Grading & Slope Work in Pittsburgh, PA

Grading and slope work turns sloped or uneven ground into something usable: a flatter backyard, a pad for a garage or addition, a driveway that does not wash out, or a yard that sheds water away from the house. Around Pittsburgh almost every lot slopes somewhere. The goal is a finished grade that works for you without making the hill less stable than it was.

What the USGS learned about local slopes

The U.S. Geological Survey's study of landslides in the greater Pittsburgh region found that slopes of 25 percent or steeper cover roughly a quarter of Allegheny County, and that people speed up sliding by overloading slopes, excavating at their base and altering drainage. It also noted that fill failures are common in the urban parts of the county. Those findings translate into rules we follow on every grading job: do not pile new fill on the crest of a slope without a plan, do not cut deeply into the toe without support, and do not concentrate water on a hillside.

Building pads and level areas

A level area on a slope comes from cutting the high side, filling the low side, or both. Fill placed on a slope has to be keyed and benched into firm ground and compacted in thin lifts. Otherwise it slides on the old surface. Where the grade change is more than a few feet, a retaining wall is often the right answer, and taller walls need an engineered design. We do the excavation and backfill for walls and work with the builder or engineer on drainage behind them.

Regrading for drainage

Many wet basements in the region start with grading that has settled toward the foundation over the decades. We restore a fall away from the house, cut swales to carry water around it, and connect the grade to downspout lines or drains. On hillside lots, the uphill side of the house usually needs the most attention.

Moving soil on site versus hauling

Balancing cut and fill on the same lot is far cheaper than trucking soil. HomeAdvisor lists cut-and-fill at $1 to $12 per cubic yard and dirt removal at $8 to $25. On steep sites, though, there may be nowhere safe to put extra fill, and hauling is the better choice. We tell you which and why.

Permits

The city and many suburbs regulate grading above certain sizes or on steep slopes, and Allegheny County's conservation district reviews erosion plans for larger disturbances. We check what applies to your property before work starts.