Land Excavation and Grading in Bentonville, AR

Cardsofchange Land Excavation and Grading in Bentonville, AR

Name: Cardsofchange
Address: 9303 John DeShields Boulevard, Bentonville, AR, 72713, US
Telephone: (479) 561-9870

Site prep, grading, land clearing, and utility trenching backed by a written workmanship guarantee. Free on-site estimates across Bentonville and out to Gentry.

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Written workmanship guarantee
Compaction tested to spec
811 locate handled

Land excavation and grading in Bentonville, AR

Recent Jobs

Photos and write-ups from excavation and grading projects we recently completed nearby.

Recent Job: Grading a Wet Half Acre in Bentonville

July 1, 2026

Grading a wet half acre lot in Bentonville, AR

A homeowner near Moberly Lane called us in the spring about a backyard that stayed soft weeks after every rain. Water pooled against the foundation and the lawn never fully dried. This is one of the most common problems we fix in Bentonville, so here is how the job went and what it means for your own soggy lot.

The Problem Was the Grade, Not the Soil

People assume a wet yard means bad soil, but nine times out of ten the real culprit is the grade. This half acre actually sloped slightly toward the house, so every storm sent runoff straight at the foundation. No amount of new grass fixes a slope pointed the wrong way. The fix is moving dirt, which is exactly what we do on our site preparation and grading jobs.

Reading the Lot Before Moving Dirt

Before a machine started, we called the free 811 locate and walked the parcel to shoot elevations. That told us where the high and low points sat and how much cut and fill it would take to reverse the slope. Planning this on paper first is what keeps a grading job from turning into guesswork in the mud.

Cut, Fill, and a Swale

We stripped and stockpiled the topsoil, then balanced the cut and fill so the yard dropped away from the house toward the street. Along the low side we cut a shallow grassed swale to carry stormwater to the ditch instead of letting it sit. Every lift of fill got compacted so the new grade would hold through 2027 and beyond rather than settling back into a bowl.

Protecting the Work While It Settles

Fresh grade is bare and vulnerable, so we ran silt fence along the disturbed edges and spread erosion blankets on the swale until the seed took. That keeps your soil on your property and out of the storm drain, which is also what the local stormwater rules require on a disturbed site.

The Result and What It Cost

After we finished, the client told us the yard drained for the first time in years. A drainage regrade like this on a half-acre lot in Bentonville typically lands in the $2,000 to $5,000 range depending on how much dirt has to move and whether a swale or French drain is added. Every dollar was in the written estimate before we started, and the finished grade came with our workmanship guarantee.

If your yard holds water against the house, do not keep reseeding a slope that is working against you. Call Cardsofchange at (479) 561-9870 or contact us for a free on-site look at your grade.

Read the full article

The Areas Where We Have Moved Dirt

We excavate and grade throughout Bentonville and the surrounding Benton County towns, from the lots near the Market District to the acreage out in the countryside. If you can point to it on a map, chances are our machines have already worked a job nearby.

Not sure whether we reach your parcel? Call (479) 561-9870 and we will let you know before you commit to anything.

Bentonville, AR (72712, 72713)
Gentry, AR
Bella Vista, AR
Centerton, AR
Rogers, AR
Cave Springs, AR
Pea Ridge, AR
Lowell, AR

Cardsofchange provides land excavation in Bentonville, AR, handling site preparation and grading, land clearing and grubbing, foundation and basement excavation, utility trenching, drainage and erosion control, and driveway and road base prep on both residential and commercial parcels. Our crews run hydraulic excavators, crawler dozers, and skid steer loaders week in and week out, and we call 811 before a single bucket touches the ground. Most of our work happens a short drive from the Historic Square, along corridors like John DeShields Boulevard and out toward the newer subdivisions near Hidden Springs, all inside ZIP codes 72712 and 72713.

We would rather show you finished dirt than talk about it in the abstract, which is the whole idea behind our name and the way we run jobs. Over the past year our machines have shaped building pads off SW 14th Street, cut drainage swales that carry stormwater away from garages in The Meadows, and stripped topsoil for a new shop building near Walton Boulevard. Each of those parcels was left with a compacted subgrade tested to 95 percent of maximum dry density, the same Proctor standard a Benton County inspector looks for before any footings go in. That track record is what backs every quote we hand you.

Every project we complete comes with a written workmanship guarantee, and we mean written, not a verbal promise made from the cab of a truck. The grade we set, the compaction we certify, and the erosion controls we install are documented and stand behind our name. If a swale we cut does not drain the way the plan called for, we come back and correct it at no charge. Homeowners around Crystal Springs and contractors building along Central Avenue tell us that this kind of written accountability is exactly why they call us back for the next phase of the job.

Our process is straightforward and easy to follow from the road. We walk the site with you, mark utilities through the free 811 locate that takes about two business days, strip and stockpile the topsoil, then move from rough grading to finish grading against the engineer's plan. A past client near Moberly Lane put it plainly after we balanced the cut and fill on a sloped half acre: the lot finally drained toward the street instead of the foundation. That result, paired with a $0 surprise on the final invoice, is what we aim for on every parcel from Bentonville out to Gentry, Bella Vista, and Centerton.

A track record you can walkRecent grading, drainage, and clearing jobs across Benton County that we are glad to point you toward.
Written workmanship guaranteeThe grade, the compaction, and the erosion controls are documented in writing before we pull off the site.
Compacted to specStructural fill placed in controlled lifts and tested to 95 percent Proctor density for a pad you can build on.
811 and permits handledWe file the free underground utility locate and grade to the same site plan the county will inspect.

Recent Digs and Grading Jobs Around Town

The same six services fill our schedule year round, from a raw wooded lot to a build-ready pad. Here is the work we are moving dirt on most weeks.

01Site Preparation and Grading: Clearing, topsoil stripping, cut and fill, and rough-to-finish grading that shapes a parcel to the grading plan, setting pad elevations, drainage slopes, and a compacted subgrade ready to build on.
02Land Clearing and Grubbing: Removal of trees, brush, and undergrowth, then grubbing the stumps and roots below the surface, with haul-off or on-site mulching to open a wooded lot near Pea Ridge for construction.
03Foundation and Basement Excavation: Digging footings, crawl spaces, and full basements to plan depth, with over-dig for forms, spoil management, and a level, compacted bearing surface for concrete footings and slabs.
04Utility Trenching: Trenching for water, sewer, gas, electrical, and drainage lines with proper bedding and backfill, using sloping, benching, or a trench box for worker protection in cuts 5 feet and deeper per OSHA.
05Drainage and Erosion Control: Grading positive slopes away from structures, installing swales and French drains, plus silt fence, inlet protection, and erosion blankets to meet local stormwater and SWPPP requirements.
06Driveway and Road Base Prep: Subgrade compaction, geotextile separation fabric, and placement of crushed aggregate base to build a stable, well-draining gravel driveway or a paving-ready subbase off a county road.

What Comparable Projects Have Cost

Excavation pricing depends on the machine hours, the volume of dirt, and the condition of the ground. The ranges below reflect what comparable Bentonville-area jobs have actually run, and we put a firm number in writing after we walk your site. Rock, wet soil, and tight access push a job toward the top of any range.

Excavator and Operator$110 to $325 per hour	Site Grading and Pad Prep$0.40 to $2.00 per sq ft	Land Clearing$1,400 to $6,200 per acre
Machine plus certified operator Day and week rates discount the hourly Get estimate	Rough to finish grade to plan Subgrade compacted and tested Get estimate	Brush at the low end Heavy tree cover with grubbing higher Get estimate

Questions Sparked by Our Past Projects

How much does it cost to excavate and grade a lot in Bentonville?

It depends on the machine hours, the volume of dirt, and the ground conditions. Grading commonly runs $0.40 to $2.00 per square foot, and an excavator with an operator runs $110 to $325 per hour. We walk your parcel first, then hand you a firm written number so there is no surprise at the end.

Do I really need to call 811 before you dig?

Yes, and we handle it for you. The free 811 locate marks buried gas, water, electric, and communication lines, and it usually takes about two business days. We never break ground on a job near NW A Street or anywhere else until those marks are down.

What is the difference between rough grading and finish grading?

Rough grading moves the bulk of the dirt to get the site close to the planned elevations and slopes. Finish grading is the fine pass that hits the exact grade the plan calls for, smooths the surface, and sets drainage so water runs where it should. Most pads get both from us in sequence.

What does 95 percent compaction mean and why does it matter?

It means the fill has been placed in lifts and compacted to 95 percent of its maximum dry density from a Proctor test. That is the threshold a Benton County inspector typically wants before footings go in, because a pad short of it can settle and crack whatever you build on top.

Can you handle drainage so water stays away from my foundation?

That is one of our most requested jobs. We grade positive slopes away from the structure and add swales, French drains, or a detention feature as the site needs, then protect the disturbed ground with silt fence and erosion blankets. A client near Moberly Lane finally got their lot draining toward the street after we regraded it.

How does your written workmanship guarantee actually work?

Before we leave, we document the finished grade, the compaction results, and the erosion controls we installed. If something we graded or compacted does not perform the way the plan called for, we return and correct it. That written record is why contractors along Central Avenue keep calling us back.

Bring Us Your Next Site Challenge

Got a lot that needs clearing, a pad that needs grading, or a trench that needs digging? Call Cardsofchange and we will come walk the ground, mark the utilities through 811, and hand you a clear written estimate with the workmanship guarantee spelled out. From a quarter-acre yard near Crystal Springs to acreage out past Gentry, we bring the machines and the accountability to the same job.

Call (479) 561-9870