As a film teacher I can safely say someone who knows what they are doing produced, shot and edited this video. Beautiful. On top of that these are the best techniques and instructions I’ve seen for managing a controlled grading of soil. Really great. Thank you.
You made this so ridiculously easy compared to some of these other guys with the leveling rake. Gah! Thank you! This single mom's dreaded project is now gonna be way easier :)
While caring for my mom, then needing a hip replacement, I let my 4,000sq ft backyard get overgrown with the eventual goal of clearing it (1949 home). I'm clearing and prepping it for landscaping with weed cloth, but wanted to know how to level the soil. O'm'gosh, thank you for this concise + simple demo using tools that everyone has!
It’s pretty cool how you go into such detail. So many of the yard repair channels cover so much information in such a compressed amount of time that you don’t really get what they’re saying.
Awesome way to level it out to uniform. One thing you could do is instead of using the two stake, drill a one inch hole in the 2 by 4 and use one stake as the pivot point. Just a thought.
OK, well my husband passed away in 2016 n then I realized that our yard needed leveling. Tired of hurting my knees with the sudden jerk of bumps while mowing the lawn. Thank you so much for this much needed information. Sorry it rained on you.
Of all the things I wish I could afford to pay somebody to do, leveling and grading large areas would be the one thing I would pay somebody to do. I’m prepping a large area for pavers, and it is a BEAST
Awesome way to level the dirt! I would recommend throwing down some gypsum before and after to anyone who is doing something like this. Also, that added soil will go down a lot so you'll have to add more down the line.
First video as you...your straight to the point thanks mister 🥰 for the videoI needed this going to Lowes right now my car made holes in backyard due to rain and getting stuck......... I'm doing this now cost nothing for real
A nice simple way to use easily available items to smooth out an area in the yard for the lawn. Very clever thanks for Sharing Jason. All the best and God Bless. 🙏❤🇺🇸
damn that is a good idea. it’s kind of like spreading icing on a cake or many other similar things, where you just use a long flat edge to guide it all into place. i don’t know why i didn’t think of this.
A Tiller would break that clay sand mixture up, and then you add in the top soil and level and it would produce a great soil mixture base for seedlings. I love the board trick though.
Thank you for this video. I have a large but irregularly shaped area to level and I was confounded by the task. Your method is so simple. I also appreciate the videography and the editing. The shot at the window looking at the rain made this a step beyond the average guy You Tube Video and I thought it was cool that you included a storytelling element!
Love the video!! Quick question - what would I do if the lawn ALREADY has grass? My garden is really uneven and I want to get it sorted for the summer, but the grass is completely fine. It’s just really bumpy
you've probably already finished this project. But 1 solution would be to get a good sharp shovel and cut the grass out in strips roll it out level the ground and then put the grass on after. But realistically grass seed is very cheap it won't hurt to just dig up the grass and start fresh.
This is awesome! I did a 20x24 crushed granite pad this way. made a 24' long wooden "I beam" with a level pad in the middle. Filled with dirt, leveled, vibratory compacted it, then crushed granite, leveled, compacted. Looks awesome. Nice video!
Great video. Do you also use a lawn roller (the drum that fills with water and roll) to compact the top soil down a bit (so that it won't wash away during rain)?
best leveling video i've seen thanks. Do you think soil should be lower than concrete sidewalk or walk way. I find mine is higher and erodes when it rains.
Great guide. I live in an area where the summers are hot and dry and we have a lot of clay. Is this ok to do if I plan on putting grass in later when it’s cooler? Thank you!
Hi thanks for watching! I live in Texas so I understand need to avoid the hot summers. I think the time of year that you do this will depend on the grass that you plan on planting. If you level the soil late in the season, as I did, you should be prepared to plant a cool season grass, so it will establish the fall and hold the soil in place over fall and winter. Since you live in a place where the summers are hot and dry, my assumption is that the end-goal is to establish a grass variety that will survive long term. So, be prepared to kill out the cool season lawn and then install sod or replant the lawn with a permanent stand of warm season grass. Or you could be a crazy person like me, and just let the sun kill out your cool season grass and replant it every year in September 🤣
Understood! Sod installation is my desired goal. Thank you for clarifying this as I live in California, but I understand the summers to be more brutal in your area so I appreciate the confidence boost!😅 Im also planning to use this same type of soil in another area of my yard as a base for a garden bed. 🙏🏽
I have a slopped front yard. Is there away to keep it from run off from rain to get it established? Just recently had a huge oak tree on my HOA side that messed it really up, too.
I really love the pivot application. I was thinking about my own version would be using a threaded rod spike and a nut that can be moved up and down to set the hight you need and maybe the metal pipe add a closed hook to the end that can be slided in the threaded rod and you can get 360 rotation movement, just thinking out loud.. great video man
This is amazing as i am currently leveling out my lawn. My question is what is the definition of leveled soil? Is it when the soil is loosely laid down? When i lay soil down it looks leveled them of course when you step on it in and pack it in a little it will easily not be leveled, pact on a little naturally, but not to hard that seedlings cant grow through it. Then you could easily add a little more soil and repeat that process. So at what point in the soil laying process are you checking for leveled?
Thank you for the great video. When is it necessary to dig up old grass or a weedy lawn before putting down the fresh topsoil? What is the best way to do that? I noticed in your video that your front yard was fairly bare but the back had some patchy grass.
Great question! If your adding lots of topsoil in the fall, (AND you have a warm season grass like me,) it’s usually advised just to simply scalp the grass down to the dirt level and lay the soil directly on top. The reason is because in the fall, temperatures are getting cooler, and the warm season grass is about to go dormant anyway. Dormant grass that gets covered with topsoil will just be smothered away. It will save you a lot of work tilling up the soil and removing the grass. The most common warm season grass includes Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, buffalo grass, and Saint Augustine. If you have any other type of grass, like the kind of grass that stays green in the cold, let me know and I can give you more advice.
I'm at a lost of what to do. My front lawn is exactly like yours... But my Live Oak tree roots stand higher than my driveway. So essentially my grading would look opposite to yours, where the water would drain to the driveway
Do you have to remove the poor soil first? Also if I want to give my mom a whole new lawn, do I have to remove weeds? Or can i simply put 3-4 inches of topsoil down and smother them out?
Just cut the grass down, all the way down to the dirt. Go as Low as you can get your mower. You might have to work your way down and cut off a little bit, the go over it again and cut it down more with every pass. This is a process called scalping. One you remove most of the top growth, you can cover the short little Stubbs of grass and plant some new seed on top. Hope this helps!
Brand new newbie here, and the one piece of information I can't find in any video is, "How do I approximate the quantity of compost/top soil I need to purchase for the size yard I have?" I know a lot would factor into the answer, like square footage and how level it is (currently it's a 480sqft West Texas sandlot personalized with intermittent, break-your-neck-taking-the-trash-out-goddamn-Dachshunds-crafted holes, and it's peppered with sporadic dead crabgrass nuclei), but a general starting place would be so very helpful! I'm a teacher just barely on "this" side of recovering financially post-COVID-19, so my budget is limited, but I need to get a grip of the yard stat, because my three-ring Dachshund and pit bull circus needs bathing every night after playing in the mess back here, and I think they are all getting skin infections from the bad stuff breeding in the dirt. ☹️
480 square feet would take about 2-3 yards if you apply a deepish layer. You could order it from a nursery/landscaping supply, or you could buy it by bag at Home Depot Lowe’s or Walmart. There’s online dirt calculators, and you can Google that and use it to create an estimate of the dirt that you might need. Hope this helps! Be careful with those dachshunds.
Hi there would ordinary screened topsoil work to level a few Dips in an established lawn please. I get mixed up with top dressing which is a lot more expensive
I suggest you invest in a lawn leveling rake which works better than your stakes and 2 x 4. You also need to put some humid acid on your lawn monthly to soften up and enrich your soil.
Yeah I bought some humic to incorporate with the existing soil base before I added topsoil. Unfortunately the humic shipment was delayed and the new soil was delivered on time, so I had to proceed without the humic so I could stay on schedule.
When you have a large area with no established levels a rake is not going to help you. You need to set some levels and scree the soil, his process with pipes is excellent, Ive done this with firring strips of wood staked at certain levels to establish levels for leveling base rock for block walls.
You said after first layer you were gonna wet it lol. Jk. You did a good job. Hopefully husband can level our yard accurately for our pool lol I hate sand so top soil is what we are using. Then in fall.. Plant seeds :)
As a film teacher I can safely say someone who knows what they are doing produced, shot and edited this video. Beautiful. On top of that these are the best techniques and instructions I’ve seen for managing a controlled grading of soil. Really great. Thank you.
Thank you! Quite the complement and it’s very much appreciated!
You made this so ridiculously easy compared to some of these other guys with the leveling rake. Gah! Thank you! This single mom's dreaded project is now gonna be way easier :)
We’re both single moms, keep us updated on progress! I’m waiting for my top soil to be delivered.
How did this work out for you two?
@@housiedooze8889 i’m so curious too
how did this turn out for y’all ?
You should win an award for this simple trick I’m obsessed
While caring for my mom, then needing a hip replacement, I let my 4,000sq ft backyard get overgrown with the eventual goal of clearing it (1949 home). I'm clearing and prepping it for landscaping with weed cloth, but wanted to know how to level the soil. O'm'gosh, thank you for this concise + simple demo using tools that everyone has!
I am trying to level my very dry hard clay covered ground 🥵 by myself, by hand... love this idea.. you saved me a ton of guess work 🙌
It’s really difficult work, but the results are worth it!
Smart man. I just used a tiller on my lawn and now I need to level it out so I came to the right spot
I like the 2x4 leveling idea. Good for normal homeowners !
It’s pretty cool how you go into such detail. So many of the yard repair channels cover so much information in such a compressed amount of time that you don’t really get what they’re saying.
Thanks! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the feedback!
@@jasongarringer12 I hope you get many subs.
I AGREE I was thinking the same thing
Give this man a Bob The Builder Show!!
Your voice is so calming and gentle 😊
Awesome way to level it out to uniform. One thing you could do is instead of using the two stake, drill a one inch hole in the 2 by 4 and use one stake as the pivot point. Just a thought.
I was thinking the same thing.
Genius level brother.
Yup
It will jam when you lift it though. Hole would need to be bigger or stake smaller.
Could also leave it untouched so the 2x4 can be used for something else after.
I felt your dread when that rain came!
Great video....thanks!🎉
Thanks for watching! Yes, I remember feeling worried that some of it would wash away!
Your voice is so soothing! Came here to learn but might also be able to fall asleep too. Thank you!
been looking for an approach like this for months. Much appreciated!
dang bro, your video quality and music is just like a tv show, i love it!
Thanks Russ.
OK, well my husband passed away in 2016 n then I realized that our yard needed leveling. Tired of hurting my knees with the sudden jerk of bumps while mowing the lawn. Thank you so much for this much needed information. Sorry it rained on you.
Thank you for watching. Give it a little time and effort in your lawn will be back in shape in no time!
My goodness. Basically he’s using the strategy of getting concrete level. You are a genius
Great leveling technique with the 4" x 2" ..50/50 mix is perfect, I use the same here in the UK 🇬🇧
I have to add...as soon as I mentioned the UK 🇬🇧 in my comment the heaven's opened with a downpour 🤣
You are a the man!! Im motivated and ready to start my project
Shout out to your editing skills!
Beautiful content I love the way you talk.
Of all the things I wish I could afford to pay somebody to do, leveling and grading large areas would be the one thing I would pay somebody to do. I’m prepping a large area for pavers, and it is a BEAST
Yes. Hopefully you’re not in the same time. Be safe and good luck!
First video I found! Gonna try this with new raised beds on a slope! Will let u know how it goes.
Wow. Best method ever. Simple, accurate and quick! Been struggling with an unleveled yard and today is the day..Thank you.
Excellent! Simple, easy to do and very, very accurate. Thank you!
I’ve been looking for something simple like this. Thank you so much for sharing this technique with us!
Awesome way to level the dirt! I would recommend throwing down some gypsum before and after to anyone who is doing something like this. Also, that added soil will go down a lot so you'll have to add more down the line.
True. Thanks, Cesar. Lawn leveling is definitely NOT a “do-it-once” activity. Over time, tweaking will be required.
First video as you...your straight to the point thanks mister 🥰 for the videoI needed this going to Lowes right now my car made holes in backyard due to rain and getting stuck......... I'm doing this now cost nothing for real
Very well done and video well put together my friend
Thanks!
This is a professional video. Great work.
Hey Jason - GREAT idea using those stakes as pivots.
Thks sooo muchhh gonna really make my hideous yard quite dapper
I like the quality of your videos, and how practical you are! Thanks for sharing. I'll use similar techniques. :D
A nice simple way to use easily available items to smooth out an area in the yard for the lawn. Very clever thanks for Sharing Jason.
All the best and God Bless. 🙏❤🇺🇸
Thanks for watching!
thank you for the ideas, i love it... more videos sir Jason... im from Philippines
damn that is a good idea. it’s kind of like spreading icing on a cake or many other similar things, where you just use a long flat edge to guide it all into place. i don’t know why i didn’t think of this.
I find the extended viewing time of watching you put on your gloves fascinating.
🤣
A Tiller would break that clay sand mixture up, and then you add in the top soil and level and it would produce a great soil mixture base for seedlings.
I love the board trick though.
I’ve honestly never seen someone screed dirt before but this is a good idea if someone can’t see or rake level by eye.
Hot damn...wonder why I didn't think of this :) Great Video!!
Really hard work. You are great
Great video. Clear, calm presentation.
Simply the best video how to level the ground
That dirt prob smelling real nice in the rain. Thanks for the video and thunder
Your voice is so soothing.
Thanks Kiah
Great technique I’ll apply it on my next project thanks
Thank you for this video. I have a large but irregularly shaped area to level and I was confounded by the task. Your method is so simple. I also appreciate the videography and the editing. The shot at the window looking at the rain made this a step beyond the average guy You Tube Video and I thought it was cool that you included a storytelling element!
Thanks! The goal isn’t just to educate but also make it entertaining if possible. Thanks for the appreciation!
@@jasongarringer12what seed did you throw?
You a beast bro. I suck at yard work
Thank you for the video. I'm probably going to do something like this over the weekend
If you want anything done right do it yourself. I like it. Are you a concrete contractor, I have seen these techniques used by them.
I’ve poured a few slabs in my day!
He has a soothing voice...
Super helpful thanks a lot for the technique. Gonna help me a lot when making my patio.
Oh wow. Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Love the video!! Quick question - what would I do if the lawn ALREADY has grass? My garden is really uneven and I want to get it sorted for the summer, but the grass is completely fine. It’s just really bumpy
you've probably already finished this project. But 1 solution would be to get a good sharp shovel and cut the grass out in strips roll it out level the ground and then put the grass on after. But realistically grass seed is very cheap it won't hurt to just dig up the grass and start fresh.
Great job 👏 the last thing you wanna do is fill low spots afterwards thanks for this tip
This guys voice so soothing
Awesome brother....keep it up
Thanks!
This is awesome! I did a 20x24 crushed granite pad this way. made a 24' long wooden "I beam" with a level pad in the middle. Filled with dirt, leveled, vibratory compacted it, then crushed granite, leveled, compacted. Looks awesome. Nice video!
Thanks Steffen! Sounds like your project turned out nice too?
You could put two eye bolts in the end of the 2x4 and just use maybe less stakes...
Great idea. Hey thanks for watching Joe!
Thats clever af😂 thanks dude!
Loved the ending 😂
Cool a lot heavy labor involved 👍
Simple but brilliant idea . I would have been there for hours trying to rake it level and still have waves
This is brilliant idea.
Thanks Sam!
This is a brilliant idea to level.
Genius Method!
Thank you James!
Jason!! You are the man
No!! YOU are the man!! You are doing well I see!!!
Great video. Do you also use a lawn roller (the drum that fills with water and roll) to compact the top soil down a bit (so that it won't wash away during rain)?
best leveling video i've seen thanks. Do you think soil should be lower than concrete sidewalk or walk way. I find mine is higher and erodes when it rains.
Can this be done with pea gravel? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
I suppose it is possible. Seems like it would be too heavy to move around. And hard on the knees (uncomfortable)
Great guide. I live in an area where the summers are hot and dry and we have a lot of clay. Is this ok to do if I plan on putting grass in later when it’s cooler? Thank you!
Hi thanks for watching! I live in Texas so I understand need to avoid the hot summers. I think the time of year that you do this will depend on the grass that you plan on planting. If you level the soil late in the season, as I did, you should be prepared to plant a cool season grass, so it will establish the fall and hold the soil in place over fall and winter. Since you live in a place where the summers are hot and dry, my assumption is that the end-goal is to establish a grass variety that will survive long term. So, be prepared to kill out the cool season lawn and then install sod or replant the lawn with a permanent stand of warm season grass. Or you could be a crazy person like me, and just let the sun kill out your cool season grass and replant it every year in September 🤣
Understood! Sod installation is my desired goal. Thank you for clarifying this as I live in California, but I understand the summers to be more brutal in your area so I appreciate the confidence boost!😅 Im also planning to use this same type of soil in another area of my yard as a base for a garden bed. 🙏🏽
Ok well southern California climates pretty much allow for sod installation year round, with Fall and Spring being the 2 most optimal timings.
What about Northern California with dry summers?
Thank you for the video, now I feel I can do it
I have a slopped front yard. Is there away to keep it from run off from rain to get it established? Just recently had a huge oak tree on my HOA side that messed it really up, too.
Great job!👏
That ground is exactly what I have under my top soil once you down a few inches. It takes a ton of work to break through it all.
They say a liquid aeration can help but I don’t have any experience with it.
@@jasongarringer12 looking into it.
great job
Thanks!
Great content ❤
Cool ideas. You don't feel and need to compact between layers?
nice cart
Gorrilla Cart from Home Depot
I really love the pivot application. I was thinking about my own version would be using a threaded rod spike and a nut that can be moved up and down to set the hight you need and maybe the metal pipe add a closed hook to the end that can be slided in the threaded rod and you can get 360 rotation movement, just thinking out loud.. great video man
This is amazing as i am currently leveling out my lawn. My question is what is the definition of leveled soil? Is it when the soil is loosely laid down? When i lay soil down it looks leveled them of course when you step on it in and pack it in a little it will easily not be leveled, pact on a little naturally, but not to hard that seedlings cant grow through it. Then you could easily add a little more soil and repeat that process. So at what point in the soil laying process are you checking for leveled?
Thank you for the great video. When is it necessary to dig up old grass or a weedy lawn before putting down the fresh topsoil? What is the best way to do that? I noticed in your video that your front yard was fairly bare but the back had some patchy grass.
Great question! If your adding lots of topsoil in the fall, (AND you have a warm season grass like me,) it’s usually advised just to simply scalp the grass down to the dirt level and lay the soil directly on top. The reason is because in the fall, temperatures are getting cooler, and the warm season grass is about to go dormant anyway. Dormant grass that gets covered with topsoil will just be smothered away. It will save you a lot of work tilling up the soil and removing the grass. The most common warm season grass includes Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, buffalo grass, and Saint Augustine. If you have any other type of grass, like the kind of grass that stays green in the cold, let me know and I can give you more advice.
Very smart 👌🏽
I'm at a lost of what to do. My front lawn is exactly like yours... But my Live Oak tree roots stand higher than my driveway. So essentially my grading would look opposite to yours, where the water would drain to the driveway
Great video! Does the climate of the state we are in matter if we put it down in the fall? We are in Illinois
Hi what is the purpose of the water sprinker on the soil?
Thank you for the video
Just to help the soil settle and compress it a little bit.
Thank you! So simple
Do you have a reference to figure out what seed someone who lives in Aledo, TX area would need and when to seed? I have Bermuda grass.
I love your voice
Thanks!
If I had to guess, I’d say you are clearly a paver/block layer at heart
I’ve paved a few driveways in my day!
Do you have to remove the poor soil first? Also if I want to give my mom a whole new lawn, do I have to remove weeds? Or can i simply put 3-4 inches of topsoil down and smother them out?
You know you're going to lose the cul de sac lawn battle when dude brings entire new soil in every year.😅
Can I do this but on top of the grass I already have, to help level it or do I have to dig the grass up?
Just cut the grass down, all the way down to the dirt. Go as Low as you can get your mower. You might have to work your way down and cut off a little bit, the go over it again and cut it down more with every pass. This is a process called scalping. One you remove most of the top growth, you can cover the short little Stubbs of grass and plant some new seed on top. Hope this helps!
Brand new newbie here, and the one piece of information I can't find in any video is, "How do I approximate the quantity of compost/top soil I need to purchase for the size yard I have?" I know a lot would factor into the answer, like square footage and how level it is (currently it's a 480sqft West Texas sandlot personalized with intermittent, break-your-neck-taking-the-trash-out-goddamn-Dachshunds-crafted holes, and it's peppered with sporadic dead crabgrass nuclei), but a general starting place would be so very helpful! I'm a teacher just barely on "this" side of recovering financially post-COVID-19, so my budget is limited, but I need to get a grip of the yard stat, because my three-ring Dachshund and pit bull circus needs bathing every night after playing in the mess back here, and I think they are all getting skin infections from the bad stuff breeding in the dirt. ☹️
480 square feet would take about 2-3 yards if you apply a deepish layer. You could order it from a nursery/landscaping supply, or you could buy it by bag at Home Depot Lowe’s or Walmart. There’s online dirt calculators, and you can Google that and use it to create an estimate of the dirt that you might need. Hope this helps! Be careful with those dachshunds.
Hi there would ordinary screened topsoil work to level a few Dips in an established lawn please. I get mixed up with top dressing which is a lot more expensive
Regular topsoil would be fine for some a few dips.
Damned weather!!!
I suggest you invest in a lawn leveling rake which works better than your stakes and 2 x 4. You also need to put some humid acid on your lawn monthly to soften up and enrich your soil.
Yeah I bought some humic to incorporate with the existing soil base before I added topsoil. Unfortunately the humic shipment was delayed and the new soil was delivered on time, so I had to proceed without the humic so I could stay on schedule.
When you have a large area with no established levels a rake is not going to help you. You need to set some levels and scree the soil, his process with pipes is excellent, Ive done this with firring strips of wood staked at certain levels to establish levels for leveling base rock for block walls.
Well said @scottstewart
Bro best video
Thanks!
GOOD JOB MAN YOU ARE HOME MAN I GIVE UN YOU CALIFICATTION 100I WILL SEE YOU SOON
Brilliant wow 😳👍
You said after first layer you were gonna wet it lol. Jk. You did a good job. Hopefully husband can level our yard accurately for our pool lol I hate sand so top soil is what we are using. Then in fall.. Plant seeds :)