Get matched with top rototilling pros in Allison, IA

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.

Fixing a depression in your lawn is a DIY for small dips, divots, or slight slopes. You can either remove sod and earth to lower the uneven ground or add premixed topsoil and reseed the lawn to raise it. You can also hire a yard grading company near you for professional help.

An aboveground pool should be level within 1 inch—and it starts to become unsafe after a couple of inches. Any slope will lead to an uneven distribution of water, which will put pressure on your pool’s structure, wearing down the pool liner. In certain cases, it could cause your pool to collapse. Even if you’re within a safe window, you may still notice that the water level is uneven.

The average cost to have rototilling done on your property is around $250, and most homeowners pay between $100 and $350. The total for your rototilling project will depend on the area you need tilled, the quality of the soil, how many roots and shrubs are in the area, and the accessibility of the area. Anything that increases the time to till your soil—like hard clay soil, small entrances to the area that require the use of smaller tools, and roots running through the ground—will all increase your costs.