Hi everyone,
I know I can’t get a definite answer here, but I’m hoping to get some opinions on the cost and feasibility of leveling out my lawn (picture attached). Is it possible to make it completely level without needing a retaining wall?
If a retaining wall is necessary, could it be placed toward the back near the fence line instead of elsewhere? I’d appreciate any thoughts or advice from those who’ve tackled something similar. TYiA 
Level like smooth it out or bring in like 10 feet of fill? That would be a lot of fill and your neighbors might not want a mountain dropped there.
Rin said:
Level like smooth it out or bring in like 10 feet of fill? That would be a lot of fill and your neighbors might not want a mountain dropped there.
Basically just make the lawn all even. Maybe instead of adding more, I could have the upper portion dug out to be level with the lower portion.
I’ve been looking up info and have no idea what’s possible or not.
So before Reddit crucifies me, I know I need to go to a specialist for this, but I came here for a little insight beforehand.
@Koa
If you want to level this, you’re either gonna need to spend 100k+ or you’d better know how to operate an excavator and lay block (and still spend 10k+).
Your best bet would be to place a retaining wall like halfway back and do a terraced design, one flat upper and one flat lower plateau. Use some of the dirt you dig out from the lower to fill in the upper, get a few truckloads of dirt to finish leveling the upper. Depending on your area and personal capabilities, you’re probably looking at 10-50k.
@Taylor
Thanks for the info. Definitely good to know. Sounds like a retaining wall would be my best option.
@Taylor
This is a good idea, saves a ton of money and you can do some pretty awesome terraced landscape designs.
Rin said:
Level like smooth it out or bring in like 10 feet of fill? That would be a lot of fill and your neighbors might not want a mountain dropped there.
Neighbors are pretty far back on the other side of that fence also.
We had our backyard leveled and it looks like it was about a similar size. We had a few trees removed, lots of dirt removed, a really nice retaining wall installed, reseeding the whole lawn, and then a bunch of new trees and plants landscaped on top of the retaining wall. It cost $25k total. The wall is a big part of the cost but I’m glad I went that way. It allowed them to really fine tune drainage and slope, and they installed a weeping drain or whatever under the wall.
It was worth it for us, so that our yard was flat enough our kids could play in it!
@Jesse
25k is definitely reasonable. Thanks for the info. If you have any before and after pictures that you wouldn’t mind sharing, please DM.
Koa said:
@Jesse
25k is definitely reasonable. Thanks for the info. If you have any before and after pictures that you wouldn’t mind sharing, please DM.
If you’re going to the expense, consider installing a walkout for your basement if you get the ground low enough. Definitely more cost as the decks likely need new foundations then, but a walkout could be very nice.
@Mai
Sounds good, I’ll look into that as well.
@Jesse
DM before and after pics to me too pls, curious to see.
@Jesse
Holy shit, 25K? I’m very jealous. I’ve gotten 3 different quotes now to level a small part of my yard and they all wanted at least 35K. The area is significantly smaller than OP’s yard, and much more flat already too.
Don’t do it. This will be an abomination of nature as my old civil engineering professor called it. I recommend saving the money and use a community recreation center. Or you can use this $100k+ towards your next dream house.
In theory you could get away without a retaining wall if you graded your yard properly at the back and sides, but this would significantly reduce the usable size of your yard.
If you want the same size yard, you’ll need a hefty retaining wall at the back and sides. For context, I had a retaining wall built along my driveway, about 5ft high and 55ft long. Job included excavation and backfill of the driveway and rough refinishing of the asphalt, and installation of the retaining wall and we were just over $24k CAD. This was for a structural (not pretty) wall.
Considering the topology, your retaining wall would need to be at least 6-8’ tall and it looks like it would need to be 100’ of span. Add the backfill and leveling, and some landscaping/drainage, you’ll probably be between $75k-$100k. If you want it to look nice (pretty stonework, shrubbery, fencing, etc.), tack on another $30k-$50k.
Seeing some of your replies to other comments, it seems like you could get away with leveling just one portion of the yard, rather than trying to level the entire thing.
@Uma
Yeah it looks like I’d just need to go with doing a portion for sure.
Do you mean level as in bring the grade up so there is no longer a slope? If so, that’s a massive project. I can’t speak to price because it’s going to vary wildly depending on where you are in the world, but this is no small project. It’s most likely possible but not sure it’s practical.
@Linden
Ok, I understand. Thanks for the input!
My backyard is on a similar slope as yours and we found an awesome company that worked on a couple of our neighbors’ yards. He built us a 30’x30’ play pad for a playground by digging into the hill and then building a retaining wall toward the back. We saved a little by using railroad ties instead of stone for the retaining wall. All in it was $7500 and that included playground mulch.
Long story short, this is doable depending on your goals and budget.
@Murphy
Wow you just have me hope! Thanks so much. All the other comments had me feeling like I was asking for the impossible or a $100k project.
I appreciate it!
