What the job covers
- Clearing the old grass and weeds.
- Preparing the soil: loosening it, levelling it, and improving it where it needs it.
- Laying the sod tight, with no gaps, and rolling it.
- The first watering, which UGA says should go on within 30 minutes of laying.
Ask whether the old lawn is hauled away, and whether irrigation work is included.
Why the ground matters here
UGA Extension in Forsyth County puts it plainly: subsoil here is heavy clay, low in organic matter, and building a house strips the topsoil and compacts what's left. Sod laid on that struggles to root.
That is why the soil prep is worth paying for. UGA also warns that mixing sand into clay can make things worse, holding back water and roots. Ask the provider how they will prepare the ground before the sod goes down.
When to lay sod here
From UGA's lawn calendars:
- Tall fescue: best in February and October, and possible in March, April, September and November. Fescue sod can go down in winter.
- Bermuda and zoysia: best from May to August, and possible in April and September. UGA says sodding warm-season grass while it is dormant is riskier. Zoysia suffers more winter injury than Bermuda.
Watering new sod
UGA's advice:
- Put down a quarter to half an inch of water within 30 minutes of laying.
- Water lightly every day until the sod is firmly rooted, about two weeks.
- Then water more deeply and less often. Once it is growing well, about an inch a week.
Georgia lets you water new sod at any hour for 30 days after it is laid. After that, the state allows landscape watering from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. Check your water provider's rules before you start. More in our guide, watering new sod.
What changes the price
- The area to be sodded.
- The grass: fescue, Bermuda or zoysia.
- Soil prep: how much work the ground needs.
- Taking out the old lawn and hauling it away.
- Slope and access for the pallets of sod.
The provider quotes after seeing the yard.
