The short answer
Small residential re-slopes start from about $1,500 when the dirt is already on the lot, access is workable, and the job is a finish grade. Commercial pads are quoted by the acre with the topo and the haul written down.
A grading price that ignores moisture and trucking is a partial price. Clay that has to be dried, fill that has to be imported, and spoil that has to leave are the rest of the bill.
What moves the number
Access comes first. A side yard in New Orleans, a gated lot in Mandeville, and an open commercial pad do not take the same machine. The wrong machine is a second mobilization.
Moisture is next. River-terrace clay around Baton Rouge and shrink-swell soils in Lafayette need lifts watched. Coastal sand and shell near Gulfport, Biloxi, and the bay towns move faster until you hit the water table or a buried slab.
Haul is the third. Balanced dirt on site is cheaper than dirt that comes in or goes out. Tickets should be visible.
- Finish grade only, using dirt on site.
- Import or export, ticketed.
- Compaction and a proof roll where a slab or drive is coming.
- Swales and falls that match the plan or the falls we wrote down with you.
Yard, driveway, and pad
A yard re-slope is the small end. A driveway rebuild adds demo or coordination with the concrete crew, and the grade has to hit the street or the apron. A building pad adds tolerance, inspection holds, and usually more haul.
We do not quote a magic raise from a driveway photo. If a flood elevation or a civil sheet controls the pad, that number is in the scope before fill is ordered.
How to read two grading bids
Look for haul, import, compaction, and what done means. The low bid often assumes dry ground, no trucks, and a smooth look. The bid you can build on names the falls and the handoff.
Ask when work can start. Most of our jobs start within 7 to 14 days after the quote is accepted, if the ground will hold a machine.