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Why Install Sod?Even if you have beautiful your plants, elegant ground cover, great lighting accents, and a stunning outdoor living space, no landscape is complete with healthy turf. We've found that approximately 50% of customers have healthy turf in both their front and back yard, and even fewer have the ideal turf for their landscape. Installing sod is an instantaneous fix to a boring lawn that is damaged or unhealthy.
Types of SodBermuda
Bermuda is the most common turf in North Georgia. It's tough, and can handle lots of foot traffic. However, this warm season grass struggles with anything less than 6 hours of sun. Tiff-tuff Bermuda is a superior variety of Bermuda. It is both more shade tolerant and drought tolerant than standard Bermuda. Zoysia Zoysia can handle full sun just as well as Bermuda, and it also holds up well to foot traffic. It is a warm season grass, and most varieties of Zoysia require little maintenance. The biggest upside Zoysia has over Bermuda is shade tolerance. Most varieties only require 4 hours of sun. Fescue Fescue has much different growth habits and maintenance requirements than Bermuda and Zoysia. It struggles in North Georgia heat, but it thrives in early spring and late fall when other grasses are dormant. The biggest plus of Fescue is its superior shade tolerance to every other grass. However, there are some downsides. Fescue struggles without proper irrigation in the summer, and it must be over seeded every year to fix any damages in the lawn. *visit www.supersod.com for detailed photos and info on different types of sod |
Planning
Zoysia, Fescue, or Bermuda? What variety of your selected grass? How many square feet do you need? What day(s) will the weather be optimal for your preparation and installation? How will you irrigate the sod once it is installed? All of these questions must be answered before the sod is even ordered. Check out our design and build page for details on design.
Preparation
Like so much in landscaping, preparation is key. It starts by calling 811 and getting all utilities marked, so that any damages to cable, internet, power, water, and gas can be avoided. Next, property lines and sod borders should be marked, ensuring that everything that will be sodded will be prepped - but area that should not be disturbed is left alone.
If there is existing turf, mulch, straw, roots, or anything of the like it must be removed. If it's only a small amount of material it can sometimes be tilled into the soil. However, if there is a large amount of material it must be removed.
Once the proper area is marked and unwanted material is out of the picture, soil should be graded to remove any low spots, high spots, or uneven areas. Also, dirt levels need to be approximately 1" below all hardscape surfaces (patios, sidewalks, driveways), so that the sod is at the correct height once installed. We also make sure to plan any swells or changes in grade that need to be made for proper water drainage. Once the grade is set, we move on to hand preparation.
Machinery normally won't be able to level soil perfectly. Therefore, everything is hand raked to get soil as smooth and level as possible. This is the last step in preparing for sod installation.
Delivery
We only install sod that is cut to order. That means, our sod farms cut sod within 24 hours of delivery. This ensures that all sod is delivered in a healthy condition. We schedule our delivery dates and quantities in such a way that all sod can be installed the day it arrives. This means that for larger sod jobs all the preparation is done before the delivery. And for extraordinarily large sod jobs, sod deliveries may be broken up into multiple days.
Installation
If preparation is done properly, sod installation is a snap. We make a sod border along the outer edge of the installation location, so that cuts are not made on the outer edges of the sod. This results in a better appearance and more durable sod. We stagger the sod joints, so that water cannot channel through and undermine the sod. And as we install sod we use a rake to fix any imperfections in the grade.
Watering
Sod must be watered quickly, especially in the summer. For larger installs, we water as we are installing the sod, ensuring that the sod is not drying out. For all sod installs, we water the sod in once it has all be laid down.
Rolling
Once sod has been installed, we pull a weighted roller over the sod. This gives roots firm contact with the ground below it, and further perfects the level of the lawn.
Zoysia, Fescue, or Bermuda? What variety of your selected grass? How many square feet do you need? What day(s) will the weather be optimal for your preparation and installation? How will you irrigate the sod once it is installed? All of these questions must be answered before the sod is even ordered. Check out our design and build page for details on design.
Preparation
Like so much in landscaping, preparation is key. It starts by calling 811 and getting all utilities marked, so that any damages to cable, internet, power, water, and gas can be avoided. Next, property lines and sod borders should be marked, ensuring that everything that will be sodded will be prepped - but area that should not be disturbed is left alone.
If there is existing turf, mulch, straw, roots, or anything of the like it must be removed. If it's only a small amount of material it can sometimes be tilled into the soil. However, if there is a large amount of material it must be removed.
Once the proper area is marked and unwanted material is out of the picture, soil should be graded to remove any low spots, high spots, or uneven areas. Also, dirt levels need to be approximately 1" below all hardscape surfaces (patios, sidewalks, driveways), so that the sod is at the correct height once installed. We also make sure to plan any swells or changes in grade that need to be made for proper water drainage. Once the grade is set, we move on to hand preparation.
Machinery normally won't be able to level soil perfectly. Therefore, everything is hand raked to get soil as smooth and level as possible. This is the last step in preparing for sod installation.
Delivery
We only install sod that is cut to order. That means, our sod farms cut sod within 24 hours of delivery. This ensures that all sod is delivered in a healthy condition. We schedule our delivery dates and quantities in such a way that all sod can be installed the day it arrives. This means that for larger sod jobs all the preparation is done before the delivery. And for extraordinarily large sod jobs, sod deliveries may be broken up into multiple days.
Installation
If preparation is done properly, sod installation is a snap. We make a sod border along the outer edge of the installation location, so that cuts are not made on the outer edges of the sod. This results in a better appearance and more durable sod. We stagger the sod joints, so that water cannot channel through and undermine the sod. And as we install sod we use a rake to fix any imperfections in the grade.
Watering
Sod must be watered quickly, especially in the summer. For larger installs, we water as we are installing the sod, ensuring that the sod is not drying out. For all sod installs, we water the sod in once it has all be laid down.
Rolling
Once sod has been installed, we pull a weighted roller over the sod. This gives roots firm contact with the ground below it, and further perfects the level of the lawn.
Pricing
Of course, there are many variables that will change pricing. For example, a one pallet sod job that requires tilling, and removing dirt that must be done by hand will be more expensive per square foot than a 50 pallet sod job with full machine access.
Common variables include:
- size of install (bigger is cheaper per square foot)
- type of sod
- preparation required
- machine access
Labor Cost
Labor for sod installation begins at $100 per pallet (450-500 square feet depending on sod type). However, the average labor charge per pallet of sod is $225.
Average by Pallet Quantity:
1-5 --> $250 per pallet
6-10 --> $225
11-15 --> $200
16-20 --> $175
21+ --> $150
*pricing is an estimation based on average installs, variables will cause some installs will be more and some less than the advertised average pricing
Material Cost
We use two sod farms. They both provide excellent quality sod. However, one supplier carries "blue tag sod," which is inspected and certified by third party turf experts. They ensure that sod is free of weeds, weed seed, and is in excellent condition.
Bermuda: $155 (500 square foot pallet)
Blue Tag Tiff-tuff Bermuda: $190 (500 square foot pallet)
Emerald Green and Palisades Zoysia: $260 (450 square foot pallet)
Zeon Zoysia: $315 (500 square foot pallet)
Blue Tag Zeon Zoysia: $360 (500 square foot pallet)
Delivery: $150
Pricing Example
On average, a 5,000 square foot sod job with Tiff-tuff Bermuda would cost $4,300 (10 pallets that cost $190 + 10 pallets of labor at $225 + $150 delivery = $4,300).
The same job with Blue Tag Zeon Zoysia would cost $6,000.
Common variables include:
- size of install (bigger is cheaper per square foot)
- type of sod
- preparation required
- machine access
Labor Cost
Labor for sod installation begins at $100 per pallet (450-500 square feet depending on sod type). However, the average labor charge per pallet of sod is $225.
Average by Pallet Quantity:
1-5 --> $250 per pallet
6-10 --> $225
11-15 --> $200
16-20 --> $175
21+ --> $150
*pricing is an estimation based on average installs, variables will cause some installs will be more and some less than the advertised average pricing
Material Cost
We use two sod farms. They both provide excellent quality sod. However, one supplier carries "blue tag sod," which is inspected and certified by third party turf experts. They ensure that sod is free of weeds, weed seed, and is in excellent condition.
Bermuda: $155 (500 square foot pallet)
Blue Tag Tiff-tuff Bermuda: $190 (500 square foot pallet)
Emerald Green and Palisades Zoysia: $260 (450 square foot pallet)
Zeon Zoysia: $315 (500 square foot pallet)
Blue Tag Zeon Zoysia: $360 (500 square foot pallet)
Delivery: $150
Pricing Example
On average, a 5,000 square foot sod job with Tiff-tuff Bermuda would cost $4,300 (10 pallets that cost $190 + 10 pallets of labor at $225 + $150 delivery = $4,300).
The same job with Blue Tag Zeon Zoysia would cost $6,000.
