Is your backyard filled with dips and hills or does it slope severely to one side?  This can affect many things that you may want to do, including landscaping and installing pools.  The good news is that there are companies out there that will level your backyard for you, creating a perfectly flat surface that is ready for anything. Read on for more.

What is Backyard Levelling?

Backyard levelling is simply the process of taking a backyard that is full of hills and valleys or that slopes significantly and making it level so that you can easily carry out landscaping or fix problems caused by unlevel ground such as topsoil erosion or flooding.  Generally, levelling is done using a process known as “cutting and filling”.  The cutting part is where soil is taken away from higher areas and filling is where soil is added to lower areas.

The Process of Levelling a Backyard

Levelling a backyard is a process that is best done by a professional earthmoving or excavation company.  They will first visit your backyard to see what the slope is like and what work needs to be done.  They will then provide a quote, and upon acceptance, begin the work.  Machines such as bobcats and excavators are used to help level the ground quickly.

The professional will begin by using the machinery to excavate the higher areas.  The soil from these areas is generally moved to the lower areas to be used as fill.  If there is excess soil from the levelling, they will remove it for you but this will come at an additional cost.  If the soil from the higher areas is not enough to fill the lower areas so that the backyard is level, additional fill material or topsoil will need to be brought in and, again, this will be at an additional cost.  The ideal situation is to not need additional fill material but this is not always possible.  It really does depend on the condition of the backyard before levelling occurs.

The cost of levelling your backyard will depend on a few factors.  First is the size of the yard – obviously the larger your backyard, the longer it will take and the more it will be.  Cost also depends on the severity of the slope, if materials need to be brought in or removed, and how easily the backyard can be accessed (difficult access poses problems with what machinery can be brought in).

Hiring a Backyard Levelling Professional

When hiring a backyard levelling professional, there are a few things to look out for. Firstly, make sure that they keep their machines in excellent, well maintained condition.  They should also be fully licensed and insured and happy to produce copies of documentation to prove this.  The quote that they give should be detailed and include all labour, equipment costs, and the cost of removing/adding materials as required.