How Much Does It Cost To Put New Lawn

Getting Sprinkler System Installation Quotes

Before hiring a sprinkler installer, be sure to:

• Get at least three in-person quotes to compare.
• Select companies with experience installing and maintaining sprinkler systems.
• Look for installers certified by the Irrigation Association.
• Look at their reviews on HomeGuide, Google, and the Better Business Bureau .
• Choose a company that is licensed, bonded, and insured.
• Request a sprinkler system design plan detailing the water pressure, zones, type and placement of sprinkler heads, and head-to-head water coverage.
• Get a detailed estimate, contract, and warranty in writing before the work begins.
• Avoid companies with the cheapest quotes as quality may suffer.
• Never pay in full before the project starts. Follow a payment plan instead.

Fine Fescue Grass Seed

Fine grass costs $0.30 to $0.60 per sq.ft. and $2 to $9 per pound. This standard turf grass is best used in cooler areas with plenty of shade. This eco-friendly grass is very resilient. However, it is not great for high-traffic areas. It is also a cool-season grass, which means it should be planted in the early fall.

A New Lawn Or Artificial Turf

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Choosing a new lawn or artificial turf is a personal matter. There is nothing like a real lawn in the garden for most people, but artificial turf has its benefits as well:

• It is low maintenance
• It is drought proof
• It requires less work than real turf

However, there is something to be said for real turf. It should be chosen wisely for the climate you live in and it will have to be mowed frequently, but it is a plant and some homeowners don’t want a “plastic” lawn and are willing to do what it takes to make a real lawn work for them. Yes, more work is involved and it may include:

• Fertilising
• Aerating the soil
• Watering

Natural turf removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and there are some concerns about artificial turf. If you’re undecided, have a look at our Artificial Grass pages and see how good an artificial lawn can look.Also look at our Garden Design Ideas pages for some natural lawns in gardens across Australia. The choice is yours and artificial grass does cost more than natural grass, but it is low maintenance and doesn’t require weeding, fertiliser, aerating or watering. Over time, it may cost less than natural grass and may be a good choice for some locations.

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How Much To Maintain A Sprinkler System

Maintaining a sprinkler system costs $50 to $150 per year to winterize, which prevents freeze damage and cracked pipes. Spring start-up service costs $75 to $160 per year, depending on the number of zones. Additional sprinkler maintenance may include:

• Sprinkler system repairs cost$120 to $350 on average.
• Sprinkler head replacement costs$65 to $90 for professional replacement or $2 to $12 per head for DIY.
• An annual backflow test costs $50 to $100 and is required in most states.

What Is The Cost Of Weeding Your Lawn

The average cost per hour of weeding ranges between $12 and $40. While many people enjoy gardening as a hobby, others would prefer to hire an expert to handle regular weeding around plants and flowers. Professionals who undertake this job would need to come back on a regular basis, or they can use weed killer as a more permanent solution.

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Lawn And Landscaping Repair

Installing a sprinkler system in an existing lawn or planter bed requires repairing lawn damage. Hire lawn care or landscaping services to help with:

• Grass seeding costs $0.10 to $0.25 per square foot and can repair minor lawn damage.
• Sod prices are $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot for materials or $0.90 to $1.80 per square foot with installation, and repairs areas damaged by trenching or pipe-pulling.
• Landscaping costs$50 to $100 per hour or $4 to $12 per square foot to repair damaged planter beds.

Landscaping Cost Per Square Foot

Landscaping encompasses a range of projects, so it has a wide range of costs per square foot. The average price per square foot ranges from $5 to $20 a square foot, depending on what you do with the area. It is common to mix materials and landscaping across a property, meaning the cost per square foot is likely to change. For example, you may have new topsoil put down at $1 a square foot, with new seed added at $0.14 a square foot, but bluestone pavers average $30 a square foot installed. Adding water features, structures, and plants changes the average costs per square foot, which results in the average range of $5 to $20 a square foot, depending on the location and landscaping type.

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Multiple Cutting Height Adjustments

With some mowers , users can raise or lower the mowing deck to adjust for different grass types and lengths. In case you let your grass get extra long between cuts or you use multiple species of grass in your yard, being able to adjust the cutting height could be a useful bonus for your mower.

Usually, youll adjust the deck with a single or dual lever that should be simple to operate. The easier the controls are to use and the wider the range of heights, the more expensive a mower will be. That goes for both push and riding mowers.

How Much Does Sod Replacement And Removal Cost

Replacing the sod will cost the same as if it was new sod at $1.34 to $1.62 per square foot. Plus, youll have the added expense of removing the dead or dying grass. You can save some money by removing the old sod yourself by renting a sod cutter, also called a sod remover, for $69 or $98 . If the area to be removed is over 300 sq. ft, seriously consider the sod cutter.

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Lawn Preparation Before Seeding

Before adding new seed to your lawn, your soil may need to be prepared. The type of work that needs to be done depends on the condition of the area.

For areas with existing grass, the area may require mowing and removal of old or dead grass. If you have a dead lawn or if you want to change the type of grass, you need to have a removal service done. Grass removal costs start from $1.50 to $3 per sq.ft., including labor and materials. You may also need to remove trees, which costs between $400 to $900, or remove stumps, ranging from $200 to $700. For all areas, the soil may require fertilizer or herbicides to protect the new seed and help it grow. It may also need to be raked or aerated and turned to help improve quality. You may also need to reslope or regrade your yard, which costs between $700 and $1,700.

To avoid dead grass in the first place, consider having your soil tested to tell you what type of grass may grow best there. Matching the seed you use to your area and soil ensures that your new lawn has healthy growth and withstands your climate.

These preparations are usually included in the cost to grade and seed a lawn. However, the extra steps may increase the cost of the total job by $2 to $8 per sq.ft. for areas with poor soil quality or in areas that need old grass or weeds removed first.

Diy Lawn Care Vs Professional Lawn Care Services

DIY lawn maintenance is a relatively cheap household expense. Aside from the initial cost to purchase a lawn mower, the only other expenses include buying gas and fine tuning the equipment, which costs around $20 if you do it yourself, or $50 to $75 if you take it to a repair shop.

Now, what I like to factor in which for many is the largest cost, that is the cost of your own time. What do you value an hour of your own time at? If your lawn takes you 2-3 hours to complete each week, that is 8-12 hours each month you could be dedicating to lawn maintenance.

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Lawn Grass Seeding Costs

Lawn grass seeding is a special activity that often is combined with other lawn maintenance tasks.

You will find that the cost to seed an average grass lawn depends upon the size and accessibility of the lot, the variability of the terrain, the type of grass seed, the manner of application, and the labor rate.

In the following tables the Labor Cost figure is what the able DIY person should expect to save by performing the complete task.

Grass lawn seeding: hand broadcasting a 6,000 sq. ft. lawn

Grass lawn seeding: hydro-seeding a 6,000 sq. ft. lawn

Kentucky Blue Grass Sod

At $0.22 to $0.45 per square foot, Kentucky Blue Grass is good for northern regions, and it will handle scorching summers as well as cold winters. It will fill in any bare spots but is an aggressive spreader. It grows well in full sun, moderate shade, and a pH 6.5-7 neutral soil, and it is good in high-traffic areas.

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Fuel Capacity Or Run Time

Fuel capacity in a gas lawn mower and battery run time in an electric one determine how long the mower can run without stopping to refuel or recharge. Mowers with a larger fuel capacity or a battery that runs for a longer time will cost more.

With a larger fuel tank, a gas mower can run longer. Most walk-behind mowers have a tank that holds 1 to 3 quarts of fuel, while riding mowers usually hold between 1 and 5 gallons, depending on the size of the machine.

Battery-powered power tools, especially large ones like lawn mowers, take a lot of juice, so their batteries dont typically run for very long on one charge. You can expect a battery-powered lawn mower to run for 30 minutes to an hour or closer to 90 minutes if youre willing to pay more for a better battery.

Sod Installation Cost Per Square Foot

Sod installation costs on average $1.45 per square foot, with a range between $0.90 to $2 per square foot. This price includes the cost of labor. Your project cost may vary depending on the size of your lawn and how much prep work is required.

The following table shows the average cost per square foot:

Most landscapers will charge by square footage, but some may charge by the hour. Your estimate should include a breakdown of all the costs involved including the price of labor to unload, place, and install the sod on your property. If existing sod needs to be removed, this will be a separate charge. The estimate should also include the cost to fertilize and water your sod immediately after installation. Any additional ground preparation like grading or tilling will also be an additional cost.

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How Much Does It Cost To Maintain A Lawn

If you opt for natural grass for your lawn, dont forget to consider the ongoing costs of keeping it neat and healthy, like mowing. This could include the cost of buying a lawnmower and fuelling it, or arranging professional mowing services, which Airtasker estimates to cost $45-120 depending on the size of your lawn..

Also consider lawn fertiliser or weed killers you might need, as well as watering, bearing in mind that restrictions on when and how you can water your lawn could be in place depending on your location, either permanently or due to periods of drought. Aerating your lawn once or twice a year can also help promote growth of the grass, Lawn Solutions Australia says. However, on smaller lawns this may be done simply by prodding holes in the turf using a sturdy garden fork, so might not add to your maintenance costs.

Artificial grass typically requires less maintenance than a live lawn, but still needs attention. For example, artificial turf suppliers suggest it could be a good idea to regularly hose the grass to wash away dust and dirt, to remove tree litter such as leaves and sticks, and to use a stiff-brush broom to sweep in the opposite direction of the fibres to discourage flat patches.

Main image source: Borzywoj

This content was reviewed by Digital EditorAmanda Horswill as part of our fact-checking process.

Repairing Patches Of Lawn

Here’s what you need to know.

For a small patch of lawn to be repaired, the damaged area of turf will be removed before an identically shaped area of turf from elsewhere in the garden will be laid down in its place. Alternatively, you can use new seeds instead of a layer of turf.

But how much would this cost you?

As we’ve covered, a new layer of turf could cost anywhere from £2 to £20 per square metre.

If you hire someone to fix a patch of turf for you, they will probably charge you based on their hourly rate – but a minimum payment will usually be required.

If you were looking to fix about five patches of your lawn, then you should expect to pay between £60 and £160. If you chose to have these patches seeded instead, the material cost would be reduced to between £53 and £63.

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What Is Included In The Price Of Lawn Replacement

The price estimates above include the cost of removing the existing lawn, preparing the soil and placing the new sod. They include the cost of transporting all workers and their materials both to and from the job site as well as removing the existing lawn from the site so that the new lawn can be placed. They also include the cost of rototilling and compacting the soil to prepare the ground to accept the new lawn.

However, the costs above do not include those costs which are not typical to the lawn replacement process, such as any costs incurred by excavation, demolition or the modification of irrigation systems. If a homeowner needs to have additional prep work, such as the removal of existing landscaping, before the workers can begin, the he or she will have to pay extra for the service.

Retaining Wall Installation Cost

The cost to build a ranges from $3,500 to $10,000. Retaining walls are useful for preventing soil erosion and other issues. They also make beautiful additions to landscaping. They come in a range of materials, and you can extend them to build things like seats and border edges. The type of retaining wall you build can be influenced by the material, soil, and height and placement.

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Lawn Replacement Cost Guide

Homewyse Cost Guides estimate approximate cost ranges for basic work in typical conditions. The estimates should only be used for preliminary planning. Homewyse estimates are NOT substitutes for quotes from qualified vendors. Homewyse strongly recommends that you contact reputable professionals for an accurate assessment of work required and costs for your project – before making any decisions or commitments.

• Labor tasks – Distribute new growth fertilizer on prepared soil . Unroll, place and seam pack sod.
• Lawn Replacement cost estimates may require an onsite inspection. Usually these estimates will be “free”. You should expect any estimate to be presented with an in-depth sales pitch/presentation.
• The homewyse cost estimates include all typical costs for removing existing lawn, rototilling soil, leveling and compacting soil base and laying new sod.
• The homewyse Lawn Replacement cost estimates do not include costs for excavation, demolition and removal of existing paving or hardscape modifications or additions to existing irrigation system.
• Higher priced Lawn Replacement typically offer more durable material, extended warranties and enhanced appearance and finish options
• Low to High labor cost range differences are in part due to variations in work load, job location and seasonal wage rates.

What Price Does Sod Cost

The average cost of sod is between $0.30 to $0.83 per square foot. The cost for professionally installed sod is between $0.87 and $1.76 per square foot.

Sod gives you a carpeted lawn almost immediately, unlike seeds which take one to two years to grow. How much will it cost you to have that luxury?

Sod costs on average between $0.30 to $0.83 a square foot. If you want the sod to be installed by a professional, youll have to pay up to $1.76 per square foot.

Your final bill is dependent on sod type, yard size and soil prep. Do you want to put a sprinkler system in? You are going to pay more for that service.

The average cost for sodding a 1/6-acre lawn is between $2,813 and $7,603. The cost for a professional installation will be between $6,623 and $13,681.

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Cost Estimator By Sod Type

The type of sod you install can have a significant effect on the quality of your lawn. Some grass types have higher drought, disease, and foot traffic tolerances than others, making them more expensive.

The higher quality sod type you buy, the more you can expect to pay per square foot. Take a look below to see the average sod prices for common grasses.