New-Build Sod Installation & Drainage Bed
Fresh sod and a river-rock drainage border installed for a newly built home, from bare graded dirt to a finished lawn.
After
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What the job involved.
Every project is planned and executed step by step. Here’s what this sod & lawn project included.
- Remove construction debris and rough grade
- Install topsoil and fine grade to finished level
- Lay premium sod
- Build a river-rock drainage border along the treeline
- Provide written aftercare guide
What goes into a new lawn like this
It starts below the grass
A lawn is only as good as what's under it. Before any sod is unrolled the existing surface is stripped, the grade is reshaped so water runs away from the house rather than toward it, and the soil is loosened so roots have something to knit into. Sod laid over compacted subsoil looks perfect for two weeks and then thins out.
Grading is the part that lasts
Most lawn problems that show up years later are grading problems, not grass problems. Low spots hold water, water kills grass and freezes against foundations, and no amount of fertilizer fixes a slope running the wrong way. Getting the fall right while the ground is open is far cheaper than correcting it afterwards.
Fresh sod, laid tight
Sod is a perishable crop. It's cut at the farm and needs to go down quickly, laid with tight seams and staggered joints so the edges don't dry out and open up. On slopes it's pinned. The first watering happens before we leave the site.
What drives the cost and timeline
Every property is different, which is why we quote after seeing the site rather than from a price list. These are the things that move the number most on this kind of work.
- Square footage, and whether machinery can reach the area or it has to be barrowed by hand
- How much existing surface has to be stripped and hauled away
- Whether the grade needs reshaping or just levelling
- How much topsoil the site needs brought in
- Drainage work, if water is currently sitting somewhere it shouldn't
- Access — narrow side yards and fenced back gardens take longer than open frontage
Questions we get asked
How long before we can walk on it?
Light foot traffic is usually fine after about two weeks, once the roots have started knitting into the soil below. Keep heavy use and pets off it for the first month if you can.
When will it stop looking like separate strips?
Seams typically disappear within three to four weeks in good growing conditions, faster in the warm soil of early fall. Consistent watering is what closes them; letting the edges dry is what keeps them visible.
Do we need to do anything before you arrive?
Mark any irrigation, invisible fencing or private lines we wouldn't know about, and make sure there's access to an outdoor tap. We handle locates for public utilities.
Services involved in this project
Planning something similar in Fergus? These are the services this build drew on.
Sod Installation
A thick, healthy lawn — installed in a single day.
Learn moreAeration & Seeding
Revive compacted, thin, or patchy lawns.
Learn moreDrainage Solutions
Stop water problems before they damage your property.
Learn moreThis work was done in Fergus. See everything we do in Fergus and the surrounding area.
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