope, so the surface falls in the right direction. A yard needs both, because it can be perfectly smooth and still drain toward the house.

It can help, and it is the right place to start. Handle surface water with downspouts and grade before paying for any drainage system below ground, because those fixes may solve the problem. If water still comes through a crack or up through the floor, a waterproofing contractor is the next call. A sewer backup is a different problem: the heavy rains of July and August 2016 overwhelmed the combined sewers in St. Clair Shores and caused hundreds of basement backups, and no grade stops that.

For a shallow dip, sometimes. The usual mistake is a thick layer dropped on old grass, which buries a dead mat and leaves a soft spot. Sod wants an even base with no dips under it, so the better way is to take off the old turf first and tamp the fill as it goes in. That keeps the spot from sinking again.

Any time the ground is workable and not soaked, from spring through fall. Digging and driving on wet clay compacts it, so after a long rain it may have to dry first. If sod is going on top, early fall is a nice fit, because cooler weather means less watering.

It can. Michigan says a soil erosion permit is generally required for earth work that disturbs an acre or more, or that sits within 500 feet of a lake or stream. St. Clair Shores runs its own soil erosion program, so the question goes to the city, not the county, and it should go before the first shovel.

Many lawns are finished in a day, depending on the grade. Bigger yards and jobs with a lot of soil to move take longer. One customer had his yard gutted, leveled and finished with new sod, pea gravel and plants in a single day. Jake can give you the timing once he has seen the ground.

No. We do not install sprinkler systems. If you already have one, show us the lines and heads before we start, because grading moves soil right where they sit.

We do not print prices, because a few loads of fill in one low corner and a front yard cut down for new sod are very different jobs. The size of the yard, how much soil has to move and what goes on top set the number. The estimate is free, and it comes itemized so you can go through it line by line.