What Will a Grading Plan Include?
What Topics Should I Expect to be Included in a Grading Plan?
If you're in need of a grading plan, you likely are looking for an understanding and proposal to help shape the land prior to new construction of a home, business, warehouse, or even an entire neighborhood. Examining the existing conditions, water drainage patterns, and the potential for how new development will affect the area are all elements that get examined before a project can kick off. Without this planning, the risk level of a new structure could be higher than needed, not to mention adverse effects that could be created for nearby residents and structures as a result of lack of planning.
When a client orders a grading plan from Far & Wide Land Surveying for a project in Central California, we will provide a detailed document that outlines the essential elements to prepare a piece of land for construction. To make sure you know what to expect, below we list out what a typical grading plan will include. We focus our efforts on Fresno, Merced, Madera, Hanford, and Tulare, but for the right project we can travel beyond these cities. Call us to talk about your project and we'd be happy to shed light on ways that we can help and services we might able to assist with.
Topographic Survey
While we perform these types of surveys for many reasons, a topo survey is one of the foundations of a grading plan. It provides a visual representation of the land’s current elevations, contours, and slopes. This allows developers and planners to easily see inclines across the land, providing an overhead two-dimensional way to examine the natural terrain and how it needs to be modified.
Existing and Proposed Structures
As expected, the location of current buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, along with new structures will be mapped out as part of the plan which helps everyone understand what changes will occur post-grading, what drainage patterns need to be created or edited, and how the land will be built to safely accommodate all of this.
Proposed Elevations
A new grading plan not only captures current conditions but looks into the future of the project to see what impacts new structures will bring. To do this, we need to show how the land’s elevation will change after grading. It details where the ground will be cut or filled (lowered or raised respectively) to create a level surface for construction of a new building.
Erosion Control Measures
Methods for preventing soil erosion during and after construction are included, such as silt fences, wattles, or temporary basins to capture runoff. If the area will be a populated one, the source of erosion will more likely be water than wind. Making sure plants and vegetation are used once the construction is done and landscaping begins will also help to provide roots that work to keep soil in place. For huge areas, this can be done with hydroseed for faster results than individual planting, but even during construction, sediment and mud must be considered as they could have a negative impact any water body that takes in the runoff from a project or new development.
Drainage Patterns
A land development project has failed in certain major aspects if water is immediately pooling in large amounts or spilling into a nearby property. Grading plans need to include drainage plans that outlines how water will flow across the property post-construction. Details included in this section might involve identifying swales (a natural ditch that helps guide water from a high area to a low area or storm drain), slopes, and other features to direct runoff safely away from structures and into appropriate drainage areas.
Retaining Wall Locations
If your project requires retaining walls to stabilize slopes and hold back soil, the grading plan will show where they will be built, their specifications, and dimensions. As you probably see by now, many of these pieces are closely intertwined. A retaining wall may be another element that works similar to erosion mitigation. To make sure the walls do their job and hold up over time, what type of soil is on site needs to be understood as well as how much pressure will be exerted by the dirt and if heavy vehicle traffic will play a part in any of these elements. Again, drainage must be planned for and considerations needs to be taken about how the site could change during extreme dry spells and overly saturated rainy seasons.
Cut and Fill Volumes
This portion of the plan provides precise calculations of how much earth will need to be removed or added to achieve all proposed grades on a site. In optimal conditions, the process will excavate land and move it to another area of the project will it will fill lower sections to level them out. By moving the soil within a site, it helps to save on costs and time of trucking it in from elsewhere and reduces the effort of relocating or disposing of the excavated material.
Building Pads and Slopes
The locations of building pads or level areas of land that are prepared to support future structures are marked. These sections must be able to support the weight and ensure stability of any new building. Surrounding slopes or angles of the land are required to disperse runoff and create proper drainage to protect new building foundations from damage while making sure now issues arise from soil instability.
Utility Lines
Most plans indicate existing or proposed locations of underground utilities, like water, sewer, and stormwater systems, to avoid conflicts during construction. Depending on the project, the proximity to existing city lines involves an understanding of where utilities will connect to the site. Like almost all of these items, careful planning can help avoid costly mistakes and headaches among various trades that don't always communicate with each other once construction commences.
Compliance with Local Codes
This is another area, where you can benefit from our local expertise, rather than hiring an outside firm that may need to play catch up. All builders must adhere to local zoning and environmental regulations, including setback requirements, maximum slope guidelines, and any stormwater management requirements specific to that region of California. Our history in Fresno and surrounding counties will allow all of the above processes to be examined and carried out efficiently.
In Central California, where soil conditions, seasonal rain, and drainage challenges present issues that are different that other areas of the United States, grading and drainage plans may consider factors like soil stability, flood zone designations, and stormwater retention needs. This ensures that the land is properly prepared to meet both the regulatory demands and environmental conditions of the region. Every geographical area has nuances that require special attention. Our focus is on projects in the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Basin, so that we understand these conditions and are able to thoroughly answer our client's questions and plan for their projects at an expert level.
