If you're planning to give your lawn a makeover with fresh turf, one of the first questions on your mind is likely to be: how much does turf cost? Your project planning benefits from understanding turf pricing so you can evaluate natural grass along with synthetic turf options and determine how much you need to purchase. The complete guide provides information about turf quantity calculation and cost comparison between do-it-yourself and professional installation measures to determine your new lawn expenses.
Understanding Turf Prices in Australia
Grass type and dimensions of turf area influence the price together with local supplier fees. Natural turf installation in Australia falls within the price range of $8 to $35 per square meter including material and labour. Synthetic turf expenditures amount to approximately $35-$70 per square meter yet its reduced maintenance requirements help shield you from future costs.
Natural Turf Pricing
Natural grass dominates the selection of Australian homeowners because it offers traditional green lawns accompanied by various varieties to choose from. The final price of turf depends on several factors including the selected variety type, its market availability and location. Here’s an overview of popular natural turf varieties and their prices:
- Kikuyu Turf: Customers find Kikuyu turf affordable since it exists in a price range between $8 and $12 per square meter.
- Buffalo Turf: Buffalo grass can be purchased between $10-$15 per square meter because of its soft texture enhancement and resistance to shade.
- Zoysia Turf: Homeowners can acquire this drought-tolerant turf at $12-$15 per square meter.
- Sir Walter Turf: The premium Buffalo grass Sir Walter exists at the higher end of turf prices, with costs averaging between $14 and $16 per square meter.
- Couch Turf: Couch grass remains an affordable and rapidly growing option that costs between $9 and $13 per square meter for buyers.
Synthetic Turf Pricing
The initial cost of synthetic turf remains higher than organic grass however they require low upkeep maintenance and appropriate water management solutions in regions with constrained water supplies. Providing synthetic turf for your lawn will cost between $35 and $70 per square meter based on quality level and features such as UV blocking and drainage characteristics.
How to Calculate Your Turf Requirements
You must establish your turf requirements before making a purchase. Determine your lawn area by performing length-width multiplication if your lawn maintains a rectangular structure or square configuration. Measure the length times width to discover the total square meter surface area. For example, if your garden measures 10 meters by 5 meters, the total area is:
10 meters x 5 meters = 50 square meters.
When placing your turf order for installation add between 5 and 10 percent more turf to cover potential installation errors and waste. When planning to order turf for a 50-square-meter lawn add 5-10% extra to get between 55 to 60 square meters of turf.
The majority of suppliers provide web-based turf calculators that can help you determine what size purchase you need based on your lawn dimensions. Feed your garden's length and width measurements to the calculator and it instantly supplies you with a recommended amount of turf.
DIY Turf Installation: Is It Worth the Effort?
The key installation decision for turf involves deciding between self-work and professional contractor employment. Saving money through DIY turf installation requires you to manage multiple implementation obstacles. You must decide whether attempting DIY turf installation or working with professional installation teams stands as your best course of action.
Pros of DIY Turf Installation
- Lower Costs: Your involvement in the work enables you to eliminate labour costs and reduce the overall expense of the project.
- Personal Satisfaction: When you tackle this project alone you gain achievement together with esteem from making positive changes to your garden or lawn area.
- Flexibility: You set your timeline for installation because you don't need to wait for a contractor's availability.
Cons of DIY Turf Installation
- Time-Consuming: You will need substantial effort and prolonged time to install turf correctly across big landscapes.
- Risk of Mistakes: Novice installers risk damaging both the wellness and visual aesthetic of their turf by making mistakes. Whether from insufficient soil prep, uneven turf patterns or insufficient water the result becomes unsatisfactory for growing healthy grass.
- Lack of Expertise: Professionals in landscape management provide critical expertise in preparing soils, caring for turf and managing irrigation systems.
The price of self-installation for turf remains affordable when you have enough experience to perform the job successfully. Professional assistance should be your choice when you need to handle extensive areas alongside people who lack gardening skills.
Hiring Grass Installers: Benefits and Costs
Professional landscapers can handle the work for you while saving you both time and effort. Professional companies charge between $5 and $10 per square meter for turf installation thus a 50-square-meter lawn's labor cost will fall within $250 to $500.
Benefits of hiring a professional
- Expertise: Your landscape project receives professional treatment from certified installers who properly prepare the area and handle levelling while selecting the correct watering methods.
- Time-Saving: Professionals will finish the task more quickly than you would so you gain time to handle additional responsibilities.
- Long-Term Health: Turf installations performed by professionals create conditions where your grass will grow without additional ongoing upkeep.
Choosing the Right Type of Natural Turf for Your Lawn
Natural turf varieties in Australia exist in multiple forms. Your desired turf type should match the climate you have, the soil condition and your willingness to perform maintenance tasks. Here’s a closer look at the most common types of natural turf:
- Kikuyu Turf: $8 and $12 per square meter
Happy to grow in sunny settings, Kikuyu is a hardy turf grass that spreads quickly. Kikuyu turf excels as a long-term foundation in busy areas because of its stable nature yet needs frequent nimble maintenance and may overgrow without proper boundaries.
- Buffalo Turf: $10-$15 per square meter
People love Sir Walter Buffalo grass because this features softness and resilience and maintains both shade resilience and water-efficiency. Due to its comfortable texture, Buffalo turf works best for families with pets or children. Selecting this grass over Kikuyu costs more but provides excellent carefree results.
- Zoysia Turf: $12-$15 per square meter
Zoysia grass achieves excellent growth in full sun while adapting equally well to low-lit conditions making it a suitable option for unpredictable lighting patterns in gardens. This grass type grows slowly because it stands up well to drought conditions and develops into dense thick green mats. The installation cost of this type of turf surpasses the prices of other turf types.
- Couch Turf: $9 and $13 per square meter
The turf requires low maintenance and has decent budget costs yet struggles to survive in shaded conditions like other species. Nullarbor Couch Grass thrives in sunny areas and tolerates up to 25% shade. It’s drought-resistant, durable, and perfect for home lawns, sports fields, and commercial spaces.
The True Cost of Turf Installation: What’s Included?
Installing turf involves expenses beyond the actual cost of obtaining the grass material. If you’re hiring a professional, installation costs will include:
- Turf Purchase: The price of turf materials falls between $8 and $35 per square meter for natural grass or $35 to $70 per square meter for synthetic turf.
- Labour Costs: Professional landscapers or turf installers charge an extra $5 to $10 per square meter for their services which adds $250 to $500 to the total cost of a 50-square-meter lawn.
- Soil Preparation: The total expenses for preparing the soil for installation fall between $2 and $5 per square meter based on how much groundwork needs to be performed including levelling, weeding and soil fertilization.
- Irrigation: The installation of irrigation systems ranges from $100 to $300 according to system size and complexity.
Professionals will charge between $1,000 and $1,500 to install turf for a 50-square-meter lawn that includes materials and labour and optional accessories.
Is Synthetic Turf the Right Choice for You?
A synthetic turf installation delivers multiple advantages which combine to produce permanent green coverage as well as reduced grounds maintenance with little dependency on water. Natural grass is more affordable at setup than artificial turf systems. Here’s what you need to know:
- Synthetic Turf Pricing
Synthetic turf surfaces come at various prices which range from $35 per square meter to $70 per square meter based on the brand quality and installation features such as drainage systems and UV protection and thickness. While initial synthetic grass costs exceed natural turf expenses the product's extended lifespan together with minimal upkeep needs prove its financial value.
- Installation and Maintenance
Laying synthetic turf requires professional labor costing $10 to $20 for every square meter of surface. Synthetic turf acquisition spanning both materials and setup expenses typically falls between $50 to $100 per square meter.
The reduction of maintenance needs represents one of the main advantages of synthetic turf systems. After installation, you never need to mow the surface or provide water or fertilizer. Two periodic cleaning sessions along with occasional brushing methods help maintain a fresh appearance and the product comes with warranty durations between 8 to 15 years.
Additional Costs You Should Consider When Installing Turf
Costly expenses complement turf acquisition along with installation fees at the beginning of your lawn project yet additional costs can affect your total investment. Here are some additional expenses to factor in:
- Soil Testing and Treatment
Checking your soil quality along with its pH demands testing before starting turf installation. The success of your turf growth depends on treating acidic or nutrient-deprived soils with fertilizers or conditioners to provide proper conditions. The price for soil testing ranges from $50 to $150 as a service cost while soil amendment expenses add $2 to $5 for every square meter of your project.
- Weed Treatment
Professional turf installers integrate weed treatments into soil preparation as a standard practice for gardens with current weed populations. The total cost for weed treatment ranges from $100 to $300, based on both lawn dimensions and weed persistence. Weed control expenses must be included when you install turf by yourself.
- Returfing or Repairing Existing Lawns
The total prices increase when you decide to eliminate your present turf before putting down new sod installation. Simply put, returning your lawns includes dead grass removal followed by soil preparation and any required amendments at a cost of roughly $2 to $5 for each square meter of space. An intensive amount of overgrowth or extensive damage to the lawn tends to increase the total cost.
- Irrigation System Setup
New homeowners typically arrive with their established irrigation systems but some residents must build brand new ones. Installing an average-sized yard sprinkler system costs between $1,500 and $3,500. Since synthetic turf needs no irrigation synthetic surfaces don't need regular watering but efficient irrigation systems positively impact the growth of natural grass. Before you introduce new turf to your landscape check that your existing irrigation setup operates correctly.
- Transport and Delivery Fees
The supplier charges extra expenses related to deliveries of turf to your property. Your delivery fee will depend on your order dimensions and supplier-to-location distance which creates values from $50 to $150. Before making payments check with the supplier to prevent getting unexpected fees.
Conclusion
The expense evaluations as well as careful consideration between natural and synthetic turf will guide you toward making the optimal lawn surface selection. Your Australian lawn purchase decision will benefit from detailed needs assessment and DIY assessments as well as professional consultations and turf variety research to achieve maximum value.
Unlike basic comparison shopping which involves only two suppliers, you must examine more than two options to find volume deals or seasonal discounts. No matter which turf you select, proper planning followed by proper installation will help your lawn survive through multiple seasons.