Waukesha Grading


Welcome to Waukesha's home for grading, excavating, and trenching  information.


Waukesha Grading, Excavating, and Landscaping



  Finish grading is the process of clearing and smoothing out land to prepare it for sod, grass seeding, landscape planting, home or land preparation or whatever the next step may be for you. Finish grading is the final grade done to the land. The Finish Grade provides the final shaping and prepares the seed bed or sod base for completion. Before finish grading can begin, the rough grade must be set within 1” of the final grade, and proper drainage established.  This site is your information stop for all things grading near Waukesha.


Whether you are a homeowner looking to hire a grading contractor or a do-it-yourselfer, this site is designed as a resource to residents of Waukesha, WI and the surrounding communities to answer all of your grading, Excavating & landscaping questions.

Landscaping should be a means of creating an environment that enhances a person's lifestyle and enhances the area in which they are actually doing this enhancement, which might encompass many different things from hardscapes to softscapes.

"Hardscaping," or "hardscape" refers to the inanimate (i.e., non-living) elements of a landscape. Hardscaping includes elements made from wood, even though wood was once animate (in the form of trees). Living plants, by contrast, constitute the "softscaping" or "softscape." In particular, as the name implies, "hardscaping" refers to
hard elements such as those composed of concrete, brick or stone, in addition to wood. For instance, constructing a patio or deck is a hardscaping project, as is a brick walkway, a stone wall, or a wooden fence. But hardscaping goes beyond large-scale projects such as these. Any non-living ornamentation in your landscaping is, technically, part of your hardscaping.  Many Waukesha grading contractors perform hardscaping activities in addition to typical grading projects. 

Softscape in a landscape encompasses every tree, flower, shrub, foliage plant, or ground cover that might be included to add beauty, color, or texture. 


Oftentimes, softscape is added to help soften the hard lines of hardscape, so that each element of the landscape design flows smoothly and effortlessly into the other.  It is important for Waukesha homeowners to balance the use of both soft and hardscapes in any landscape design. 

Finish grading is the process of clearing and smoothing out land to prepare it for sod, seed, landscape planting, home or land preparation or whatever the next step may be for you. Finish grading is the final grade done to the land. The Finish Grade provides the final shaping and prepares the seed bed or sod base for completion. Before finish grading can begin, the rough grade must be set within 1” of the final grade, and proper drainage established.


Land grading is reshaping the ground surface to planned grades as determined by engineering survey evaluation and layout. Grading of lots within a subdivision so that the runoff from each one is directed to a stable outlet rather than to an adjacent lot.


The purpose of grading is to provide more suitable topography for buildings, facilities and other land users; to control surface runoff; and to minimize soil erosion and sedimentation both during and after construction. The plan should define areas that must not be disrupted by grading and filling, including staking, marking and fencing required to prevent damage to these areas. These practices are applicable where grading to a planned elevation is necessary and practical for the proposed development of a site and for proper operation of sedimentation-control practices.