Grading and drainage is the hardest part of landscaping, both physically and technically. Getting water to move away from the house, usually a 2 percent slope, or about 1 foot of fall over 50 feet, means moving serious volumes of soil, and mistakes surface later as soggy lawns, dead plants, or a wet basement. It is the one job where hiring a pro often pays for itself.
For DIYers, the other hard parts are planning and patience. Digging and hauling is tougher than most people expect, since a cubic yard of soil weighs around 2,000 pounds. Costs get underestimated, and many homeowners struggle to picture the finished result, so they buy plants piecemeal with no overall plan. Plants then take two or three seasons to fill in.
The picturing part is solvable: generate finished concepts from a photo of your yard with AI backyard design.