sod instalation

[tazz]

just wondering if anyone installs sod and how you charge for it per pallet or per job

[cjcland]

i get it delivered then i charge 50 per pallet labor if i have to prepare the site i charge 30 per hour plus price of anything i need to rent (box blade ect) i have a good friend who has a sod company so if its real big job i just let him do it all and charge 10-15 per pallot for myself<p>----------<br>CJC Landscape Management<br>Winter Haven, Florida

[bdemir]

just wondering how many pieces and how big in a pallet.

[Keith]

Sod ranks up there in stuff I don't like doin. By the time you go get it and put it down it ain't worth it, but I will do it for customers if for no other reason than to keep them from calling a competitor.<p>I used to get my St Augustine for about $60 a pallet (appr. 400 sq ft, sheets about 20&quot;x15&quot;) and had to go pick it up. I now have it delivered for about $90-95/pallet (4 minimum) and try to charge about $170-200 installed. The nice thing about sand is you usually don't have to prep too much if it is an existing lawn and you are just replacing some areas.<p>If it is a big job over 2,000 sq feet or so I will recommend a sod installer and just stay out of it.<p>

[DMC300]

SITE PREP?FERTILIZE?WATERING?ROLLING?PESTICIDE?ALL THESE NEED TO BE THOUGHT OUT AND ADDED IN TO YOUR PRICE. I CAN GET BAHAI DELIVERED AND LAID FOR $39 PER PALLET,BUT DON'T TELL MY CUST. THAT,THEY PAY ME $60 PER;PLUS CHEMS.<p>----------<br>DON<br>LIANNES' MOWING

[tjg]

The fescue cost $85.00 a pallet=500 sq.ft. and bermudas cost $75.00 per 500 sq.ft. I usually charge .50 per square foot if it doesn't take to much to prep the site. It would be 250.00 per pallet normally. Do you guys try to get all the old bermudas (whatever grass you have) roots out or just remove tops,level and lay?<p>----------<br>T.J. Greenfield<br>

[EarthWorks]

Bermuda sod costs me $1 per Sq yard. I usually charge another $1 to lay the sod unless the job is over 1000 yards then I may give a little break. I bid the prep totally seperate. I ususally like to coat the area with about 2&quot; of new topsoil if possible. Topsoil is fairly cheap here so it is usually the best way to go. I Always make sure that the new topsoil will not disrupt the drainage and somtimes I can use it to fix low areas. I have begun to use large rolls of sod in the past two years. They are much easier to lay and quicker and I feel they look better and resist erosion. Three men and a bobcat or tractor can usually lay 2000 sq yards in a day if the area is not restricted and not too many obstacles. With rolls the bigger the area the better.

[steveair]

I don't know a whole lot about sod, but a lot of these numbers sound very high and the times seem very long. By me, I know guys putting sod in for around 14 cents a foot (k. blue), which is very, very cheap, but is something that has to be considered. If you go and price job out at some of the prices I have heard here, I would get told to get out of town. I usually do it for around 25 cents a sq ft., myself, including prep and top soil, but like to keep it at a minimum of 1000 sq ft for that price. Anything under 1000 has to be priced seperately, and gets much more expensive. For 2 pallets or more, its possible to get sod for 9 cents a sq ft, (with a little help from a friend or two......).<p>

[paul]

We are pricing sod now starting at $3.50 per sq. yd. must be full truck load 1000 sq. yds under that it's $4.50 per sq. yd. fuel costs and equipment time are the largest factors for us along with the job site ( big rolls or small rolls). This includes bed prep and but no topsoil. If you put down topsoil make sure that you till the undersoil so the roots can grow into the subsurface. too many people don't till or loosen the subsurface and poor turf health will result. <p>----------<br>paul<br>

[Stonehenge]

Steveair, your prices are closer than you might think. Earthworks, in the post above yours, charges $2/yd plus prep. You're charging $2.25/yd including prep. I'm probably closer in price to Earthworks. I charge less to lay, but total price is over $2.50/yd, depending on the project. Me+3 do a 1,000 yd project (prep, lay, cut in) in a day.

[thelawnguy]

Wow, prices for sod are cheap, here, if I pick it up myself at the sod farm, 21 cents a square foot my cost regardless of quantity.<p>I charge a buck a foot installed, includes light prep, any excavating or top dressing additional.<p>Bill

[Stonehenge]

$9 a yard?!?!? Even companies with the highest margins here don't charge more than $3/yd (for projects of about 1,000 yds and higher). Do you have costs that the rest of us don't, or do you live in a castle on the Atlantic shoreline?

[gusbuster]

God you guys east of me sure lay sod cheap. A license contractor here in the San Frnacisco area won't even tuch a simple sod job for less than $1 per sq. ft. A pallet from my supplier http://pacificearth.com/ 504 sq.ft. would come out to $504 (my actual cost for sod is around $160 for fescue) for prep and installation.<p>----------<br>J-LC Landscaping & Maintenance Gardening<br>C-27 Ca Contr# 770044