Yard drainage fixes
Standing water and soggy spots are slope problems. The ground should fall away from your foundation about a quarter-inch per foot, and low spots need a swale route out. We reshape the yard so water leaves on its own.
Laser-checked building pads, yard leveling, and drainage grading. Dirt work measured to the inch, not eyeballed.
Drainage grading has a measurable standard: ground should fall away from your foundation about a quarter inch per foot, a 2% slope, for the first six to ten feet. We grade to that number and verify it by instrument, because a yard that looks flat to the eye can still hold water. Upstate red clay raises the stakes. Our Cecil-series subsoil is nearly impermeable once compacted, so the surface has to move the water — the ground won’t absorb it.
The other half of quality grading is what’s underneath. Fill dumped in one thick layer settles as it wets and dries, cracking the slab or patio above it a year or three later. We place fill in thin lifts and compact every one with dedicated equipment. And we won’t work red clay wet: pushing mud to hit a schedule smears the clay into a crust that causes drainage problems for good.
Heavy brush to whole wooded lots. Cleared, hauled, and left build-ready.
Learn more →Laser-checked levels and slopes that drain the way they should.
Pads, trenches, and site prep dug right the first time.
A proper base and a real crown, so the driveway survives Carolina rain.
Farm and fishing ponds with a compacted-clay dam that holds water.
Overgrown fields, pastures, and vacant lots cut back to usable ground.
Downed trees, limbs, and debris cleared out, and the ground repaired behind them.
Laser on site, existing falls measured. We find where the water actually goes before we move dirt.
Organics stripped, fill placed in thin lifts, each lift compacted. No loose fill, no future settling.
Falls away from the foundation at the 2% standard; swales carry water to a proper outlet.
Grades re-checked by instrument; bare clay stabilized so it doesn’t wash before grass takes hold.
Standing water and soggy spots are slope problems. The ground should fall away from your foundation about a quarter-inch per foot, and low spots need a swale route out. We reshape the yard so water leaves on its own.
Bare Piedmont clay gullies fast once water gets organized. We rebuild washed-out slopes and ditches, re-route the water that caused the damage, and stabilize the ground with seed and matting so the repair holds through the next storm.
After construction or clearing, we finish-grade the yard, respread the stockpiled topsoil, and leave a smooth, positive-draining surface ready for seed or sod. No buried debris, no low spots that pond.
Standing water after rain, soggy spots that never dry, or water running toward your foundation are the classic signs. Grading reshapes the slope so water moves away from the house and off the usable parts of your yard.
We set a rotary laser level on the site and check grades against it as we work, instead of eyeballing the slope. It’s how building pads come out flat and drainage swales actually carry water where they should.
Yes. Pads are cut, filled, and compacted in lifts with a roller, then checked with the laser. A pad that isn’t compacted properly settles later, and everything on top settles with it.
Usually, yes. Most residential drainage problems are slope problems: water with nowhere to go. Regrading, swales, and crowning solve what French drains often just hide.
The rule of thumb: the ground should fall away from the foundation about a quarter-inch per foot for the first six to ten feet. If your yard holds water against the house, regrading restores that fall.
Custom Cut Land Works
Based on 6 Google reviews
Chris Graham
October 2026
Excellent experience from start to finish! They were quick to respond, got the job done in a timely manner, and were professional throughout the entire process.… Read more
Greg Brescia
October 2026
Outcome was great! Brian has done multiple jobs for us with the best results! Highly recommend
Adele Secoy
October 2026
Brian is brilliant. He is punctual and carries out his work with such professionalism. We had trees cut and a little grading. His prices were very competitive… Read more
Brad Dumpling
September 2026
We hired Brian to redo our 950-foot gravel driveway and clear about an acre behind the house. He did a great job. Brian was the only one who looked at the real… Read more
Katie Coleman
September 2026
I had a great experience with Custom Cut Landworks! Brian was professional, reliable, and did an excellent job from start to finish. He brought in the necessary… Read more
Kelsey Kissner
September 2026
I hired Brian to remove about 6000 sq ft of fully mature two-story tall bamboo from my backyard. From start to finish he was great: friendly, professional, expl… Read more
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