[RedWingsDet]

I have to make an offer to take out 2000 sq ft of sod. Im giving him an estimate of $460. I will have to rent a sod cutter, that runs about $75. so i figured that it shouldnt take more than 10 hrs. Ive never done it before. Is it hard? will the sod cutter cut through roots? please help thanks....

i also told him to put new sod in that it would be $525 (costs me .12 cents per sq ft.)


does that seem like a resonable price? thanks

 

[D Felix]

You will want the old sod to be dead first. I assume the reason you are cutting out the old is because it is full of weeds?

Sometimes it's best to try to make what is there work, rather than starting over. This may be one of those times.


Dan

 

[RedWingsDet]

now, its fine, just alot of bumps and things, he told me he wants it all gone and leveled off and then we'll work from there. so i told him 460 and i'll do it. seems like a resonable rate. how long do u think it'd take? is it easy?

 

[fishman644]

with two guys it should take about 3 hrs. i can do it by myself in about 4 hrs. i just did 2 tear outs and resodding jobs. i didnt kill the yard before i did it either.that is your call. you are about right on for the tear out cost. hor far do you have to take it to dump it?

 

[hosejockey2002]

There's a little bit of a learning curve with a sod cutter but not too bad. The sod will cut better if you don't kill it. With my tractor to load my truck with, I can cut and load 500 square feet in an hour by myself. With the new install I think you are leaving money on the table. With that price are you including regrading to get rid of the dips and bumps? Also consider starter fertilizer.

 

[NickN]

You're gonna love the sod cutter.Go to Bluebirds site.They have a manual that shows how to operate the cutter.
Drop the knife when starting and at the end of your run,raise the knife while still going forward.Only drawback is this thing will jar your teeth loose.
It's not gonna take long to cut the sod,so you're getting a good price on that.
After cutting,take a flat shovel and lift one end of the sod.then just roll it up and load it.Be prepared for it to break on ya.
As for taking the bumps out,water the soil and roll it with a drum roller.If they're too large or to packed for that,a couple of guys with hoes and shovels can do wonders.The sod cutter itself will eliminate alot of small bumps though.
Next,lay the new sod and roll the edges.Tell your customer to water twice daily.Keep it moist and don't cut until he/she can't pull the sod up by hand.(Meaning the roots have taken hold.)

 

[Ice_Gargoylle]

the depth of the blade is the most important. a little to thick and your up a creek- its really heavy and you still have to hual it. to thin and you scalp grass. my suggestion would be to go out a day a head of time and see what the soil is like- moist, dry, rock hard. dry or rock hard-water it. moist your in good shape. you'll ahve to make a few test runs to get the depth just right, but you can tell easily when you are getting JUST under the root system. less dirt = less work. if you do it right, you'll probably end up scalping or missing roughly 10-15% of the grass jyst becuase. so go back and get those missed areas. if ground is still uneven or bumpy....use the sodcutter to level ground out. you'll have to drop the blade for bare dirt to 3/4-1 inch though, otherwise its a rough ride.

 

[RedWingsDet]

thanks... also what does roll the edges mean?

 

[NickN]

Roll the edges of your sod strips with the roller.(Remember,moisten sod after installation,push the roller over the seams to keep them from curling on you.)
One thing to take into account,measure the depth of the new sod going in.You'll want to cut your sod at least that deep in order to have a uniform installation.If you just take out the current grass at a shallower depth than your new sod,your going to have an unlevel lawn.

 

[RedWingsDet]

well i got the job. i charged $985 and it that includes taking out the old stuff, leveling it off and resoding. there is 2100sq ft

with 3 people, how long should it take... Sod costs me $252 and to rent the sod cutter that costs about $100 plus labor for two people helping me will be around $50 or $75 each....

so im looking at about a $500 profit.... how long do you think it'll take?

 

[NickN]

About 3-5 hours.Have your workers doing something at all times.
While you're cutting the sod,they need to be rolling it up and loading it.
After that,all of you need to work on the leveling.
Then have one man watering the area lightly and two laying the sod.
After that,have one man watering,one man rolling,while you talk to the homeowner and give him/her the instuctions.

 

[lawnguyland]

dude, here we would get 2100$+++ for that job. Do not make any guarnatees.

 

[RedWingsDet]

well its my first year, and the homeowner got me a job doing someone elses landscaping. so.. im giving him a discount, plus i dont want to take to much money from people. so i figure a 500 profit for about 5-8 hrs of work is plenty.

 

[KY GRASSLANDS]

TIP:if the property has under ground utilites find the phone line and cable and pull them up so you wont cut them up, after cutting lay them back down and roll the sod back over them

 

[hole in one lco]

that sounds like a low bid

There is a lot of work in hauling around 2000sf of sod not to mention you are going to haul 2000sf back in.

For you quot i would seed it

 

[hole in one lco]

Originally posted by KY GRASSLANDS
TIP:if the property has under ground utilites find the phone line and cable and pull them up so you wont cut them up, after cutting lay them back down and roll the sod back over them

Make sure you lay the lines at least 6 in deep

 

[hosejockey2002]

Sounds like about a day's work, give or take. Hopefully you considered hauling and disposal in your price. 550 square feet of sod filled up my 3/4 ton pickup, so you're looking at four full pickup loads. Good luck, let us know how it went.

 

[Strawbridge Lawn]

Not sure what they charge for sod. Material Costs alone run close to $500.00 Sod, New Soil and SC rental. If you are happy with $ 400 per day than it is a good bid as long as you are done in 1 day. Thisnk you may be a few hudred dollars to low for my liking, but I do not live near you. Enjoy and learn from the job.
Best to youl

 

[RedWingsDet]

well sod costs me $252 to get 2100 sq feet of it. plus 75 for sod cutter, plus 50-75 for a roller, then 50 or so to dump the sod. plus about 150 for labor (75 each)

 

[paponte]

Yeah that price sounds awefully cheap to me. ven considering what part of the country you are in. Cutting up the sod should be no problem for you, it's going to be the removal and dumping that I feel you are forgetting about. Sounds like you would be loading/unloading by hand. Rolls could tend to be rather heavy.

Also on rentals, always mark up the price for your time to pickup/drop off, tax, & insurance.