Grade Certifications
There are generally two types of grade certifications that may be required as a condition of approval during the construction of your new residential or commercial project. The first is what's called a rough grade certification. A rough grade certification is a very important step in the process of building your project. What it does is to ensure that your building pad and/or building forms are at the proper elevation and location on your property before you lay your foundation. If your foundation is not where it is supposed to be, especially in commercial projects, then the rest of the grading plan designed to ensure proper drainage and stability of your building will not function as it was designed to. This can lead to any number of problems during and after the construction of your project. If your building is too low, then that may create a flooding situation or other cause for a design change that will almost always result in substantial extra costs to you. If it is too high, then there exists any number of potential problems. The ADA, for one example, requires that walkways and parking stalls are not too steep in order to accommodate any disabled or elderly persons. If your foundation is to high, then everything surrounding your building must be raised as well to conform to the approved grading plan. However, this seemingly simple, yet costly fix, is not always an option, due to other engineering factors that may limit your options to simply starting over.

..The second type of certification is what's called a final grade certification. The final grade certification will ensure that everything on your project was built as it was planned to be built. It will also ensure that your project is draining properly and limit any future liability to you with regards to construction and/or design flaws. It serves both as an instrument to satisfy your city or county's requirements and to give you peace of mind with a job well done.

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