Turfing & New Lawns in York

A new lawn is ninety per cent groundwork. Strip the old one out, get the levels right, break up the compaction underneath and the turf will knit in within a fortnight. Roll it out over a bumpy surface and you will be looking at those bumps for the next ten years.

Call 07368 641360

Preparation

What happens before the turf arrives

The old lawn is stripped off rather than rotavated in, because chopping up couch grass and weed roots just plants them evenly across your new lawn. Once it is off, the ground gets rotavated to break the pan that builds up under an old lawn, and any hollows are filled with fresh topsoil.

Then it is levelled, trodden or rolled to firm it, and raked back out to a fine tilth with a pre-turfing feed worked in. Only when that surface is right does the turf get ordered, because cultivated turf wants to be laid within a day of being cut.

Rolls are laid tight in a broken bond, like brickwork, so there are no continuous joints to open up. Edges are cut in against beds and paths with a half moon, and the whole lawn is rolled to make sure the roots are in contact with the soil.

Included

Old lawn stripped and removed. Turf, weed and root taken off site rather than buried.
Rotavating and de-compaction. Breaking the hard pan so roots can get down into the soil.
Screened topsoil where needed. To fill hollows and build up thin areas before levelling.
Levelling and firming. The stage that decides whether your mower scalps the high spots.
Fresh cultivated turf. Delivered on the day it is laid, in broken bond, then rolled in.
Shaped edges cut in. Curves and straights cut clean against paving, beds and paths.

Recent lawns

Around York

Lawn & deck

Full makeover

Front lawn

Common questions

Turfing questions

How much does it cost to turf a garden?

Supplied and laid including full ground preparation, new turf usually works out between £18 and £30 per square metre. A 100 square metre back garden lawn therefore lands somewhere around £1,800 to £3,000. The variable is nearly always what has to come out first and how much topsoil is needed to correct the levels.

When is the best time to lay turf?

Autumn and spring are ideal, because the ground is warm and damp and the turf knits in with very little watering. Turf can be laid at any time of year other than when the ground is frozen, but a summer lawn needs watering thoroughly every day for the first few weeks, which is the main thing that goes wrong.

How soon can we walk on it?

Keep off it properly for two to three weeks, and after that use it lightly. You can check whether it has taken by lifting a corner of a roll. If it resists, the roots are into the soil. The first cut should be on the highest mower setting, taking no more than a third off the leaf.

Can you turf over an existing lawn?

No. Laying new turf on top of old grass leaves a layer of decaying material between the new roots and the soil, so the lawn never roots properly and dries out at the first hot spell. The old lawn always comes off first.

Is laying turf a DIY job?

Laying turf itself is straightforward for most people once the ground is properly prepared, which is the part that is easy to underestimate. Stripping the old lawn, breaking up compaction and getting the levels right takes more effort than it looks, and skipping that stage is the most common reason a new lawn ends up bumpy or patchy within a season.

How do I choose the right turfing contractor?

Ask how the old lawn will be removed rather than just chopped up, since rotavating old grass straight into the soil is a shortcut that causes problems later. Fresh turf should be ordered to arrive on the day it is laid rather than sitting cut for several days, so it is worth asking how quickly after cutting the turf will go down.

What to expect

Before any of that starts

A free site visit and written quote set out the ground preparation, topsoil and turf involved before anything is ordered. Old turf, weeds and roots are taken away rather than left in a pile. Fresh turf is ordered to arrive on the day it goes down, and the garden is left tidy with clear guidance on watering and the first cut.

Why DH Hardscapes

Why Choose DH Hardscapes for Your Lawn

Old Lawn Properly Stripped

Old turf is stripped off and taken away, never rotavated into the ground, which only chops up weed roots and couch grass and replants them evenly through the bed the new lawn is meant to grow in.

Ground Prepared Like a Seedbed

Rotavating to break the compaction, levelling, and topsoil where hollows need filling all happen before the turf is even ordered, not squeezed in afterwards once the grass has already arrived and is waiting to go down.

Fresh-Cut Turf, Laid Same Day

Fresh turf is ordered to be cut and delivered on the day it goes down, not left sitting on a pallet for a few days losing moisture and quality before it ever touches the prepared ground.

Want a new lawn?

Free site visit, written quote, no obligation.

07368 641360 Send a message