Cost guide
How much does turfing cost?
£10 to £30 a square metre supplied and laid covers most of Britain, with about £18 the usual figure. London and the South East run £15 to £38. Almost all of that spread is groundwork rather than turf, which accounts for only £3 to £10 of it. A new lawn of 50 square metres outside London comes to £500 to £1,500.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your garden.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Turf supplied only, budget to hard wearing | £3 to £10 a square metre |
| Supplied and laid, rest of the UK | £10 to £30 a square metre |
| London and the South East, laid | £15 to £38 a square metre |
| New lawn of 50 square metres outside London | £500 to £1,500 |
| Stripping the old lawn and relevelling | about £20 a square metre |
| Old turf carted away | £20 to £50 |
Advertised rates start as low as £3.49 a square metre, so ask whether a rate covers laying as well as the turf. The all in figure runs from about £10 a square metre up to £30, and almost the whole gap is groundwork rather than grass.
What moves the price
- Measured area, priced per square metre, with the rate easing a little on larger jobs.
- Ground condition, where a full strip out and relevel adds roughly £20 a square metre.
- Imported loam at £45 to £135 a cubic metre wherever existing soil is thin or full of rubble.
- Turf grade, from £3 a square metre for budget up to £10 for hard wearing rye.
- Access, since turf arrives on pallets weighing close to a tonne and barrowing through a house is slow.
Who quotes for it
703 of the 4,012 gardeners listed on this site take on turfing.
Where most of them are: Chelmsford (20), Colchester (18), Leeds (17), Basingstoke (17), York (15).
Questions about turfing
How long before it can be walked on?
Three weeks in growing weather and longer through winter. Test it by lifting a corner: if the roots hold on, it has knitted. Children and dogs are better kept off for six weeks, and the first cut should take the tips only.
Is seed cheaper than turf?
Considerably, at £8 to £30 a kilo for seed against £15 to £30 a square metre for turf laid. Seed also roots more deeply in the long run. It needs a full growing season and no foot traffic, which is hard to arrange in a garden that is in daily use.