Things You Should Know Before Installing Sod
You want to have a luscious, beautiful lawn. It’s a normal desire. The soft grass feels great underfoot, and a healthy lawn is beautiful. It adds value to a property, and it makes for an amazing space — whether you’re enjoying peace and serenity or hosting your favorite people.
In order to get that lawn, you might have some work ahead of you, and one of the most reliable ways to develop a lawn is to install sod. Before you run off to buy some dirt and grass, there are some things you should know.
What Grass You Want
There are many, many types of grass out there, and not all of them will thrive in a Texas climate. Around the DFW area, Bermuda grass is going to be the heartiest, easiest grass to manage. But if you want something softer, lusher, or with a different aesthetic, you have plenty of viable options.
In fact, we’ve discussed the best grass breeds for the DFW climate.
It’s worth spending a few minutes doing your homework. If you pick your grass before you do anything else, then it makes it much easier to plan and budget the whole project.
Exactly What You Need
There are a lot of details that go into a sod project, and you need to clear the checklist. How many square feet of sod do you need? How are you going to water the sod? Who is installing it? Do you need topsoil or surface treatments before your lawn is ready for sod?
Get all of these ducks in a row before you commit to anything serious. The last thing you want is to lay down your sod and then realize that you should have installed a sprinkler system after all. Go through the list, and keep it in mind when you set your budget (which we’ll discuss in a minute).
The Installation Process
Sod installation is not the simplest endeavor in the world. You have to prepare the ground, lay the sod, and then take close care of it until the roots take. Whether you’re planning this as a DIY project or you expect to hire someone to install it for you, knowing the process is invaluable.
That goes without saying for DIYers, but even if you’re hiring an installation crew, you want to understand the process before you pick your team. That will help you vet them and understand what the experts are bringing to the table.
Your Budget
At this point, you’re ready to think carefully about how much you want to spend on the project. When you pick your grass, you hopefully were looking at price tags at the same time. You did the same when you went through your checklist of preparations you need for installation. Once again, you thought about prices when you compared installation services.
You have the knowledge to make an informed decision now. Figure out how much you’re willing to spend on the project, and then think about how much that money will get you realistically. You’ll have to make the ultimate spending decisions, but you should be able to gauge cost-efficiency and how to make smart decisions to get a good lawn without overspending.
What Happens If . . .
The last thing you need to carefully consider is what you will do if things go wrong. Sometimes, sod doesn’t take. If the sod burns out before the grass really gets a hold of the soil, then you’re looking at significant losses. Similarly, you could have fungi lying dormant in your soil. Your sprinkler system could give you major headaches.
There are plenty of possibilities, and you won’t be able to anticipate them all. The real point here is that you want to consider the chances of things going wrong, and you want to account for that in your budget. Can you wait a year to resod? Can you split the project into smaller, more affordable pieces? Does your sod come with any warranties or guarantees? What about installation work?
Go through all of these questions, and you’ll have the final piece of the puzzle, ready to go forward with your lawn project.
Let Clearfork Help
If you have more questions, any uncertainty, or just want to pick an expert’s brain, you can get all of the help you could want from Clearfork. Call us today. We’ll be happy to discuss your project, understand what it is that you really want, and then make professional recommendations that are tailored to your circumstances.
We offer consulting and professional sod services, along with everything else a modern lawn could need.