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Dirt work and grading

Ground moved to where it needs to be and left at the level it was supposed to end at — cut and fill, regrading, driveways, drainage and trenching, across Jefferson and St. Louis County.

What this actually involves

Dirt work and grading, in plain terms

Almost every job on this list starts as a different complaint. Somebody calls about a driveway that keeps washing out, or a shed that sits in a puddle, or a back corner of the yard that has been soft since the spring. Underneath all three is the same question: what is the ground doing with the water that lands on it, and is the surface sitting at the height it is supposed to be.

Grading is the answer to both. A surface gets cut where it is high and filled where it is low, and then the whole thing gets set to a fall — a deliberate, gentle slope that sends water somewhere you chose instead of somewhere it found. Where a fall is not enough on its own, that becomes a swale, a ditch, or a rock-lined run. Where a trench is needed for a line or a footing, the same machine digs it.

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The interior of a large timber-framed riding arena, its sand footing freshly graded level with machine tracks still running down the length of it

What is included

The list

  • Cut, fill and final grade
  • Yard levelling and regrading
  • Driveway repair and re-grading
  • Drainage runs, swales and ditch work
  • Arena, paddock and pad footing
  • Trench digging

When people call about this

Reasons this ends up on the list

  • Water standing in the same spot for days after rain
  • A driveway that rills, washes or grows potholes every spring
  • Ground that falls towards the house rather than away from it
  • A shed, slab or pad that needs a level base before it can go in
  • A ditch or swale that has silted up and stopped carrying
  • An arena, paddock or parking area that has gone uneven underfoot

How it goes

From the walk-through to the finished ground

STEP 01

Walk it first

Bryer comes out and walks the ground with you — where the water starts, where it currently ends up, and where it can legitimately go. That walk is the estimate, and it is free.

STEP 02

Strip and cut

Topsoil comes off and gets stockpiled rather than buried, high ground gets cut, and the spoil either goes into the low ground or goes on a trailer.

STEP 03

Set the fall

The surface is brought to a deliberate slope, not merely to flat. Flat is what people ask for; fall is what actually keeps water off a building.

STEP 04

Finish and clear

Topsoil back where it belongs, the cut edges left stable, and the debris hauled off. A job that ends in a pile is half a job.

Questions

Dirt Work and Grading: common questions

What is the difference between grading and levelling?
Levelling makes a surface flat. Grading sets it to a chosen slope. Almost nothing outdoors should actually be flat — a yard, a drive or a pad with no fall has nowhere to send water, so it keeps it. When somebody asks for a level yard, what they usually want is a yard that drains, and that is a grade.
Can you fix a driveway that keeps washing out?
Usually, and usually the washing is a symptom. A drive erodes because water is running down it instead of across and off it, so the fix is re-shaping the surface and giving the water an exit — a crown, a fall to one side, a cut-off or a ditch — before any new rock goes down. New rock on the old shape washes out on the same schedule.
Do you dig trenches?
Yes — trench digging is one of the two services verified on our own Yelp listing. Anything buried has to be located first: call 811 before a machine goes in the ground, every time, on any property in Missouri. It is free and it is the difference between a trench and an incident.
Will you have to drive a machine across my lawn?
Almost certainly, because that is the only way a machine reaches most back yards. It is worth talking about on the walk-through — which route, what it will look like afterwards, and whether the ground is too wet that week to do it without leaving ruts. Ground work is weather-bound and a wet week moves everybody’s schedule.
Ask Us Anything

The other five

Most jobs turn out to be two of these

Usually the thing you called about, plus the drainage problem underneath it. All five are run by the same owner with the same machines, so they happen in one visit rather than three.

Drainage & Ditch Work

Surface regrading, swales and rock-lined runs, ditch cleaning and reshaping, French drains, downspout runs, culverts and trench digging.

See drainage and ditch work

Hardscaping

Rock and gravel placement, drainage runs, rip-rap, retaining and boulder walls, regraded banks, gravel drives and erosion control.

See hardscaping

Site Prep

Topsoil strip and stockpile, cut to grade, subgrade compaction, base rock, building and shed pads, driveway and parking bases.

See site prep

Demolition

Sheds, outbuildings and garages, decks, fences and porches, concrete slabs and old driveways, pool removal and backfill, interior tear-outs, haul-away and final grade.

See demolition

Land Clearing

Brush and scrub clearing, small timber and tree removal, fence line and property line clearing, overgrown lot reclamation, stump and root removal, debris hauled off site.

See land clearing

Where we work: Hillsboro · Arnold · Festus · Imperial · Fenton · De Soto · Pevely · High Ridge · Oakville · Mehlville · Sunset Hills · Kirkwood · Valley Park · Affton — and the rest of Jefferson County and St. Louis County. See the full service area.

Dirt Work and Grading in Jefferson or St. Louis County?

Tell us the address and what the ground is doing. Bryer comes out, walks it with you and gives you a number — free, and with nothing attached to it. Repeat customers get 10% off.

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