Contouring is shaping the ground on purpose. A berm that blocks road noise, a swale that carries water past the house, terraces that turn a steep foothills lot into usable yard. We build those landforms from your idea or your landscape designer's plan, and we make sure water has somewhere to go.
Landscape Contouring in Boise and the Foothills
Flat yards are easy to mow and a little dull. Contouring adds shape, and on most lots that shape also has a job: hide a road, catch runoff, hold back a hillside or give a garden some depth.
We shape ground for homeowners and landscape designers in Boise, Eagle, Star, Middleton, Meridian and Kuna. If you just need a flat yard brought to grade for sod, our grading for landscaping page is a better fit.
Berms
A berm is a mound of soil built up above the surrounding yard. Around the valley, the most common reason for one is privacy. Lots that back up to Chinden, Eagle Road or a busy county road get a berm planted with evergreens to block headlights and take the edge off traffic noise.
Good berms are wider than most people picture. The sides need a gentle slope to look natural, hold their shape and be mowable, so even a 3-foot berm can take 15 to 20 feet of yard. We build the core from compacted fill so it doesn't slump, cap it with topsoil for planting, and taper the ends so they fade into the yard.
A berm also changes where water goes. Build one across a natural drainage path and you've built a dam. We look at how water moves across the lot before we pick the spot. Watering matters too. Spray heads on a berm's sides tend to run water straight off the slope, so many people put berms on drip and plant them with shrubs and trees instead of grass.
Swales and Low Spots
A swale is a shallow, wide channel, usually grassed, that moves water across a yard without anyone noticing it's there. It's one of the cheapest drainage fixes there is. A swale along a side yard carries roof and sprinkler runoff to the street. One at the bottom of a slope catches water before it reaches the house.
Sometimes the right move is a low spot on purpose, a shallow basin or rain garden where water collects and soaks in well away from the foundation. For bigger water problems, see drainage excavation.
Terraces on Sloped and Foothills Lots
Steep lots in the Boise foothills and parts of Eagle often come with a backyard that's mostly hill. Terracing cuts that slope into level steps held up by retaining walls or rock, and each step becomes usable space for a patio, a garden or a play area.
Foothills soil is often decomposed granite, which digs easily but washes out fast when it's bare. Terraces need drainage behind the walls and a plan for where water goes as it comes off each level. Larger cuts and fills on hillside lots can need a grading permit from the city or county, so we check that before any dirt moves.
Dry Creek Beds
A dry creek bed is a rock-lined channel that looks like a streambed and works like a drain. It sits dry most of the year and carries water from downspouts or a low corner during a storm or snowmelt. We dig and shape the channel with steady fall, line it with fabric to keep weeds down, and place the rock, or leave the rock work to your landscaper. A creek bed can also tie into a water feature. See ponds and waterscapes. Rock size makes a difference. River rock in a few sizes, with larger boulders along the edges, looks more natural and stays put better in a hard storm than a channel lined with one size.
What Shapes the Cost of Contouring
On most contouring jobs, the biggest cost is dirt. A long privacy berm uses far more soil than people expect, so we look for places on the lot it can come from, like a swale, a rain garden or a terrace cut. If the site can't supply it, fill has to be trucked in, plus topsoil for the cap. Rock for creek beds, retaining walls on terraces, and tight access through a side yard all add to the price.
Working From a Landscape Designer's Plan
Many contouring jobs start with a plan from a landscape designer showing berm heights, swale lines and spot elevations. We stake it out, check those elevations against what's actually on the ground, and flag anything that would send water toward the house or the neighbor before we start. If the plan needs a change, we'd rather call the designer than guess.
No plan yet is fine too. On simpler jobs we can walk the yard with you, mark the shapes with paint and talk through how water will move once it's built.
Rules to Check First in Treasure Valley Yards
- HOAs in Eagle, Star and Meridian often want berms and grade changes approved before work starts.
- Irrigation ditches usually belong to an irrigation district or ditch company with an easement. Don't build a berm in a ditch easement without their OK.
- Neighbors. Contouring can't push your runoff onto the next lot.
- Buried lines. We call Digline (811). Sprinkler mains and power to outbuildings aren't marked, so tell us where they run.
After the Shaping
New contours need cover soon. Bare slopes, especially decomposed granite in the foothills, can wash out in the first hard rain or spring melt. Plan to plant, seed, mulch or lay erosion blanket shortly after the dirt work is done. Fresh fill also settles a little over the first season, so expect a new berm to drop slightly and plan the final planting heights with that in mind.
Why Hire Ultimate Excavation LLC
We're an Idaho registered contractor (RCE-65836) with a 5.0 rating on Google. Our reviews describe us as hard workers who do a great job for a fair price. Call (208) 697-2429 or request a free estimate.
