OK, New house & no yard.

Anyone have any experience putting in a lawn? I don't have the patience for hydromulch, so I think I'll have the yard sodded (in the Seattle area).

What kind of prep is needed? What is a "good price"?, What should I look for when picking a landscape co. to do the work?

Cheers -

 

I work for a landscaping company, on the "dig and surface" crew. What you wanna watch out for with sodding is first of all that a "sod level" is put down. This is generally fine ground dirt called "screen" that will be tossed onto the sod area, then raked out, stomped down, raked again, and then rolled with a mechanical or hydro-roller (water filled drum with a push handle, basically). They should roll each section twice, making sure it is firm, but still have some give, but not much. Next, they should take out any major bumps. This finishes the prep

Next up is the actual sodding. Good sod is flexible, green, and won't drop much dirt off its root base when picked up. Bad or so-so sod is mottled green brown, brittle (rips easily) and will shed a lot of grass and dirt when picked up.

It should come in 1.5x5 foot sections or something thereabouts. A good sod laying company will make sure that all the sod is tightly packed at the seams, and will give you specific instructions on watering, walking, and first month care while the roots grow into the sod level. Also, when the sod is down, the crew should roll over the sod itself twice and do an "edge walk", basically getting the areas near fences and edging where the roller can't get to.

When picking a company, the three best things in landscaping are a) word of mouth b) up front estimators and c) good, timely service. Word of mouth is vital in landscaping, and in sod laying, because a good job gets good recommendations. So ask around, ask a company for customer reviews, ask to see yards that they have just recently sodded, maybe even come out and watch a sodding in progress.

As for price, there are two ways to get an estimate. If you're doing a complete landscape, including planting, digging, land reformation, dirt, screen, loam, sod and labor, it is usually a percentage of the total value of your house property. If it is just digging, screen, sod and labor, there is usually a "per square foot" charge plus a surcharge for labor.

Every landscaping company is different. My ***BIGGEST*** recommendation is research, research, research. Once you pick a company, get as much information as possible on methods, prices, skill of laborers, time estimates, etc. The more info = the better decision on your part.

As part of my experience, to get a decent sized yard sodded and finished, if the crew arrives at the pretty standard time of 8-9 am, it should take around 6-8 hours to go from prep to final roll of the sod. For a massive yard, you're looking at a full day's (10-12 horus) work. This is based on the average crew size of 5 laborers. I work on a crew with 9 laborers, a dumbass bobcat operator and a fairly knowledgeable foreman. We can reshape a large yard in less than 10 hours, although the prep crew (lawn removal, tree ripping, plant ripping, massive digging (bobcat style) will usually have visited the site the day before we get there.

 

Wow! L.V. thanks for taking the time to point me in the right direction! Looks like I have some homework to do in terms of interviewing local vendors. At least I know what the process SHOULD look like.

I'm buying a new home & the developer does the front yard and landscaping, but the back yard is up to me. Thanks again, I'll post photos when it's done.

Also, next time I'm in Calgary I'll buy the beers at the French Maid!

Cheers -

 

Which French Maid? The one downtown or the (nudge nudge wink wink) version?

(Also, btw, it'd have to be a coke. I don't drink)

Anyways, there is a generic formula to landscaping, although each company interprets it differently. Some may sod, come back a month later to finish up scaping, or, like the company I'm with, get all the major dirt and shaping done first, then lay the sod bed, finish up edging, then sod and plant.

But, as you said, interview, question, poke into every nook and cranny, get the answers that YOU want. *YOU* are the customer, and the company is there to provide their honest and fair service to you. If the company is good, those answers should come easily or if not available, the estimator or company rep should ask for your contact information and take no longer than a week to get back to you.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them ^__^

 

Shhhhh quiet! you're not supposed to tell the adults that!

 

I am currently in the same exact situation. Thanks for the info.

 

ANother thing is that some companies will not screen first. They'll dig, then "grade" (basically, make the dug section flat and level) and lay sod directly onto the grade. This is fine if you live in a place like Iowa where the ground is good, healthy, nutrient rich dirt. But, if you do it on dirt that is not suited, you get "bump grass," which is basically what it sounds like, uneven, mismatched, and badly rooted. It will feel like you're walking over bowling balls implanted in the ground. Good grass is soft, the stuff you can lay on with your significant other and watch the clouds ^__^

 

Ironwedge,

I used to live in Texas and we did the instant lawn after trying plugs (kind of like a hair transplant). Our lawn used to be a Texas dust bowl until we put down top soil and then St. Augustine sod. First step we brought in a couple of loads of top soil and spread it out. Second, we brought in pallets of St. Augustine sod. Next I hand cut and placed the sod on top of the top soil. After that I rolled it to level it out and watered it nightly. I know it sounds labor intensive but it is worth it for a nice lawn. Hope this helps.

 

Top soil = screen dirt, in case you were wondering... I use landscaping terms all the time now, and I get a LOT of weird looks