Grading, Drainage & Land Shaping Across Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay Siteworks shapes lots to drain correctly — preventing pooling, basement leaks and washouts with positive fall, swales, berms and foundation drainage, built for the region\u2019s soils and freeze-thaw.
Most water problems on a property — a wet basement, a pooling yard, a washing-out driveway, a soggy septic bed — trace back to grading. Water goes where the ground sends it, and a lot has to be shaped deliberately to send it away from the build, not toward it. Grading is the least visible site work and one of the most consequential, because getting it wrong shows up every spring.
Georgian Bay Siteworks grades and drains lots across the region with our own equipment, shaping the land to a plan that accounts for the soil, the slope and where the water has to end up.
Why “level” is not the goal
A yard graded dead flat holds water; a yard graded with deliberate positive fall and swales moves it. Across Georgian Bay the soils vary — sand that drains fast but erodes, clay that sheds rather than absorbs, escarpment slope that moves water quickly downhill — and the grading plan has to match the ground.
What grading and drainage work includes
Lot grading & shaping
Establishing positive fall away from the home and across the lot to a drainage plan, not just smoothing the surface.
Swales, berms & contours
Building the channels and ridges that carry water where it should go, sized so they move water without eroding.
Foundation drainage
Grading the immediate perimeter so water sheds away from the foundation, protecting against seepage.
Material supply
Supplying and placing topsoil, fill and granular as the grade requires, and hauling out the excess.
Common problems we fix
- Water pooling in the yard — a low spot or wrong slope; re-grading and a swale fix it.
- A wet or seeping basement — ground sloping toward the foundation; perimeter re-grading redirects it.
- A washing-out driveway or slope — water concentrating where it erodes; controlled swales and fall move it safely.
- A soggy septic bed — surface water draining onto the bed; grading diverts it so the system works.
Part of the bigger picture
Grading ties into the driveway, the foundation, the septic and the cleared lot — which is why it works best as part of the same crew handling the site. See our excavation and site prep, and budget the full path with the lot development cost calculator.
Water problems on your lot? Let us look at the grade.
Georgian Bay Siteworks grades and drains lots across Georgian Bay and Simcoe County — positive fall, swales and foundation drainage to a plan, with any conservation review handled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Water pools in my yard — can you fix it?
Usually yes. Pooling is almost always a low spot or a slope running the wrong way. We re-grade for positive fall and add swales to carry it off.
Can grading fix a wet basement?
Often it is a major part of the fix — re-grading the perimeter so the ground sheds water away from the foundation frequently resolves seepage.
Do I need conservation approval to grade?
On regulated lots near water or slope, grading can need NVCA review where a conservation authority applies, or review by the MNRF and municipality in north Simcoe, which has no conservation authority. We check and handle it.
What is a swale and do I need one?
A shallow shaped channel that carries water along a controlled path. On many lots a swale or two is what moves water off the property instead of pooling.
Do you supply topsoil and fill?
Yes — supplied and placed as the grade requires, with excess hauled out.
Can you grade around an existing house?
Yes — re-grading an established lot to fix drainage is common work.
How is grading different from leveling?
Leveling makes ground flat (which often worsens drainage); grading shapes it to a plan with deliberate fall away from the home.
How do I get a quote?
Book a site walk — we look at where water collects and where it needs to go, and quote on the actual conditions.