Lifting the old lawn is the part people do not price — and on an estate plot it is also the part that tells you why it failed.
Quoted as lifting and disposing of the old lawn, preparing the ground beneath it, and laying new turf.
On a newer plot, what the lifting reveals usually decides the rest of the quote — because if the soil beneath is thin or compacted, that has to be fixed before anything goes back down.
| Found | What it explains |
|---|---|
| Thin topsoil over subsoil | Why it browned off every summer |
| Compaction | The moss, and the winter puddles |
| Rubble and hardcore | The bare patches that never recovered |
| Membrane or gravel beneath | Old developer landscaping |
| Tree roots | Why one end was always thin |
| Poor drainage | The boggy corner |
| Good soil | Makes the whole job easier |
This is the real value of replacing rather than patching on a newer plot. The moment the old turf is off is the only chance to see and fix what is underneath — and on an estate garden there is nearly always something worth fixing.
Tell us what you need and we will arrange a free quotation.
| Problem | Replace, or renovate? |
|---|---|
| Moss and thatch | Renovate — scarify, aerate, feed |
| Thin and pale | Renovate first, usually |
| Weedy but level | Renovate |
| Uneven and bumpy | Replace — levels need lifting |
| Thin soil beneath | Replace, and import topsoil |
| Waterlogged | Neither, until drainage is addressed |
| Compacted and dead | Replace |
| Deep shade under a tree | Tree work first |
Renovation costs considerably less and is often enough — but on an estate plot it cannot fix the underlying problem if that problem is soil depth. Aerating and feeding a lawn sitting on four inches over hardcore improves it a little and does not change what it is.
This is the point of replacing. If the old lawn failed because of thin soil, compaction, buried rubble or drainage, laying new turf over the same conditions produces the same lawn within two or 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 Stoke Gifford, 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. What the lifting reveals usually decides the rest.
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.
Thin topsoil over subsoil, compaction, buried rubble, sometimes old membrane or gravel — and each explains something about how the lawn behaved.
Considerably, and often enough for moss, thatch or thinness. But it cannot fix soil depth — aerating a lawn on four inches over hardcore does not change what it is.
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 two or three years.
Yes. Knowing how deep the topsoil goes before you ask for a quote makes the whole conversation more useful.
Yes. It is heavy, bulky waste and removal is part of the job.
Autumn or spring, when establishment needs far less watering.
Need tree surgery, hedge maintenance, fencing, garden clearance, turfing or power washing? Complete the form and tell us what work you require.
