Grading that sets the site up correctly
Grading determines how a site drains, how the building sits, and how much work the next trades have to do. In Southern Arizona it also determines what happens to your property during a monsoon storm. G & J Excavating grades residential lots, building pads and commercial sites to plan elevations, with positive drainage away from structures.
Grading services
- Rough grading to bring a site close to design grade after clearing and excavation, establishing the general shape and drainage of the lot.
- Finish grading to final elevations and tolerances ahead of concrete, landscaping or paving.
- Pad preparation for homes and commercial buildings, including compacted fill placed in lifts and pads certified where required.
- Drainage grading to create swales, positive slope away from foundations, and flow paths that direct stormwater to approved outlets.
- Lot grading for new construction, additions and re-grading of existing lots with drainage problems.
- Commercial and residential grading from single lots to multi-acre sites.
Drainage matters here
Tucson-area lots can go from bone dry to moving a lot of water in minutes. Grading plans in Pima County and the incorporated towns typically require that stormwater leave the site the way it did before development or be routed to an approved point. We grade to those plans and, on residential projects without an engineered plan, work with the owner or builder to set sensible slopes away from the house and toward a safe outlet.
Working from your plans
For permitted work we grade from the civil or grading plan and the surveyor’s staking. For smaller residential work we can set grades from existing benchmarks and the owner’s goals for the lot. Either way you get a written scope up front that says what is being graded, to what elevations, and what is included in compaction and finish.
Grading is usually the last step of site preparation and follows excavation. It also pairs with drainage and earthwork when a site needs basins, channels or berms.
