Yard Grading & Drainage in Calgary & Chestermere

Yard grading is re-cutting the slope of the ground so water runs away from the house — at least 4% fall for the first 1.2 m out from the foundation and at least 2% (roughly 2 cm per metre) across the lawn, the City of Calgary lot-grading minimums. Grading is the part of landscaping nobody sees and everybody's yard needs. If water sits in your yard, runs toward the house, or your basement window wells fill up, the grade is wrong — and no amount of new sod on top of it will hold. Installation workmanship — grading, seams, edging, drainage and hardscape — is warranted for one year from completion; sod and plant survival aren’t, because they depend on watering after we leave.

Updated October 23, 2026

Signs your grade is the problem

• Puddles or standing water that last a day or more after rain
• A soggy strip along the fence line or beside the deck
• Water tracking toward the foundation or flooding into window wells after rain
• Downspouts dumping right next to the house
• Ground that's visibly higher at the fence than at the house

What we do

We shoot the yard with a laser level to see where the water is going, then re-cut the grade with the Bobcat so it falls away from the house to the City of Calgary lot-grading standard: at least 4% within 1.2 m of the foundation, and at least 2% (about 2 cm per metre) across the lawn.

We correct low spots with screened soil, extend downspouts underground where needed, and cut swales — shallow, graded channels — to move surface water to a safe outlet.

Where the yard is landlocked — nowhere for water to go — we install a French drain or a catch basin tied to a proper outlet. That's a separate, deeper job, quoted as its own line: most French drains on their own run $2,500–$7,000.

We own the equipment

Grading needs a machine, and Local Lawns runs its own Bobcat MT100, a dump trailer and an enclosed trailer — so grading is part of the same crew, the same day, no markup for a sub. The MT100 is a track loader that fits through a standard 3 ft (36 in) gate.

Why builder grading fails within a few years

New-build lots in Calgary and Chestermere are graded once, at rough-grade, to a spec that gets the developer's inspection passed — not to a standard that lasts.

Sod settles, sprinkler trenching disturbs the slope, and topsoil compacts unevenly under the original sod. Two or three seasons in, the yard that seemed to drain fine at possession is holding water at the fence line or tracking toward the foundation.

That's not damage you caused — it's the original grade settling into its real shape, and it's the single most common reason we get called to a yard that's only a few years old.

How much does yard grading cost in Calgary?

A standalone yard grading job from Local Lawns in Calgary or Chestermere typically runs $2,000–$4,000 for a residential back yard; adding a French drain or trucking in significant soil moves it up. The bottom of that range is our standalone minimum, so a smaller regrade on its own is usually bundled with re-sodding the area.

Ballpark — every job is fixed-quoted in writing after an on-site measure. All prices and ranges are before GST.

Job	Typical total
Regrade a problem area (a corner, a strip)	~$2,000 minimum — usually bundled with re-sodding
Regrade a full residential back yard	$2,000–$4,000
Regrade + import/export significant soil	$3,000–$6,000
Regrade + French drain	$4,000–$10,000

Grading is usually quoted inside a larger sod replacement or drainage project rather than on its own — the machine is already on site, so the dirt work is close to at-cost. What drives grading cost →

Back yard and under-deck work: what the homeowner said

“Highly recommend! Great team and excellent workmanship. We're extremely happy with our backyard and the under-deck work. Reasonably priced, punctual, great communication, and a smooth billing process throughout. Thank you, Harman and team!”

Local Lawns grades and sods around and under a deck, and augers deck and fence post holes — the deck structure itself is a separate trade. Excavation and skid-steer work →

Yard grading and drainage: common questions

Can you regrade without redoing my whole lawn?

If it's one area, yes — we cut that section, regrade and re-sod the patch. If the whole yard runs the wrong way, it's a full replacement — a sod redo in Calgary or a sod replacement in Chestermere. We'll be straight with you about which.

What slope should my yard have?

At least 4% away from the foundation for the first 1.2 m (a 4.8 cm drop), then at least 2% across grassed and landscaped areas — those are the City of Calgary's lot-grading minimums, and they're what keep water out of your basement.

Who fixes window well and weeping tile problems?

Local Lawns fixes the surface side — grade, downspouts, swales, French drains. If your weeping tile or foundation is the problem, that's a job for a basement/foundation specialist and we'll tell you.

Can yard grading be done in fall in Calgary?

Yes. In Calgary, grading and drainage run later into the year than sod — we do dirt work until the ground freezes hard. New work is booked for spring 2027, measured and quoted now. For every service except fence, the quoted price holds for a spring install and there’s no deposit until spring; a quote written from December holds once you approve it, unless the scope or material costs change. If your yard is under snow, we quote from property plans, satellite measurements and photos, and confirm the measure on site once the snow melts. For 2026 we’re booked out for fall.

My yard is new-build — shouldn't the grade already be right?

Often not for long. Builder lots are rough-graded fast over fill that keeps settling, and sod installation and irrigation trenching disturb the slope again, which is why even a 2–3 year old Calgary lot commonly needs a touch-up regrade. If your home is newer, check first whether the grade has been signed off: the City of Calgary has the builder submit an As Constructed Grade Certificate within 12 months of Permission to Occupy, and asks property owners not to landscape until grades are confirmed — your builder can tell you where yours stands.

My neighbour's yard drains onto mine — whose job is it to fix?

Yours, in practice. The City of Calgary requires every homeowner to maintain positive lot drainage on their own property for the life of the property, but it doesn't mediate drainage disputes between neighbours — that's a conversation between the two of you, or Calgary Mediating Services if you can't resolve it directly, with 311 as the route for an actual bylaw violation. We can regrade your side to shed the water regardless of who's at fault, which is often the faster fix.

Who marks my sprinkler lines before you regrade?

We call Utility Safety Partners (formerly Alberta One-Call) for public utilities before any digging. Private lines — irrigation, low-voltage lighting, invisible dog fence, septic — are yours to mark or point out, and we cut the grade around them. See contract terms.