How much does sod installation cost in Dallas-Fort Worth?

The short answer

Installed sod from Sod Friend starts at $850 a pallet in Dallas-Fort Worth, and each pallet covers 450 square feet. The price goes up from there with the grass you pick and the prep your yard needs. If you buy the sod only and lay it yourself, you pay the published pallet price for your variety plus delivery, which runs $95 to $250 depending on your address and fuel.

These are our own current prices, read from the same list that runs our sod pages and the estimate cart. They are not averages pulled from other websites. Prices change with farm and fuel costs, so the written quote for your address is the final number.

Sod-only prices do not include delivery. Installed prices are quoted per pallet, not per square foot, because prep work varies from one yard to the next.

What an installed price includes

An installed price covers the sod, laying, and rolling, plus the lawn prep the yard needs: stripping old turf, grading, topsoil, and haul-away. The grass you pick and the prep the yard needs are why installed prices start at $850 a pallet and go up from there; a yard that needs no prep lands at the bottom. A pallet drop is just the pallet.

That last line matters when you compare quotes. A low number from one company may be a pallet drop with no labor, or it may leave out removal and haul-away. Ask any company you compare to list the same items: the sod, the laying and rolling, the removal of the old lawn, grading, topsoil, and haul-away.

What moves the price up

Two things set where your installed price lands above the starting figure: the grass and the prep.

The grass. Pallet prices differ by family and by variety. Here is where each family starts on our current list:

• Bermuda: from $269 a pallet (Tifway 419 Bermuda), up to $309.
• Zoysia: from $375 a pallet (Empire Zoysia), up to $380.
• St. Augustine: from $259 a pallet (Raleigh St. Augustine), up to $359.

St. Augustine has the widest spread, so the cost of St. Augustine grass in Fort Worth depends heavily on the variety you choose. Zoysia sits at the top of the list across all of its varieties. If you are still choosing, our Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia comparison matches each grass to sun, shade, and traffic before you compare prices.

The prep. A yard that is already bare, level, and loose costs the least to install. These jobs add to the price:

• Removing the old lawn. Living grass, weeds, and thick thatch come out before new sod goes down. New sod needs contact with prepared soil, not a layer of old turf.
• Grading. Low spots, ruts, and ground that slopes toward the house get corrected first.
• Topsoil. Hard clay and compacted builder pads may need topsoil worked in before laying. Our clay soil prep guide explains why.
• Access. Narrow side gates, steep slopes, and backyards with no equipment path mean more work moving sod and soil by hand.
• Haul-away. Removed turf, roots, and debris have to leave the property.

We recommend installing sod where irrigation is close at hand and available for use. If a section of the yard has no sprinkler coverage or hose access, say so when you request a quote.

Work out the pallets for your yard

Measure the area that will get grass, subtract beds and paving, add 5% for trimming, then divide by 450 and round up to whole pallets. The satellite measuring tool traces the lawn on a map and does the math for you. The measuring guide walks through irregular yards.

A worked example for a 2,000 square foot Bermuda lawn:

The installed line is a floor, not an estimate. A yard that is already stripped and level lands near it. A yard that needs old turf removed, regrading, and topsoil lands higher. The sod-only line is the material cost alone; you supply the labor, the prep, and the haul-away.

Sod only or installed

Buying sod only costs less up front because you do the work. That means stripping the old lawn, grading, laying the pieces tight with staggered joints, rolling, and getting water on it the same day. A pallet weighs about 2,500 to 3,000 pounds, more when wet, and the sod should go down soon after it arrives, so plan the labor before delivery day. Our guide to laying sod yourself lists each step.

Installation suits yards that need removal, grading, or topsoil, and owners who would rather not spend a weekend moving pallets. For a side-by-side look at what each option covers, read sod delivery vs. installation. The sod buying guide covers ordering and delivery day.

Get a written quote

The figures on this page come from our current price list, and they move with farm and fuel costs. Your written quote is the number you pay. To get one, send:

• Your address, so we can price delivery.
• The measured area, or a traced outline from the measuring tool.
• The grass you want, or a note on sun and shade if you have not decided.
• Whether you want sod only or installation, plus photos of the yard and any narrow gates or slopes.

For the full picture from choosing grass through the first mow, see the complete guide to sod in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Get a free estimate for your sod project and our team gets back to you with a written quote.

This guide is part of The complete guide to sod in Dallas-Fort Worth.