Land grading involves more than bringing in the right equipment and people for the job. If you're paying a land grading contractor to work on a project, there are several things you'll want to do ahead of their arrival. Customers should tackle these four problems before the contractor starts the job.
Surveying
You need to know where everything is relative to the surrounding property lines to avoid creating potential problems with neighbors. Likewise, you should develop a sense of the topography of the land so you can determine how to deal with potential concerns like run-off, ecological regulations, placement of structures, and landscaping. As a matter of safety, you should also have a surveyor mark the locations of underground lines. This will make life easier and safer for a land grading contractor.
Clearance
Land grading is a process that comes toward the end of preparing a location for construction, infrastructure, renovation, and landscaping projects. It is important to clear the land before a grading company comes in. This means clearing out major problems, such as large rocks, trees and stumps, old foundations, and junk. The less a contractor has to evade the big stuff, the more likely you'll get a smooth and ideally-graded surface.
Soil Amendment
Taking big objects out of the ground can severely affect soil stability. Also, there may be preexisting problems with the soil, especially if it has an issue like unusually high clay content. You may need to amend the soil to ensure that the land grading process will go as smoothly as possible. Otherwise, the process could compound problems rather than solve them. For example, you might end up with highly compacted soil that triggers more run-off.
Assessment
You will also want to thoroughly assess the needs of the property. This includes determining what the existing problems are and how you might solve them using land grading. Many parties bring in civil engineers to determine how the land will respond to grading.
Ultimately, you will need to present the land grading contractor with the math for the project. They will need to know how much of a grade the location requires. This can vary depending on the spot. For example, the future site of a parking lot may need a slight grade to encourage rain and water to drain.
Remember that the time before land grading is an excellent opportunity to cost-effectively solve problems that will otherwise be nightmares to fix years down the road. Conduct a thorough assessment before starting grading work.
