How to Grade an Existing Lawn

Take measurements of your lawn's grading, beginning around important structures on a property, such as a house. Place a 10-foot board so it sits perpendicular with the structure's foundation. Place a level on top of the board and lift the end of the board until the board sits even. Measure from the end of the board to the ground to determine the slope away from the structure.

Remove the sod in the location where you want to grade the existing lawn. Cut the sod out of the ground with a sod cutter or chop down into the top layer of the lawn with the tip of a shovel to create a rectangular cut in the lawn and slide the shovel beneath the cut sod to remove it.

Add soil or fill dirt to the location that you want to grade to get the proper slope. Start at the highest point of the ground that you want to grade, such as next to the foundation, and pile the soil or dirt to the height that you want. Continue adding soil or dirt out away from the structure to create a steady downward grade that leads away from the foundation.

Recheck the grade by placing the board back in place against the foundation. Lift the board so it sits level and measure down from the end of the board to the ground to make sure you have created the grade that you want.

Replace the sod on the lawn. If you have removed the sod carefully, creating solid rectangular pieces, you can likely reuse the same sod that you removed from the lawn. Lay the sod pieces back over the newly graded ground and roll over the pieces with a lawn roller to ensure a firm fit with the ground.