When most property owners envision landscaping, they think this means a few colorful flowers and plants create the perfect contrast for their property’s exteriors. Residential and commercial landscaping is nonetheless more than plants and a few design elements that work together to create exceptional outdoors. The first step in all landscaping projects is grading. This process ensures the ground for your landscaping elements is level or comfortable to use as a foundation.
This process calls for a grader that you can hire from suppliers along with other machines to ensure the landscape will be leveled and perfect for the exteriors you want to create. The hand tools and other procedures used in the past generally left you with uneven ground and made your landscape look less-than-perfect even with outstanding landscaping elements. Do not assume that all it takes to get level ground for your landscaping is driving a grader through it. The following are some of the details involved in the grading of land before the installation of your landscaping components.
Designing and Removing the Topsoil
Landscaping will start with the drawing of a design for your elements. The design will comprise measurements of the property along with the way the grading will be done to ensure the land’s topography will fit into your desired design. Some of the plans involved in land grading include the addition of aesthetically pleasing lines, enhancement of soil stability for the installation of landscaping structures, and improvement to the land’s drainage. Once you have the design, the topsoil is removed using a bulldozer and piled for re-installation after the grading. This topsoil will generate a few centimeters of healthy soil for the cultivation of your plants.
Soil Excavation
Some installations in your landscape, such as swimming pools and water fountains, might call for different levels of excavation. While some forms of excavation can be handled using manual tools, you will need an excavator to do the job quickly and perfectly in most cases. There are different types of excavators in the construction sector, and the ideal one for your property largely depends on its size.
Rough Grading
This denotes the procedure of moving large tracts of dirt to shape your land’s foundation. You might, for instance, need to cut into a hill so that you add a new driveway. In rough grading, you can also set foundations for drainage systems, large swales, terraces, and slopes. If need be, irrigation systems will be added after the rough grading.
Backfilling and Finish Grading
After the land’s manipulation to your desired design, it is time to put the soil back where you dug it from. Backfilling can be handled by excavators, trenchers, and bulldozers. The soil will then be compacted using compactors of different sizes to level the land and make the soil strong enough to support landscaping structures. Finish grading leaves your property ready for the installation of your desired landscaping elements.
Without the above steps, the landscape you dream of will remain just that; a dream. While you want to minimize your costs, do not cut back on the expense of hiring the best machines. Provided you get them from the right company, you are assured of an exceptional landscape.
