Get matched with top rototilling pros in Dos Palos, CA

Yes, it’s always a good idea to fertilize your lawn before a major leveling project. This step gives your grass the nutrients necessary for healthy growth, helping it recover and replenish itself faster. However, you should do this at least three weeks in advance, as the leveling process can disturb the newly-applied fertilizer.

While some areas may allow for a slope of up to 20%, this is often the maximum slope for driveways, with a few exceptions of up to 25%. Other regions may have a maximum of 12%, 15%, or 18%, so check with your local building department to ensure you’re laying a driveway that is up to code for your location.

Yes, you can rent a rototiller for around $60 per day and do the work yourself, but it’s not recommended. Tilling is more of an art than a science, as tilling too deep can be detrimental to your soil structure and the organic matter that is beneficial to plants and shrubs, and tilling too shallow won’t properly introduce fertilizer or break up the soil for rooting plants. Additionally, tillers are powerful machines with sharp blades to cut through small roots and soil, so they are inherently dangerous to use. It’s usually worth it to hire a professional rototiller.

Yard grading is a key component of proper drainage because runoff naturally moves with respect to gravity. If you have low spots in your yard, rain and snowmelt will settle there and oversaturate the soil, promoting root rot and fungal growth. If the low spots are near your home’s foundation, you could even end up with foundation leaks or structural damage due to poor yard grading.