Cost to Level a Yard in San Francisco

Yard leveling costs in San Francisco average $3,204, and most projects cost somewhere between $1,357 and $5,358. The size of the area you want leveled and how intense the slope is within that space will affect your costs more than anything else. San Francisco has a high cost of living, and the hills make leveling projects bigger than most, so you’ll pay about 1.5 times the national average cost.

Yard Leveling Cost Factors

Leveling a yard in San Francisco, California, can cost as little as $1,000, while some projects total as much as $12,000. To get an accurate estimate for your total, be sure to consider all of the following factors.

Size

You can expect to pay between $1 and $3 per square foot of land you need to regrade in San Francisco. Most landscapers charge primarily based on the square footage they work with, so this will largely determine your costs.

Homeowners looking to level their entire yard will find it easier to estimate the cost using acreage. The average property size in San Francisco is roughly 0.064 acres, and leveling a plot of this size would cost between $2,800 and $8,400.

Type of Project

The part of the outdoor space you’re regrading and why plays a big role in calculating the final cost to level your yard. Check out these common regrading projects to get a better idea of what your project will cost.

Severity of Slope

The slope of your existing lawn will help dictate the overall price tag for this project. If you have a very steep slope on one side of your yard that you need to level, that will cost you more than a slight slope. Contractors typically charge based on the elevation change; the more significant the change, the bigger the price tag.

San Francisco is well known for its hilly landscape, with properties virtually built into the sides of steep slopes. As a result, many releveling projects will involve flattening large slopes. This is one key reason why yard releveling projects are about 1.5 times as expensive as the national average.

Land Clearing

Consider the cost of clearing your land before you can have your professional level it. Land clearing costs can range from $100 up to $1,000 or more, depending on the scope of the project. You can ask your land grading pro if they need you to carry out any clearing before they begin.

Removing minimal brush or minor debris will sit closer to the lower end of the range, while removing trees can push into the thousands. Only around 14% of the City of San Francisco is covered by tree canopy, so it’s unlikely you’ll need to budget more than a few hundred dollars for this service.

Land Surveying

Another common add-on service homeowners in San Francisco need is a land survey, which costs between $800 and $5,500. A survey can be helpful for establishing property lines if you’re leveling your land to install a fence around the border, and it can also show you where underground utility lines are located to avoid rupturing them.

Most homes have buried water, sewer, and gas lines, and since excavating is common in hilly San Francisco to achieve the desired yard slope, the risk of hitting a buried line is higher without a survey.

Fill and Topsoil

Fill dirt is a rocky material that’s ideal for packing in pockets during a regrade. It costs between $5 and $30 per cubic yard. How much you need depends on whether you’re excavating or moving soil to level the slope, the scope and size of the project, and what’s available to relocate from elsewhere in your yard.

Topsoil goes down over the fill dirt. You’ll pay between $12 and $55 per cubic yard. Topsoil costs more than fill dirt because it’s full of nutrients to help nurture a lush landscape.

Yard Leveling Pro Costs

San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country to live in, with a cost of living nearly 90% higher than the national average. Labor accounts for between 90% and 95% of your total when you hire a pro to regrade your yard, which means labor costs fall between $2,900 and $3,100. This is far more than you’d pay for labor in most other cities.

However, hiring a professional landscaping company in San Francisco is still worth it. A pro can ensure a perfectly flat yard to maximize usability while still allowing for good drainage and avoiding erosion in your yard and issues with underground utility lines. Regrading is also back-breaking work, so hiring a pro can reduce the risk of injury.

The City of San Francisco doesn’t require permits for yard leveling, but you may need a permit for other landscaping projects you’re planning after the regrading is done. You’ll need permits for things like installing patios, decks, driveways, and fences.

Does Leveling a Yard Increase Home Value?

Yard leveling is more likely to increase your home value in San Francisco than in most other cities because it’s hillier than most, and slopes leading to a lack of utility are more common. If you flatten an unusable yard to make it more enjoyable, you’ll almost certainly see a boost in property value. If you’re flattening your land to add a landscaping feature, like a patio or driveway, these can also add to your curb appeal and home value.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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