Our Services

Grading

Serving Bethesda, Rockville and nearby Montgomery County, MD.

What we do

Establishing correct fall away from the house and structures
Reshaping low spots that collect and hold water
Swales that carry runoff safely across the property

Planning and pricing

When you are trying to establish your landscape the first thing to evaluate is the ground it all sits on, because that is one of the essential elements that decides success or failure in the lawn and garden. A little spot work is one thing and a full regrade that sorts out the slope and the drainage together is quite another, so the ranges below are a starting point and not a quote.

Small tracked machine grading bare ground beside a house

When you are trying to establish your landscape, one of the first things to evaluate is the ground it all sits on. This will be one of the essential elements that determines success or failure in your lawn and garden, and it is a living thing which will have a huge impact on your landscape. Different pieces of ground have different properties, and these will have a big impact on how the soil responds to external influences such as water, which is really what grading comes down to, shaping the land so the water ends up going where it should instead of where it should not.

Remember to make sure the drainage issues are addressed as you undertake any project, because no plant can survive in a puddle, and standing water sitting up against a foundation is trouble you do not want either. Having a professional like Nature’s Friends take a look and advise you on what your ground needs would be helpful, and adding back a good soil mixture to the areas which were disturbed will also ensure more success once the grading work is done.

Leveling and Shaping the Ground

Where the ground has gone lumpy and uneven, we smooth it back out and shape it into a level space you can actually use, whether that is for a lawn, a garden, a patio, or an outdoor living area. A sloped yard is not so much a problem as it is an opportunity, it can often be worked and terraced into something a good deal more usable, and better looking, than it started out.

Drainage and Erosion

Remember that the drainage has to be addressed as part of any of this, because no plant can survive in a puddle, and standing water up against a foundation is trouble you do not want. We grade the land so the water runs off and away from the house and the landscape instead of collecting on them. On the slopes especially, proper grading holds the soil in place and keeps it from washing away, so you are not losing ground every time we get a hard rain.

Why Have Us Do It

Water will have a huge impact on your landscape, so just about everything we do is done with the slope and the runoff in mind from the very start. We have the equipment to grade a property smoothly and accurately without tearing up the rest of it in the process, and whether it is a small patch out back or a whole lot that needs reshaping, you get the same dependable work and a result that lasts.

Where will the water go?

Before moving soil, work out where the runoff begins and where it can safely end up. A low spot may call for regrading, a drain or a combination; a drainage assessment helps separate those options. Larger land-disturbance projects may need county review under the county permit overview, while Rockville has a separate process. The scope and property address determine which check applies.

Gallery and visual examples

Front yard (illustrative)

Illustrative image; not a documented project.

Ready to get started?

Get a Quote

Why grade is everything

Different pieces of ground have different properties, and these will have a big impact on how the ground responds to external influences such as water. If it slopes back toward the house, or sits flat where it ought to fall away, the water has nowhere sensible to go, and grading is simply how we set it up to send that water where it belongs.

What grading work covers

Establishing correct fall away from the house and structures
Reshaping low spots that collect and hold water
Swales that carry runoff safely across the property
Rough and finish grading ahead of sod, seed or hardscape
Slope correction paired with retaining walls where the drop calls for it

Grading and drainage go together

Of course we would all like a level, well-drained yard but that is very often not the case, so we need to learn to work with what is present and give the water a better path across it. On some properties the grade is the whole fix and on others it pairs with a drain, and we look at the picture first so you are not paying for a French drain you never needed. Permit and sediment-control requirements depend on the amount of soil disturbed, the kind of project, and whether the property is inside a municipality such as Rockville.

2026 Pricing Guide

Grading — What It Costs

2026 ranges for finished grading work in our area. The size of the area and how much soil has to move are the main drivers.

Service Level	Typical 2026 Range	What's Involved
Spot & surface grading	$1,500 – $4,000	Fixing a problem area or prepping a bed
Full-yard regrade + slope correction	$5,000 – $18,000	Reshaping the property to drain properly
New-construction rough grade	Custom quote	Site-wide grading to plan and elevation

Bringing in or hauling out fill soil is priced separately and can be a meaningful part of a big regrade.

Ranges are informational 2026 estimates for professionally installed work in the Bethesda & Montgomery County area. Every project is different — contact us for a free, itemized quote.

Good to Know