Returfing means lifting the old lawn first. That is the part people do not price, and it is heavy work.
Returfing is quoted as lifting and disposing of the old lawn, preparing the ground beneath it, and laying new turf. The lifting and disposal is a genuine cost — old turf is heavy and there is a great deal of it.
We do not publish a fixed price list for turfing, because ground preparation varies far more between gardens than the turf itself does. What we can do is explain what changes the number.
| Found | What it explains |
|---|---|
| Compaction | The moss, and the winter puddles |
| Thin soil over rubble | Why it browns off every summer |
| An old path or base | The bare strip that never grew |
| Poor drainage | The boggy corner |
| Tree roots | Why one end was always thin |
| Good soil | Makes the whole job easier |
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
This is the real argument for returfing rather than patching. If the old lawn failed because of compaction, drainage, thin soil or shade, laying new turf over the same problem produces the same lawn within three years. The moment the old turf is off is the only opportunity to address any of it, and it costs far less then than it will once the new lawn is down.
See what our turfing service covers in Hengrove, or read more about the service across the areas we work in.
It is quoted as lifting and disposing of the old lawn, preparing the ground beneath, and laying new turf. The lifting is a genuine part of the cost.
No. The new turf cannot root through old grass and thatch, old weeds grow through, and the level rises by the thickness of both layers.
Compaction almost always, often thin soil over rubble, sometimes an old path explaining a bare strip, and poor drainage explaining a boggy corner.
Only if the cause of the old one's failure is addressed while the turf is off. Otherwise you get the same lawn back within three years.
Considerably, and often enough — for moss, thatch, thinness or weeds. It cannot fix levels, drainage or a dead lawn.
Yes. It is heavy, bulky waste and removal is part of the job.
Autumn or spring, when establishment needs far less watering.
Address the drainage first. Returfing over a drainage problem produces a new lawn that fails in the same place.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
