Fix 03 · Slopes
A yard that runs downhill
Water on a slope picks up speed. It carries mulch, seed and soil to the lowest place, and sometimes to your door.
On a slope the goal is to slow the water and spread it out, then give it a path to leave. We look at how much comes from above you, where it crosses the yard, and what has already washed out.
What it looks like
Mulch and soil washed onto a patio or walk
Gullies in the lawn or along a fence
Steps and beds undercut after a hard rain
What is usually behind it
What a slope does to a yard
Water speeds up
The steeper the ground, the more soil it carries away.
Water from above
A neighbor's roof or driveway can send water across your lot.
Bare ground
Where grass or plants are thin, the rain cuts channels.
What we would build
How we slow it down
We use shape and stone first, walls only where the ground needs them.
Swale
A shallow, grassed channel across the slope that catches runoff and leads it to the side.
Dry creek bed
A channel of river rock for water that moves fast, with plants along the edges.
Terraces and low walls
Level steps that hold soil and let water soak in. Tall walls need an engineer, and we say so.
Regrading
Reshape the ground so water crosses the yard instead of running down it.
What decides the cost
What moves the price on a slope
Steep ground costs more because everything is slower.
Steepness and access
A mini excavator cannot work every slope, and hand work costs more.
Stone and wall height
Stone, block and the base under a wall are most of the materials.
How much water comes from above
More water needs a bigger channel.
Planting and stabilizing
Seed, sod, mats and plants to hold the ground once we are done.
Questions we hear
Do slopes need a permit?
Small regrading and low walls often do not. Larger earthwork, steep slopes, work near streams or on lots that disturb a certain area of ground can. The rules vary by town and county, and we check.
How tall a wall can you build?
We build low walls. A tall wall, or one that holds back a driveway or a building, needs an engineer, and we tell you before we draw it.
Will plants hold the slope?
Over time, yes, with the right ones. Until they root, we use stone, mats or sod, and explain how to water them.
A slope that washes out?
Send a photo from the top and one from the bottom. We will tell you what we would look at.