Grading that sends the water the right way

Rough grading and fine grading

Grading is shaping the ground to a set height and slope. It comes in two passes:

Rough grading moves the bulk of the dirt: cutting high spots, filling low ones, cutting a pad into a slope or bringing a lot up to height. This is machine work with the track loader and the mini excavator.

Fine grading sets the final surface within an inch or so of where it needs to be, so a patio base, sod, turf or concrete forms sit right. This is slower, closer work.

Between the two, the ground is packed. Loose fill settles over time, so it is laid in layers, watered and compacted. The photo at the top of this page shows a pad being shaped with a sprinkler keeping the soil damp, which helps it pack and keeps the dust down.

Getting water away from the house

Most grading jobs start with water. When the ground slopes toward a house, rain soaks in next to the foundation, runs under doors and collects in low spots. Setting the slope so water runs away from the walls, toward a swale, a drain or the street, fixes most of it.

Bare dirt on a slope washes out fast in a winter storm. Grading done in the dry months, with the slopes planted, covered or drained before the rain, holds up best.

Grading permits in Ventura County

Moving enough dirt needs a permit. Ventura County’s guidelines for homeowners say a grading permit from the Public Works Agency is needed when earth moving goes over 50 cubic yards, or a cut or fill is deeper than 3 feet, and a soils report may also be required (Ventura County guidelines).

The county’s grading plan checklist says a registered civil engineer must prepare the plan when the cut or fill goes over 500 cubic yards, or when drainage structures or geologic issues are involved (Ventura County grading plan checklist). Inside a city, the city’s public works or building department sets its own rules.

We tell you up front if a job looks like it crosses those lines, so the permit is in place before the machine shows up. Before any cut, 811 gets called so buried lines are marked (DigAlert).