Morris Earthworks & Land Clearing, LLC has finish graded lawns across every kind of ground Burlington throws at a contractor, from flat lots near West Burlington to steep bluff yards overlooking the Mississippi. Raw, post-construction dirt doesn’t drain right and doesn’t hold seed, especially over Burlington’s dense silt loam and clay sublayers. We’re the finish grading contractors Burlington IA homeowners and builders call when rough grade isn’t good enough anymore.
We laser-check pitch on every job, so water moves away from foundations instead of pooling in low spots left by uneven settling. On steep lots in Flint Hills, Sunnyside, and the historic Downtown bluff districts, we know exactly how fast Iowa rainstorms can strip unanchored topsoil and seed straight down a slope before roots ever take hold. That knowledge shapes every swale we shape and every seedbed we prep.
Whether it’s lawn site leveling and seeding Des Moines County families want after a new build, or hydroseeding and erosion control Burlington Iowa slopes require to survive their first hard rain, we deliver a finish grade that actually holds. That’s the standard we built this company on, and it’s the standard every crew we send out works to.
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Fort Madison’s floodplain clay doesn’t drain itself. Morris Earthworks assesses, designs, and installs drainage solutions built for Lee County’s soil and flood conditions. Get a free quote today.
More than just mulching—our land clearing includes full tree, stump, and brush removal, root raking, and debris disposal. Perfect for home sites, pasture expansion, and development-ready parcels.
We handle grading, trenching, drainage, and full-scale excavation work for both residential and rural projects. Every job is performed with precision and efficiency.
Need to remove an old structure or prep for something new? We provide clean, controlled demolition with full debris removal and site-ready results.
Keep your fields, trails, fence lines, and acreage trimmed and accessible. We mow thick grass, briars, and saplings to restore visibility, usability, and safety—whether for hunting season or long-term maintenance.
We build and grade arenas with the right slope, depth, and compaction to support safe, functional riding conditions—customized for your property and horse care needs.
Dependable finish grading means getting the pitch right the first time, not eyeballing it and hoping. We start every job with laser-guided pitch measurement, then Harley rake the surface to pulverize dense dirt clods and clear rock and debris left behind by construction or excavation. That step alone is what separates a true finish grade from a rough grade that just gets left to settle on its own.
We shape positive-slope swales that carry water away from foundations, screen and blend topsoil to the right depth, and compact it evenly so you don’t end up with new low spots six months later. For seeding, we match cool-season turfgrass blends, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass, and Fescue, to Burlington’s climate, and we get seed-to-soil contact right the first time.
On steep bluff-front lots along the river, hydroseeding slurries with tackifiers and erosion control matting hold seed in place through heavy Southeast Iowa rain instead of letting it wash downhill. Our laser finish grading and topsoil prep West Burlington builders rely on, paired with final grade drainage slope correction Burlington IA properties need after utility work, is what makes our results last.
A Flint Hills homeowner’s steep backyard kept losing new grass seed to washouts after every Iowa thunderstorm. We regraded the slope with positive drainage swales, then applied a hydroseeding slurry with tackifier and staked erosion control matting over the steepest sections. Grass established within three weeks, and the lawn has held through a full season of heavy rain.
A West Burlington developer near the Great River Bridge on US-34 needed lawns finish graded after utility trenching left the site rutted and uneven. We laser-leveled the pitch, corrected low spots from settled backfill, and blended fresh topsoil before seeding with a cool-season turf blend. Every lot passed final inspection with proper drainage away from the foundations.
Take a look at some of our latest work. Scroll through the photos below to see our team in action and the results we deliver.
We hydroseed with a tackifier slurry and anchor erosion control matting over steep sections. This holds seed and topsoil in place long enough for roots to establish before the next heavy rain hits.
Rough grading levels the site to grade. Finish grading adds laser-checked pitch correction, Harley raking, and screened topsoil, creating a smooth, properly draining seedbed sod and seed actually need to take hold.
Late summer to early fall is best in Southeast Iowa. Seed has time to root before frost, and it avoids the summer heat stress that kills spring-planted grass before it fully establishes.
Yes. We regrade settled trenches and rough backfill, correcting the pitch so water drains away instead of pooling. This is common after utility trenching or foundation excavation across Des Moines County.
Yes, we offer both. Sod gives an instant lawn on tighter timelines, while seeding costs less and works well on larger acreage. We finish grade properly either way before installation.
