Are you tired of spending evenings on the dead grass of your garden? Do you want an eye-pleasing garden and spend your free time sipping coffee? Go for a turf; you won’t regret it!
In the 1960s, AstroTurf was the main product and leading turf grass supplier.
Since then, hundreds of firms have popped up selling many kinds of turf grass. There are now so many options that buying artificial turf for your garden or office might be a little overwhelming.
When looking for artificial grass, there is a lot of information and terms to understand. Given the range of styles, quality levels, and costs, you might be unaware of how to select the best turf grass for your lawn.
Furthermore, several other factors affect turf costs. This article will discuss all the aspects of turf costs and how you can save money while installing it.
How Much Does Grass Turf Cost?
Grass turf costs vary according to type and quality. Furthermore, there are different types of turf, and you need to find which one suits your needs the best, whether it’s a lawn for kids to play soccer on or just a place to rest after the office with a cup of coffee.
Here is a table to give you a better idea of turf costs:
| Size | Turf Cost/ Sq. Metre | Daily Labour Costs | Time Required | Total Cost |
| 50 Sq. Metre | £3 – 6.4 | £100-200 | 2 days at least | £1190-1670 |
| 75 Sq. Metre | £2.6 – 5.3 | £100-200 | 3 days at least | £1755 – 2422 |
| 125 Sq. Metre | £3.12- 5.60 | £100-200 | 4 days at least | £2890 – 3875 |
Note: Prices include shipping to London, VAT on materials, and 5% waste. Calculations are based on the price of economical, durable, and expensive (or aesthetic) grass.
Costs for topsoil are predicated on a topsoil layer that is 15 centimetres deep and comes in 750-litre bulk sacks. Your selection of materials, provider, and the area may affect the overall cost.
If you want to save some bucks, consider buying in significant volumes because many vendors give discounts on per square metre cost based on purchase volume. That must be good news for you if you want to use turf in a big area.
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What Affects the Cost of Turf?
As you might have noticed, there is a big gap in turf’s starting and average price. Where does this gap come from? What affects the cost of turf? Let’s find out:
- Garden Size
The size of the garden plays a vital role in determining how much artificial turf will cost. This price will vary depending on whether your lawn includes irregularly shaped sections or circular or bent borders. The work will need secondary tools if the garden area is more extensive.
Similarly, if the floor of the garden or the place where you want the turf to be is dirty or needs any repairs, that would burden your pockets more.
- Installation/Labour Costs
You get your estimate without extra fees because labour expenses are included in almost all services.
Moreover, some turf installation services can offer grass for a DIY installation, but it is essential to remember that you may encounter difficulties without an expert’s required tools and skills. Without the proper foundation, or if a DIY installation is done improperly, your grass may clump and become a cause of accidents for your family and visitors.
Allowing the installation to the pros will save you money if you’re trying to lower your costs.
- Landscaping
What sort of ground will form the base for your synthetic turf installation? You will need to calculate the expense of having any existing natural turf lifted and thrown off.
These expenses won’t apply if you’re putting turf directly on cement, although procedures are still necessary to prepare the floors. Moreover, preparing the ground thoroughly before installing turf grass will help extend the life of the goods.
This seems to be a pretty simple task at first sight but is time-consuming and expensive.
- Type of Turf You Choose
There is a wide variety of artificial turf for various uses, including parks and residential areas, as well as premium green and outfield turf.
However, each type’s pricing per square metre differs, giving you a wide variety of options to select the ideal grass within your budget. The quality and longevity of the turf increase with the price, just like with any other item.
Here is the most common type of turf:
- Budget
- Hard-wearing
- Premium or ornamental
- Meadow or wildflower
The following table lists the range of grass pricing, from cheap to high price:
| Turf Type | Small Garden (50 sq. Metre) | Medium Garden (75 sq. metre) | Large Garden (125 sq. metre) |
| Budget Turf | £150 – 275 | £200 – 350 | £390 – 450 |
| Hard Wearing Turf | £175 – 300 | £220 – 380 | £400 – 530 |
| Premium Turf | £180 – 320 | £240 – 400 | £420 – 740 |
| Meadow Turf | £880 – 1100 | £1200 – 1500 | £2100 – 2500 |
Shipping to London, VAT and 5% waste are all included in the price. Your materials, vendor, and area selection may also affect the total cost.
It might take some time to decide on the grass you want, but it’s worth saving money per square metre by selecting a more affordable alternative suitable to your garden’s requirements.
Budget grass is a fantastic choice for most home gardens since it is durable and requires little care. It costs between £200 and £350 for a medium-sized garden spanning 75 square metres.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Upto 33%:
- Topsoil
Before installing your grass, you must ensure that there are at least 15 centimetres of topsoil for the synthetic turf to dig in.
Visual inspection is a simple technique to determine the quality of your soil. If it is deep brown and includes little stones, you have a solid foundation. In addition, if your ground is clumpy, gritty, and full of tiny stones, you’ll need to complete some initial work and add extra topsoil to make the area suitable for turf.
The turf company can still install the turf without topsoil, but it won’t last long. Furthermore, turf can also detach from the ground if there isn’t enough good quality topsoil.
- Fertiliser
Once you are done with the turf installation, you must fertilise it every four to six weeks in the spring, summer, and early fall to provide the plants with the nutrients they require to grow.
- Watering
Making sure your new grass is hydrated is less time-consuming but more labour-intensive than spending money.
Furthermore, the grass should be watered twice daily that first week, twice to three times per week for weeks two and three, and then just once for weeks four to six. Refresh the turf in the early mornings and late evenings, not in the middle of the day.
Make sure they also don’t go dry or overhydrated. Just pour the perfect amount of water.
- Skip Hire
It could be necessary for you to hire a skip to prepare your garden before putting grass.
Likewise, you must clear all debris and dirt dolts from the area and scrape away the current lawn. Afterward, the ground must be compressed into a beautifully level, sturdy base, which sometimes involves renting a roller.
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How Can I Save Money on a New Turf for My Garden?
- Do It Yourself!
The labour costs are some of the biggest reasons turf installation comes at such hefty prices. To cut these prices, the best you can do is lay the turf yourself. Furthermore, it isn’t as difficult as you might think, and it’s worth trying considering the financial benefits.
Apart from this, putting down grass is easy and is putting down carpet. You must spread the grass pieces, gently butt them, and cut off everything that falls over the edge of the grass shape you want.
You can save roughly £100-200 by doing it yourself. This saved amount can be used at other places.
- Try Space Saving Techniques
Consider expanding your potted plants if your funds won’t allow you to cover the entire area with grass. While in blossom, flowerbeds give a splash of colour and bulk up the boundaries of your garden, reducing the amount of space needed for turf.
Therefore, a wise choice to provide a space for socialising is to add decks, a sand area, or a courtyard to the area between your doorway and your grass. You won’t have to handle as much grooming, which will also cut down on your re-turfing expenditures.
Apart from diversifying your garden, potted plants and flowers can also give a nice aesthetic touch. Unlike turf, you can opt to change the pot flowers whenever you want.
- Try Different Shapes
Compared to more practical designs like ovals or circles, squares and rectangles don’t need as much planning, which helps save on labour and grass costs. Turves are generally rectangular. Therefore, anything curved will always result in cut-offs and leftover pieces, which could be expensive if filling a significant part of your garden.
- Buy In Bulk
Buying in bulk is the thumb rule for getting discounts, and this rule perfectly fits the turf industry too. On the other hand, by bulk, we don’t mean to say that you should buy more than what is needed.
You can ask your neighbours or friends if any of them also wants to lay turf in their garden. Then, buy the turf from the same vendor, and you will secure a decent discount.
- Measure Your Garden Carefully
Ordering too much turf and discarding the extra is a common mistake. If you don’t measure correctly, you’ll eventually pay for the grass that ultimately ended up on the compost pile. Moreover, the quantity of grass you’ll need may be measured and calculated relatively quickly if you choose a basic shape, like a square.
The method will become more challenging if you have a highly organic shape. Adding a fictitious box overall design and using those dimensions is one of the most common techniques to determine these areas.
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How Do I Choose the Best Turf for My Garden?
Your desired usage for the area should come first when selecting the grass for your yard. You need durable grass, not fancy if you have kids who want to play soccer or dogs who like to roam.
Here are the best turfs you can buy alongside their pros and cons:
Advantages of Budget Turf
- Budget turf one of the most economical types of turf
- Durable enough to withstand the cruelties of weather
- Best for those on a limited budget
Drawbacks of Budget Turf
- It is the cheapest quality turf
- Not suitable if you have pets or kids at home
Hard Wearing Turf Advantages
- Hard-wearing turf is suitable for individuals with kids in their homes or pets.
- Furthermore, if you plan to occasionally play any indoor sport or other kinds of activities on this turf, it can handle them all pretty well.
Drawbacks of Hard Wearing Turf
- Expect to pay a bit more for it, considering the quality and longevity
Premium/Ornamental Turf Avantages
- Just like its name, the looks of this turf are also premium.
- The premium turf can make your garden look more attractive with shiny grass that doesn’t need much maintenance.
Drawbacks of Premium/Ornamental Turf
- Mainly used in golf courses and professional sports arenas
- So, if you opt for it, you must mow it at least once a week
Advantages of Wildflower Turf
- Suitable for you, if you like big and wild types of grass
- The shiny and blowy grass of wildflower turn is a natural habitat of multiple species, including bees
- Low maintenance requirements and doesn’t need much mowing
Drawbacks of Wildflower Turf
- It is expensive, but not as much as some of the best quality turfs. Its price and quantity both fall somewhere between the best and the average.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Upto 33%:
What’s Involved in Laying Turf?
The turf laying process is the same, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring an expert. Here are all the details involved in laying turf:
- Preparing the Ground
Your new turf’s roots and long-term health depend on proper soil and ground preparation. Poorly prepared soil will never yield the best outcomes. Therefore, it is worth investing time and energy.
- Use a spade to slice through the turf and remove any current patches. Consider renting a specially made lawn cutter from a nearby tool hire for more extensive areas.
- The soil must be carefully worked over with a spade or power cultivator to a depth of 15 cm.
- Get rid of waste, such as rocks, bushes, and worn-out grass.
- Raking
The ground must be solid but not compressed, and the floor must also be flat for installing turf.
- To create a flat, solid texture, rake the surface.
- Gently walk on the ground to detect soft areas that can be levelled by raking.
- The surface should remain hard and level throughout this operation.
- Ordering
Your area should be completely ready for the lawn by this point.
- Firstly, precisely measure the planned lawn’s floor area. Measure in metres or adjust your number to metres before placing your order.
- Select the grass type that best meets the demands of your yard and make your purchase.
- When the turf arrives, it must be laid as quickly as possible, preferably within 24 hours. Hence, order your grass for arrival the day before or when you intend to install it.
- If you can’t install the grass immediately, keep it in the shade and remove the film covering.
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- Laying the Turf
You are prepared to install your synthetic grass now that the difficult task of preparing the land has been completed. To operate from and move about, use turfing planks or boards rather than stepping straight on the freshly laid grass.
- To assist the grass get off to the most fantastic start, some turf providers could give you a pre-turfing fertiliser. As directed on the carton, spray this on the already done ground.
- Start by laying out one strip of turf along the lawn’s edge. Tiny pieces shouldn’t be used around the edges since they might dry out and become harmful. Ensure the new turf’s bottom is in contact with the soil underneath.
- Put the following strips along the most extensive clear run and work your way across the grass, one strip at a time, creating a brickwork-like pattern.
- Butt adjacent sides and ends together, careful not to strain the turf.
- Using a razor blade or a half-moon lawn edger, skillfully cut off excess parts and column ends.
- Watering
To grow roots and get off to a strong start, freshly planted grass needs to be adequately watered. Based on the year you install the turf, you’ll have to water it more frequently; the summer requires much more water.
- With a single pipe or sprayer, thoroughly water your new grass as soon as it is laid.
- Repeat until the ground under the turf layer has been reached by the water.
- Water your grass thoroughly every early morning over the next week to two weeks (unless the rain takes care of it for you!) More watering will be required if the weather is warmer, dry, or windy.
- Water it quickly and frequently when the turf shows dryness, such as gaps, lifting, yellowing, or bending.
- Feeding
A well-fed lawn is a happy lawn.
- During the growth season, a mixed fertiliser with equal amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), and potassium (K) should be given every four to six weeks.
- Regarding the quantity, time, and application technique, always abide by the product’s guidelines. ‘Little but often’ maintenance can also aid in keeping your grass in top shape.
- Mowing
The timing of the first mow might vary based on what time of year you plant your grass, but generally, the grass should be groomed two weeks after installation.
- Wait till your new lawn has been established before giving in to the urge to make the first trim. Raising a corner will allow you to observe if the plants are well rooted in the dirt below.
- To prevent overstressing the grass, put the mower to its maximum setting for the initial cut.
- Frequently mow the grass, taking out no more than one-third of the height each time.
The cut level can be steadily maintained at an ideal height of between 15mm and 35mm after the lawn is thoroughly established. Gradually execute this and avoid any scalping.
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How Can I Find and Recruit Someone to Lay Turf?
Like other home tasks, it’s usually advisable to ask family, friends, and neighbours for referrals of recently utilised service providers. This will guarantee that you get a reputable expert on whose reputation someone is prepared to bet.
Searching databases like those maintained by the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) or the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) to locate your workers can be a fantastic choice if you have a complex structure laid out or using high price turf and want to make sure that it is dealt with proper care.
APL has a strict hiring procedure that includes annual inspections of all members to ensure their service is of the most excellent standard while following the health and safety regulations and carrying the most recent insurance.
BALI also assures the professional levels of gardening planners, landscaping architects, and vendors who are checked for compliance with health and safety laws, labour, and other criteria.
Ensuring the Professional Is the Perfect Fit
Asking tricky questions while receiving bids and scheduling your project is necessary, just like with any home task, to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises that cost you more than you expected.
Requesting a quote online is crucial so that you have a record of the terms in writing that you can consult later. If anybody quotes you orally over the phone, that’s ok. However, it’s best to practice getting a written quotation, so you have documentation of your mutual decision.
As with any work, it’s necessary to inquire about the labour’s experience. Have they worked on projects related to yours previously? Do they have experience installing meadow-grade turf or premium turf?
To ensure your demands and talents are in line, it’s crucial to learn these things before booking.
Therefore, requesting referrals is an intelligent step. Asking to view testimonials and samples of their prior work is crucial if the advice isn’t from a relative or friend to determine whether they meet up to the hype or whether their claims are only some marketing gimmicks and nothing more.
Likewise, anyone recruited through APL or BALI will arrive with their health & security insurance. However, it is essential to check the qualifications of someone not recruited through those database systems to ensure the proper compliance is in place just in case an accident occurs.
While the labourer is doing their job in your garden, ensure you’re not responsible for covering any damages.
Ask if the remaining waste pickup is included in the last step, which is also the easiest to forget. It is advisable to pose this question at the beginning, even if it may be disregarded as a by-product of what you want to do in your yard.
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The Bottomline
While you may find routinely mowing it during the summer a burden, the wonderful scent of freshly cut grass is its pleasure. Organic grass with nutritious soil below may be a paradise for bugs and other creepy-crawlies, encouraging birds, hedgehogs, and other animals to live on your lawn.
Turf installation is an expensive process. Make sure to cut corners wherever possible without compromising the overall quality. Natural grass also lets water enter freely, saving your lawn from a deposit of stagnant water that might threaten the structural integrity of your house.
Nevertheless, to keep it looking its best, a lawn has to be well-maintained, much like many other areas of your house. Therefore, you’ll probably need to mow your grass, water it, fertilise it, or take care of it at some point.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Turf:
- When should I mow for the first time after installation?
It usually takes a few weeks to settle in and grow new grounds into your garden’s topsoil, but once it has settled, you can start treating it routinely.
Usually, the first mowing may be done two to four weeks after the grass has been set. However, before cutting it, ensure the grass has fully rooted by pushing on it and seeing whether the turf lifts.
- What should be the watering routine for my new turf?
You should water it twice daily for the first two weeks while it settles in. It’s necessary to sustain the turf’s nutrition and urge the roots to expand. Nevertheless, be careful not to overwater; it should never get soggy.
- How long does good quality turf last?
The amount of time a well-cared-for lawn may last is unlimited. The grass is a highly robust plant that has evolved to endure harsh environments and temperatures.
Your lawn will endure forever if you keep up with routine mowing, watering, and fertilising, preventing the need to restore the grass. However, if you have installed low-quality turf in your garden and use it roughly, the turf’s lifespan might drop significantly.
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