Make sure you slope the ground away from the house so that water doesn't collect around the foundation. Make sure you don't increase the amount of dirt vertically around the house more than 6" or you can have seepage into the house over the edge of the foundation.
If your husband has a tractor, RUN, don't walk to the nearest landscaper. Mine tried to "regrade our lawn" and I give it a grade of "F" for failure. Most of my lawn has ended up in my house in the form of mud.
