dodgeman ..i tried the string level last night & after digging and moving dirt around for hours i still dont have it right. the problem is there is too much ground & the string only tells the level of a piece of land 18' long & 1" wide. some parts show level on 1 direction but the other direction will be way off. can you explain the water level technique to me in more detail. do i seal up the ends of the tubes? if i'm suppose to take out all air bubbles as billy said how do i have a bubble in the tube to show the level? do i lay the tube directly on the ground using the stakes just to stretch it out a bit? i cant rent the surveyer as suggested.