Straight talk
Delivery, DIY,
or the whole job?
Most people should have sod installed. A pallet drop is right if you have a crew or a small, flat, bare yard and a free Saturday. DIY on Blackland clay with the old lawn still in place is where new lawns go to die, so here is the honest comparison.
Quote both waysSide by side.
| Delivery only | Delivery + DIY install | Delivery + our install | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Pallets on the driveway, usually 24 to 48 hours from the cut | Pallets on the driveway, plus your weekend | Prep, sod, laying, rolling, haul-away, watering guidance |
| Typical cost | Sod material from $259 per pallet (450 sq ft), plus delivery ($95 to $250) | pallets plus sod cutter rental, topsoil, and a dump run | Bermuda from $850 / pallet; Zoysia from $850 / pallet; St. Augustine from $850 / pallet |
| Prep | Yours | Yours | Ours, on the same ticket |
| Guarantee | Fresh on arrival | Fresh on arrival | Fresh on arrival |
| Right for | Landscapers, DIY pros, a second crew on site | Small flat yards, two people, bare ground already | Most homeowners, new builds, shaded or sloped yards, HOA lawns |
Prices change with farm and fuel costs. Delivery runs $95 to $250, depending on your address and fuel. Installed prices start at $850 a pallet and depend on the grass and the prep your yard needs. Installed prices include prep; how far above the starting price a yard lands is mostly the grass and how much old turf and topsoil it needs.
Delivery only
You order by the pallet, we cut it fresh and set it on the driveway, normally 24 to 48 hours from the cut, weather permitting. It needs to go down the same day in summer. Best when you already have hands and the ground is prepped.
Pallet pricesDIY install
Rent a sod cutter, strip the old lawn, grade, spread topsoil, lay, roll, water. Two people can do two or three pallets in a day on flat ground. On clay with a slope or shade, the mistakes are expensive and show up in August.
How sod worksOur install
Old turf out, grade away from the house, topsoil where the clay needs it, sod laid with staggered joints, rolled, watered in, old turf hauled off. We recommend installation where irrigation is close at hand and available for use. Most yards are done in a day.
What install includes
Doing it yourself? Ask me first.
Palette says
Old turf out, ground graded away from the house, and every sprinkler zone tested. Do it before delivery day, not after. Sod that lands on unprepped clay sits there drying out while somebody goes to rent a sod cutter.
Palette says
Tell us about the gate, the slope, the low branches, and the parked cars before delivery day rather than on it. A flatbed with a forklift on the back needs room to swing. If the only way into the back yard is a narrow side gate, the pallets stop at the driveway and the rest is a wheelbarrow.
Palette says
Install within 24 hours of delivery, and the same day in summer heat. A stacked pallet cooks from the middle out, so the rolls in the center yellow first. Keep the stack shaded and damp until it goes down.
Delivery or install?
Is it cheaper to install sod myself?
On paper, yes: you save the labor. In practice the savings shrink once you rent a sod cutter, buy topsoil, and haul off the old turf, and a pallet weighs about a ton. It pays off for a small, flat, already-bare yard with two people and a free Saturday.
Does a pallet drop include laying the sod?
No. Delivery-only means the forklift sets pallets on your driveway or the street and the rest is yours. Sod needs to go down the same day in warm weather.
What does installed sod include?
Old turf removal or kill, grading away from the house, topsoil where the clay needs it, the sod, laying with staggered joints, rolling, and haul-away of the old turf when we do the prep. We recommend installing sod only where irrigation is close at hand and available for use.
Can I have you install sod I bought somewhere else?
We install what we deliver so we can stand behind it. If you already have pallets on the driveway, call us and we will tell you straight whether we can help.
Still not sure?
Tell us the yard and we quote it both ways, delivery only and installed, so you can decide with real numbers.
Still one step back in the decision? Sod vs. seed covers whether seed is even an option for the grass you want.
Quote it both ways.
Tell us the square footage and whether the old lawn is still there. Our team gets back to you with a delivery price and an installed price.