Laying Turf

A freshly laid lawn can add enjoyment and considerable value to any home. This was exactly Tom Williams’ thinking when he posted his “laying turf” job on ServiceSeeking.com.au

The job 

After purchasing a new home in Sydney’s East, it wasn’t long before Tom decided the tired paved courtyard out the back was in desperate need of a revamp.

While combing the net for a decent landscaper, Tom came across ServiceSeeking.com.au and went ahead and listed his laying turf job.

He received 3 to 4 quotes before settling on Starr Landscapes. “The owner, Ben met me on site and seemed to know what he was talking about,” says Tom.

The brief

Tom pulled up the existing concrete pavers himself, so initially, he was just looking for someone to come in and lay the turf. However, after discovering Ben was a “jack-of-all-trades”, he also commissioned Starr Landscapes to build a timber post perimeter fence, a small concrete retaining wall and a planter box for some bamboo.

The process

After clearing the site of debris, bringing in some underlay and making sure the ground was nice and compacted, it was time to lay the turf.

We arrived on site just as the freshly cut turf was being delivered. “We get our turf from Windsor Turf,” says Ben. “Turf is normally frost-bitten at this time of year (winter), and the fresher it is, the better chance it will take.”

With all the sweaty “prep” work out of the way, laying the turf definitely seemed like the easy part. Ben literally rolled the turf out across the sloping site, carefully packing each piece in as tightly as he could to prevent any awkward gaps.

“The smaller the patch of turf, the more likely it’s going to dry out, so try not to create small gaps that need to be filled on the ends,” Ben explains. “You can avoid this by taking time to place the right (length) piece of turf.”

He was also careful to break up the “join lines” and kept a constant eye on the turf line to make sure it didn’t curve. “This often means the difference between an immaculate-looking lawn and an uneven one,” he reveals.

The result

Tom is delighted with his new lawn. With daily watering, it should start to grow nicely – especially as the weather warms up – and the faint lines left from laying will disappear.

The cost 

Over 40 rolls of turf were required for the 40 square metre area. Ben chose Sir Walter Buffalo for the job. “It’s pretty much the best turf you can get – has no weeds, is really thick and grows well in the sun and shade.”

The turf is priced between $10-$12 per roll, bringing the total turf bill to around $500. Then there was the cost of labour. The average hourly rate for a landscaper on ServiceSeeking.com.au is $54 per hour.

This “laying turf” component of the job took about two days to complete (including drainage preparation), so by our calculations, you’re looking at between $2,000-$3,000 for a similar job. Extra costs (and time) were obviously incurred for the retaining wall, fence and bamboo planter box.

List your laying turf job now.