Laying turf in your garden is a quick way to transform the look of a tired, unloved space. Unlike grass seed, turf gives an immediate overhaul – but, as with most quick fixes, comes with a higher price tag.
However, there are ways you can make re-turfing your garden work on a budget. This article will explain everything you need to know about saving money while giving your garden a makeover.
We’ll cover how much grass turf costs, what affects the cost of turf, how you can save money on new turf for your garden, how to choose the best turf for your garden, what’s involved in laying turf and how to find someone to lay turf.
Keep reading to find out how to turf your garden in the most cost-effective way.
Topics
How Much Does Grass Turf Cost?
The price of grass turf varies based on quality. Depending on your desired use – be that a lawn for children to play football on, or just a space to relax in after work with a glass of wine – the type of turf you’ll need will differ.
Below is a table of prices based on budget turf:
| Size | Turf Cost per Square Metre | Topsoil Quantity and Cost per Bulk Bag | Labour Costs per Day | Time Required | Total Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small garden (50 square metres) | £3 to £6.40 | 10 bulk bags @ £84 to £95 per bag | £100 to £200 | 2 days | £1,190 to £1,670 |
| Medium garden (75 square metres) | £2.60 to £5.30 | 15 bulk bags @ £84 to £95 per bag | £100 to £200 | 3 days | £1,755 to £2,422 |
| Large garden (125 square metres) | £3.12 to £5.60 | 25 bulk bags @ £84 to £95 per bag | £100 to £200 | 4 days | £2,890 to £3,875 |
Note: prices include VAT on materials, 5 per cent wastage, and delivery to London. Estimates are based on the cost of budget, hardwearing, and premium (or ornamental) turf. Topsoil estimates are based on a 15-centimetre-deep layer of topsoil from 750-litre bulk bags. Actual costs may vary according to your choice of materials, supplier, and location.
The more turf you order, the lower the cost per square metre, as many suppliers offer discounts based on volume. Which is great to know if you’re in two minds about covering a slightly larger space.
If you’re not able to lay your turf, HouseholdQuotes can help you find a reputable tradesman who will happily complete the job for you:
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Turf?
A few factors affect the cost of turf – which means there are a few ways to reduce the overall cost of your garden renovation.
Garden Size
First and foremost, the size of your garden will directly impact the cost of turf needed to cover it. The larger space, the more turf you’ll need to cover it.
But, a large garden doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be more expensive – keep reading to find out our suggestions for reducing costs on big gardens.
Garden Shape
Turf will be delivered in rectangular turves, making gardens with straight edges both easier to lay and more cost-effective as there’ll be less wastage than if you were cutting a curved design.
Quality of Turf
As we’ve mentioned, the quality of the turf will greatly affect the price of your garden makeover. The main types of turf are:
- Budget
- Hard-wearing
- Premium or ornamental
- Meadow or wildflower.
Below is a table detailing the differing prices for turf, from budget through to premium:
| Turf Type | Small Garden (50 square metres) | Medium Garden (75 square metres) | Large Garden (125 square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget turf | £150 to £275 | £200 to £350 | £390 to £450 |
| Hardwearing turf | £175 to £300 | £220 to £380 | £400 to £530 |
| Premium or ornamental turf | £180 to £320 | £240 to £400 | £420 to £740 |
| Meadow or wildflower turf | £880 to £1,100 | £1,200 to £1,500 | £2,100 to £2,500 |
Prices include VAT, 5% wastage, and delivery to London. Actual costs may vary according to your choice of materials, supplier, and location.
Figuring out the type of turf you want can take time, but it’s worth the investment to cut down on price per square metre by going for a more cost-effective option, suited to your garden’s needs.
For most family gardens, a budget turf is a great option as it’s hard-wearing and fairly low-maintenance at around £200 to £350 for a medium-sized garden of 75 square metres.
Topsoil
An inescapable cost, before laying your turf you need to make sure there are at least 15 centimetres of good quality topsoil for the turves to root into.
An easy way to tell if your soil is of a good standard is to do a visual check – if it’s deep brown and has small stones you’ve got a good base.
If your soil is ashy, sandy and has a lot of small stones in it, you’ll need to do some preparation work to make the space habitable for turf, potentially using more topsoil.
Fertiliser
Once your turf is down, fertiliser must be applied every four to six weeks during spring, summer and early autumn to give the turves the nutrients they need to bed.
Watering
Less expensive in monetary value, but high in time is ensuring your new turf is well watered.
It’s suggested you water the grass twice a day for the first week, two to three times a week during weeks two and three, then finally dropping down to once a week during weeks four to six, early in the morning and evening, and not at midday.
Skip Hire
Preparing your garden before laying turf might require you to hire a skip.
You’ll need to scrape away the existing lawn and remove all stones and soil clods from the area. The soil then needs to be compacted into a perfectly flat, stable foundation, which often requires hiring a roller.
How Can I Save Money on New Turf for My Garden?
Lay The Grass Yourself
One of the easiest ways to keep costs down is to do the work yourself.
Laying grass is simple, and is similar to laying carpet. All you have to do is roll out the strips of turf, butt them together firmly, and trim off anything that overhangs your desired lawn shape.
Try Space-Saving Hacks
If you can’t stretch your budget to lay a lawn on the entirety of your space, consider increasing the size of your flowerbeds. Flowerbeds will bulk out the edges of your garden, making a smaller area for turf – and will add a pop of colour when in bloom.
Similarly, adding in decking, an area of gravel or a patio to connect your backdoor to your grass is a good option to give an area for entertaining. Not only will it keep your re-turfing costs down, but you won’t have so much mowing, either!
Experiment With Different Shapes
Squares and rectangles don’t require as much foresight as more organic shapes like ovals or circles, helping to reduce time spent on labour and the cost of the turf itself. As turves come in rectangular shapes, anything with a curve will naturally leave you with cut-offs and discarded pieces, which can be wasteful if covering a large area.
Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk can keep things cheap, so make sure you get all your grass in one go, rather than doing a little at a time. This method pays off if you’re re-turfing both your back and front garden at the same time.
Measure Carefully
A common mistake is to order too much grass and end up with excess that has to be thrown away. If you don’t measure correctly, you’ll end up paying for grass that ends up on the compost heap.
If you’ve decided to opt for a simple shape, such as a square, measuring and calculating the amount of turf you’ll need is relatively simple.
If you have a more organic shape, the process becomes harder. One of the simplest ways to calculate these areas is to add an imaginary box around the shape and use those measurements.
Click To Get QuotesHow Do I Choose the Best Turf for My Garden?
The first thing to consider when choosing the type of turf for your garden is your intended use for the space itself. If you have children who like to play football or pets who like to run around, you’ll want a hard-wearing turf, and nothing decorative.
Advantages of Budget Turf:
- The most economical option for family gardens
- Robust enough for average levels of wear and use
- Great for those on a tight budget
Disadvantages of Budget Turf:
- Isn’t as high-quality as more expensive options
- Lower-quality grade of turf
Advantages of Hardwearing Turf:
- Suitable for high-wear from children, pets and sports without compromising the turf
Disadvantages of Hardwearing Turf:
- Slightly more expensive than budget options
Advantages of Premium/Ornamental Turf:
- Polished, pedicured and smart appearance which is hard to capture in budget turf
- Great for those willing to spend many hours in their garden, happy to mow at least once a week
Disadvantages of Premium/Ornamental Turf:
- High-maintenance, needing to be mowed often
- Golf course or bowling green type turfs need professional maintenance
Advantages of Wildflower/Meadow Turf:
- Gives a beautiful, wild finish to a large space
- Offers great biodiversity and a natural habitat for a range of species – including bees!
- Low-maintenance, needing no mowing
Disadvantages of Wildflower/Meadow Turf:
- Considerably more expensive when compared to budget turf
- Might not be popular with everyone instead of a more traditional, pedicured garden lawn.
What’s Involved in Laying Turf?
Whether you’ve decided to lay the new turf yourself or get in a professional to do it for you, the steps will be the same:
- Choose your type of turf based on your garden’s space and your needs (a family space; an entertaining space; a hard-wearing space)
- Measure the area, accounting for 5% contingency caused by cutting turves into different shapes
- Prepare the underlying ground by digging out weeds and removing large stones
- Apply fertiliser, and spread topsoil ready for the turves to root into, choosing general-purpose or premium over economy where possible
- Level the topsoil
- Lay the turf by staggering each piece like brickwork, avoiding any gaps. If you need to extend a piece of turf by using an offcut, always lay the offcut in between the two larger pieces of turf to ensure the smaller piece doesn’t die
- Water thoroughly
- Don’t walk on the grass for two to three weeks. Use wooden planks if you can’t avoid it, as this will more evenly distribute the weight – but don’t leave the planks on the grass
- Mow once the turf is firmly rooted into the topsoil—if you gently tug at a part of the turf, it should stay stuck to the ground. If it lifts, the roots aren’t strong enough and you should wait before mowing.
Time is of the essence when laying turf, and it’s ideal to lay the turves on the same day they’re delivered to you to keep the grass alive and to give it the best chance of survival.
If you can’t lay on the same day, roll out the turves so they can still get sunlight as a lack of this kills cut grass, and lay it as soon as you can the following day.
How Do I Find and Hire Someone to Lay Turf?
As with most household jobs, it’s always best to get recommendations from family, friends and neighbours for workmen they’ve recently used. This will ensure you get a trusted professional, who someone is willing to stake their reputation.
If you’re having a complex pattern laid or are using premium turf and want to ensure it is handled with expert care, search databases like the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) or the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) to find your workmen can be a great option.
The APL has a rigorous selection process that requires all members to be inspected annually to ensure their work is of the highest quality possible while complying with health and safety law, and with up-to-date insurance.
BALI similarly ensures the highest standard from garden designers and landscape contractors, as well as suppliers, who are vetted against standards including workmanship, skill, and health and safety compliance.
Using HouseholdQuotes can help to save you both time and money on your tradesman search.
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
As with any household job, you must ask specific questions while getting quotes and booking in your job to ensure there are no nasty surprises to cost you extra than planned.
Asking for a written quote is important so you have a physical copy of terms you can refer back to. It’s all well and good if someone quotes you verbally over the phone, but it’s best practice to ask for a written quote to have as evidence of your agreement.
Like any job, asking for a tradesman’s experience is an important step. Have they tackled similar projects to yours before? Are they experts in premium turf or in laying meadow-grade? It’s important to find out these things before you book someone in to ensure you’ve got the right alignment of your needs and their skills.
Similarly, asking for references is a great move. If the recommendation isn’t coming from word of mouth from a friend or neighbour, asking to see references and examples of their previous work is essential to see if they live up to your expectations – or, if their claims are just that: claims.
As with anyone hired through APL or BALI, they will come with their health and safety insurance, but it’s best to check the credentials of anyone not hired through those databases to make sure the right compliancy is in place in the event an accident happens while working on your garden, to ensure you’re not culpable to cover any damages.
Finally, and easily forgotten – asking if rubbish removal is included. It can be overlooked as a by-product of what you want to be done in your garden, but it’s good to ask this question in the first instance.
If skip hire and removal is included in your quote, this will save you from the hard labour of removing old turf and debris yourself; but it’s something you can look to save on if you’re not afraid of some heavy lifting.
Final Checklist
Re-turfing your garden can seem like an expensive job, but by making savvy shape choices, increasing the size of your flowerbeds or opting to lay the turves yourself, you can make a garden makeover work on a budget.
Here’s our final checklist to make sure everything is taken care of when completing your job:
- Choose your type of turf depending on the size of your space and your intended use
- Settle on the design of your garden that fits your budget (choosing straight lines instead of curves, or allowing for larger flowerbeds to cut down the cost of turf)
- Measure the area you want the turf to be laid, taking into consideration any organic shapes and adding a 5% contingency onto the amount in case of errors
- Gather quotes if using a professional, asking key questions (waste removal, experience, references, insurance), using
- HouseholdQuotes to help you save up to 40%
- Prepare the ground by removing old turf, large stones and weeds
- Laying fertiliser and at least 15 centimetres of topsoil, compacted down
- Lay the turf like brickwork, butting edges together and firmly pressing them until the joins are invisible
- Water, and then avoid walking on the grass for 2 to 3 weeks
- Mow the grass once it’s firmly rooted, checking by pulling the strands.
Re-turfing a garden is something you can do yourself, but if you’d like to take the pressure off and have a professional take care of it for you, using HouseholdQuotes can help to save you up to 40% if you’re working to a tight budget and need to make the most cost-effective decision.
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
How Do I Calculate How Much Turf I Need?
What Is the Best Time of Year to Lay Turf?
Why Are There Mushrooms Growing on My New Lawn?
My New Turf Is Turning Brown. Should I Worry?
Fixing this isn’t hard. Using fertiliser, you can re-stimulate the growth. Following a guide like this will help.
What Are the Alternatives to Grass Turf?
But, if you don’t want the upkeep of live grass, but want the look of it, artificial grass is an option. Coming in a variety of grades much like natural grass, you can pick a length, texture and colour to suit your wants.
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