Sod pricing

[kemco]

For zoysia cultivars we are roughly at that $1.10 sqft light ground prep, no soil amendments (extra charge and again we are pretty close at $100 per yard for sand, promix, or screened dirt). For bermuda we are at $0.80 sqft.

 

[landscaper22]

For zoysia cultivars we are roughly at that $1.10 sqft light ground prep, no soil amendments (extra charge and again we are pretty close at $100 per yard for sand, promix, or screened dirt). For bermuda we are at $0.80 sqft.

Sounds about right to me.

 

[GSO LAWNEN4CER]

After this job I’ll be turning down sod work. It’s not like it was years ago. 95% done with demolition. Then the bottom fell out. And it rained the rest of the night. So now I’m waiting for it to dry out to get back on it. I try to steer customers to the old school of seeds and germination. But this customer insisted on sod....

 

[landscaper22]

After this job I’ll be turning down sod work. It’s not like it was years ago. 95% done with demolition. Then the bottom fell out. And it rained the rest of the night. So now I’m waiting for it to dry out to get back on it. I try to steer customers to the old school of seeds and germination. But this customer insisted on sod....

Wow! It's certainly not my favorite thing to do. I have only had one big job turn out not as good as I had hoped but the guy started having health issues and forgetting things all at the same time. Like he was normal when I priced the job, but within a couple of weeks was a different person, and died not long after. What I am getting at is we could find no good reason for the sod not doing well, other than the fact that he wasn't watering as he should have because he was out of his mind.

It is a tricky thing. Sod is a crop, and you can't really guarantee a crop. I don't guarantee sod. If a few pieces happen to die I won't argue about that. But, if I order sod and it looks good when I put it down, then my work is done. That is a hard pill for customers to swallow as they are spending a lot of money. But unless I live there and take care of it myself, I can't guarantee that you are doing what you are supposed to do to keep it alive. Had one lady that wanted an area sodded and it looked perfect. I had asked her to make sure the irrigation was working properly and she told me she had checked it and it was. Turns out, the one sprinkler that covered that area was only hitting the driveway and not wetting the sod area at all. Luckily it was Bermuda, and it didn't totally die. I think that grass can make it through a nuclear holocaust. But you can never take someone at their word.

I know this was a different situation, but it is mother nature, I ask myself is it my fault? It's not the customer's fault either, so it gets tricky.

 

[Hayduke]

So far I’ve been pricing about $1.16 per sq ft

Wow, at that rate I'd basically be paying my customers for me to install sod for them.
We are at minimum $3.50/ft, that is kind of the going standard rate for no soil tilling prep work, no demo and haul of existing sod, no fine grading, no adding a couple inches of compost, etc. Once you add all that in we are usually around $6.50/ft depending on the size of the lawn.
Again, at $30-$36 per man hour, what are you paying your employees? Are they on a payroll, or under the table?

 

[landscaper22]

Wow, at that rate I'd basically be paying my customers for me to install sod for them.
We are at minimum $3.50/ft, that is kind of the going standard rate for no soil tilling prep work, no demo and haul of existing sod, no fine grading, no adding a couple inches of compost, etc. Once you add all that in we are usually around $6.50/ft depending on the size of the lawn.
Again, at $30-$36 per man hour, what are you paying your employees? Are they on a payroll, or under the table?

3.50 per sq ft? No one would land a job here charging that. But then I have no idea what type of grass you are talking about or how much a pallet is. Assuming a pallet of my typical warm season grass is about $200 delivered and it covers 500 sq ft, that rate would be $1750 per pallet. No way we could get that. I need to come work for you. I do agree that 30-36 per man hour is too low, but for sod, the 3.50 per sq ft rate would never fly here.

 

[Chance Morrison]

Around $150-$175 picked up here in Orlando. We typically sell a 400SF pallet installed with light prep for $450-$500.

 

[hamsandwch]

For zoysia cultivars we are roughly at that $1.10 sqft light ground prep, no soil amendments (extra charge and again we are pretty close at $100 per yard for sand, promix, or screened dirt). For bermuda we are at $0.80 sqft.

seems about right

 

[hamsandwch]

3.50 per sq ft? No one would land a job here charging that. But then I have no idea what type of grass you are talking about or how much a pallet is. Assuming a pallet of my typical warm season grass is about $200 delivered and it covers 500 sq ft, that rate would be $1750 per pallet. No way we could get that. I need to come work for you. I do agree that 30-36 per man hour is too low, but for sod, the 3.50 per sq ft rate would never fly here.

That's crazy, even with my numbers people are still underbidding me, 10 pallets of sod under$1.00 with topsoil. people out here man.