Cost guide
How much does lawn scarifying cost?
£55 to £240 covers scarification on a domestic lawn, set by area and by how much moss is sitting in it. A lawn of 100 square metres comes in at £55 to £95, while 300 square metres runs £135 to £175. Aeration is priced on its own, from £30 for spiking up to £220 for hollow tine coring.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your room.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Scarifying a lawn of about 100 square metres | £55 to £95 |
| Lawn of about 300 square metres, scarified | £135 to £175 |
| Lawn thick with moss, two passes and clearing | £200 to £240 |
| Spiking with solid tines, 200 square metres | £40 to £60 |
| Hollow tine coring, 200 square metres | £145 to £190 |
| Overseeding after the machine work | £25 to £160 |
Thatch removal is the usual omission, and on a mossy lawn it is £50 to £200 of real work. Published overseeding prices also swing from £25 to £160, because some guides cost a light scatter over bare patches and others a full pass with a seeder at 35 grams a square metre.
What moves the price
- Moss density decides how many passes the machine makes and how many barrows come off the lawn.
- Measured area matters, since quotes step up at roughly 100, 200 and 300 square metres.
- Hollow tine coring costs around £100 more than solid tine spiking on the same ground.
- Overseeding and dressing added at the same visit push the total up by £60 to £340.
- Thatch removal, at £50 to £200, depending on volume and whether a garden waste bin is available.
Who quotes for it
Questions about lawn scarifying
Why does the lawn look wrecked afterwards?
Scarification is designed to pull out everything dead between the grass plants, which on a neglected lawn is most of what you could see. Recovery takes three to six weeks in growing weather. Overseeding at the same visit closes the gaps faster.
How much thatch comes off?
Several barrow loads from a mossy lawn of 200 square metres, and it is heavy because it holds water. Removal is quoted at £50 to £200. Some gardeners will bag it and leave it for your council collection instead, which is cheaper if you have a garden waste bin.