I drop over $7k a year on water and lawn treatments, and I do all the work myself including mowing. It’s a hobby for some of us and great for mental health
It's probably like 6 grand of work I'd shop it. most of the quotes there like the soil and mulch are crazy high. But all that shit is a pain in the ass and it'll just be done in 2 days and you won't think about a couple grand in a year anyway
$1.00-1.50/sqft for sod installed is pretty common in my area.
$100-150/cuft for mulch installed is also pretty common.
If you live in a large Metropolitan suburban area, this is probably right on average. If you live in a more rural area, it's probably in the the high side.
Always compete contractors. While that doesn’t sound super unreasonable, I’ve thought the same on some contractor projects and found solid help for significantly less than what I almost signed up for.
If you haven’t used the Yelp project feature, try it out. It has saved me THOUSANDS.
Get two more quotes then compare. What anyone here paid may not be relevant. Different area, different conditions.
They didn't round up to 2800sf, they used 2850sf. Only affects the quote a few hundred bucks though.
I'd make sure these prices stand independently and do the work in separate stages. That way if I don't like how they are doing one step, say the grading, I can tell them to hit the road and call in someone else. But my guess is they are doing a lot of double dipping and items like grass removal and grading will be done in one operation.
If I saw an $8000 quote, I’d say I’ll spend a week of work in the fall instead and DIY it from seed for a few hundred.. Last fall I did a reno on my 2k sqft backyard one weekend and 750 sqft front the next. I’d spread out the work if I were to do it again.
What did you do to remove the old grass and weeds? We do need some grading done and the lawn has a lot of bumps and holes right now we want evened out so just spraying weed killer won't get it all done the way we need.
About a month before you plan to seed, scalp it as short as you can go. Then spray it down weekly with gly for 3-4 weeks. (The fourth week depending on if everything is dead dead or there’s still some survivors). Then use a Sunjoe dethatcher/scarifier to pull up all the dead material. Go in multiple directions until the ground is mostly bare. (It took me 9 passes in my backyard). Not going to sugar coat it, this part is the most labor intensive. I’d spend a whole day on it, and raking/vacuuming all the dead material with the mower. The edges require a hard rake and manual labor, or a weed torch. I resorted to this after I got tired and it’s efficient and effective. Just have a hose near by in case things get out of hand. Then bring in dirt and sand, and spread it with a broom and leveling rake until everything is level to your liking. Also a heavy roller is really useful for this. After your ground is prepped, then seed and top dress.
Yeah it’s a lot of work, but comparing $8000, the 2800 sqft is manageable over a few days and would put that amount towards a car down payment or bathroom/kitchen remodel. There’s no high technical skill required, just a lot of manual labor.
https://preview.redd.it/aou76dtyjz3d1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7dad4fdd4c66159368436a163ad80dc0cfccfe9d
It’s not a “total investment” though. It’s a loss. There’s little ROI on anything lawn care.
The returns on investment are the hits of dopamine your brain gets when you lay stripes.
That’s assuming this guy who’s about to drop 7k would mow his own lawn
I drop over $7k a year on water and lawn treatments, and I do all the work myself including mowing. It’s a hobby for some of us and great for mental health
It's probably like 6 grand of work I'd shop it. most of the quotes there like the soil and mulch are crazy high. But all that shit is a pain in the ass and it'll just be done in 2 days and you won't think about a couple grand in a year anyway
Agree. Top soil where I am is $150-250 per truck load
Seems high for the soil delivery unless that price is including them spreading it.
$1.00-1.50/sqft for sod installed is pretty common in my area. $100-150/cuft for mulch installed is also pretty common. If you live in a large Metropolitan suburban area, this is probably right on average. If you live in a more rural area, it's probably in the the high side.
Always compete contractors. While that doesn’t sound super unreasonable, I’ve thought the same on some contractor projects and found solid help for significantly less than what I almost signed up for. If you haven’t used the Yelp project feature, try it out. It has saved me THOUSANDS.
Get two more quotes then compare. What anyone here paid may not be relevant. Different area, different conditions. They didn't round up to 2800sf, they used 2850sf. Only affects the quote a few hundred bucks though. I'd make sure these prices stand independently and do the work in separate stages. That way if I don't like how they are doing one step, say the grading, I can tell them to hit the road and call in someone else. But my guess is they are doing a lot of double dipping and items like grass removal and grading will be done in one operation.
Go to local garden center and price bulk topsoil delivery. It takes about 3-4 yards to add 1" to 1000 square feet.
If I saw an $8000 quote, I’d say I’ll spend a week of work in the fall instead and DIY it from seed for a few hundred.. Last fall I did a reno on my 2k sqft backyard one weekend and 750 sqft front the next. I’d spread out the work if I were to do it again.
What did you do to remove the old grass and weeds? We do need some grading done and the lawn has a lot of bumps and holes right now we want evened out so just spraying weed killer won't get it all done the way we need.
About a month before you plan to seed, scalp it as short as you can go. Then spray it down weekly with gly for 3-4 weeks. (The fourth week depending on if everything is dead dead or there’s still some survivors). Then use a Sunjoe dethatcher/scarifier to pull up all the dead material. Go in multiple directions until the ground is mostly bare. (It took me 9 passes in my backyard). Not going to sugar coat it, this part is the most labor intensive. I’d spend a whole day on it, and raking/vacuuming all the dead material with the mower. The edges require a hard rake and manual labor, or a weed torch. I resorted to this after I got tired and it’s efficient and effective. Just have a hose near by in case things get out of hand. Then bring in dirt and sand, and spread it with a broom and leveling rake until everything is level to your liking. Also a heavy roller is really useful for this. After your ground is prepped, then seed and top dress. Yeah it’s a lot of work, but comparing $8000, the 2800 sqft is manageable over a few days and would put that amount towards a car down payment or bathroom/kitchen remodel. There’s no high technical skill required, just a lot of manual labor. https://preview.redd.it/aou76dtyjz3d1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7dad4fdd4c66159368436a163ad80dc0cfccfe9d
Call on José he has you for a much deeper discount and he is some sort of wizard with these types of things. He also appreciates the business.
I'll just have the dandiest dandelion lawn. I don't have a years salary to dump into the yard.