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If you live in a newer home, your property was likely graded properly during the construction. However, if you purchased a home with a history of owners, you could be dealing with someone else’s landscaping mess. And you might not realize it’s a mess until you get water in your basement and your lawn turns into a swamp when it rains. You may not immediately connect these issues with the grading, but in many cases they are related. To help you understand when and why you might need Maryland grading services, here are a few examples of what grading does for your property.

Establish Adequate Drainage

Grading is the process of changing the level of the ground in your yard, whether it’s to make it flat or create a slope, a swale or some other low or high point. Grading essentially shapes your landscape. Most modern-day building codes require all new constructions to have a slope of at least 6 inches for the 10-feet radius around your home’s foundation. This helps direct any roof water runoff away from your basement and make sure it stays dry. The bigger the slope, the better yard drainage you get.

While your home could have been built with a proper slope, years of DIY landscaping and erosion could have leveled it out. If you have a particularly flat lot, it might be challenging to establish adequate grading, since there are no natural landscape features that can help you. On the other hand, living on a hillside also poses some grading problems, as you can’t possibly level the entire hill, and water will always be coming toward your home. However, a grading and paving specialist may help you figure out a solution even if the situation seems hopeless.

Prolong the Life of Your Driveway

Driveways should also be graded properly before the installation. A driveway should be pitched away from the home’s foundation to make sure it’s not contributing to flooding. Avoid an entirely flat driveway that allows for water to pool. Because both asphalt and concrete are porous, standing water can ruin your driveway very fast by causing cracks and holes, especially in asphalt.

At the same time, a driveway has to be stable and more or less level, because a driveway built on bumpy ground will deteriorate fast under uneven pressure of the car traffic. Think of it as installing tile on an uneven sub-floor. While asphalt is more flexible than tile, it still needs a solid sub-grade to help stabilize its structure.

Add Function to the Landscape

Grading is a great way to add both function and style to your property. As you grade the soil to slope away from the foundation, you are also creating a traffic pattern. Sloping areas encourage following the slope that may lead to flat entertainment areas. If your lot and house location calls for steep grading, use it to add stairs or terraces for easier access. Reinforcing the grading with retaining walls or stonework will not only increase the stability of the land, but will also improve the aesthetics and curb appeal of your property.

Do you think your property could use regrading? Call 1855-Got-Paving today and we’ll be happy to help you with advice or Maryland grading service.