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.

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:

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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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:

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.

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.

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.

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:

The following table lists the range of grass pricing, from cheap to high price:

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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:

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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:

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.

The ground must be solid but not compressed, and the floor must also be flat for installing turf.

Your area should be completely ready for the lawn by this point.

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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 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.

A well-fed lawn is a happy lawn.

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.

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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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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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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