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HiringSod Installation

Should I lay sod myself or hire a landscaper?

Lay it yourself if the area is small to medium, the ground is already close to level, you can haul and lay it all within a day, and you can water it daily. Hire a landscaper when the yard needs regrading or old-turf removal, the area is large or steep, or you cannot handle 20 to 40 pounds per square yard of heavy lifting.

Free to ask. Local shops send quotes, and you pay only when you book one.

By Kasra Taheri, Founder, LoclisPublished

Researched and drafted with AI, then checked claim by claim against the sources listed below before it was published. Prices and rules change; the dates beside each source say when it was last checked.

Step by step

Read when to stop and call a pro, further down this page, before you start.

  1. Step 1: Measure the area

    Work out the square yards you need; 1,000 square feet is about 111 square yards.[1]

  2. Step 2: Judge the grade

    Walk the yard after rain and note low spots, bare clay and water running toward the house, which mean grading work before any sod.

  3. Step 3: Check your vehicle

    A half-ton pickup safely carries roughly 25 to 50 square yards of sod, so count the trips or plan on delivery.[1]

  4. Step 4: Line up help

    Plan on lifting and laying everything within a day, and recruit helpers or split the yard into sections.

  5. Step 5: Get written quotes

    If you hire, ask at least three businesses for written bids on the same area, grass and scope.[6]

  6. Step 6: Check the licence

    For work over $1,000 that includes grading or clearing, look the business up on DPOR's licence lookup before you sign.[4][7]

  7. Step 7: Put it in writing

    Make sure the contract names the grass, the square yards, the preparation included, the dates and the payment schedule.[6]

Lay the sod yourself if the job is mostly lifting and the ground is already in decent shape: a small or medium lawn on a reasonable grade that you can lay in one day and water every day afterward. Hire a landscaper when the real work is in the soil, the slope or the size, or when the lifting is more than you can safely handle.

Three workers press strips of new sod onto a bare, sloped bank, with stacked rolls of sod on pallets behind them
Photo: Distinct Lawns, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What the job really involves

Laying sod looks simple, and the laying part is. The hard part is what comes before. Inadequate soil preparation is one of the most common mistakes in sod installations,[1] and before any sod goes down the soil should be tilled, graded, smoothed and firmed.[1] On poorly prepared soil, the grass dies quickly because it cannot root.[2] If your yard needs old turf stripped, topsoil brought in or the grade reshaped so water drains away from the house, most of the job is soil work, and that is where a landscaper earns the fee.

Then there is the weight. Dry sod weighs about 20 to 25 pounds per square yard, and wet sod 30 to 40 pounds.[1] A half-ton pickup can safely carry roughly 25 to 50 square yards,[1] so a typical lawn means several trips or a delivery.

Then there is the clock. Sod is perishable and should be installed within eight hours of harvest,[1] and it needs watering as soon as each section is down.

When doing it yourself makes sense

  • The area is modest. A side yard, a strip along the driveway or a few hundred square feet of repair is usually manageable for two people with a free weekend.
  • The grade is already good. The soil drains away from the house, has no deep ruts, and needs only loosening, amending and raking.
  • You can lay it fast. You have helpers, or you can split the job. You can do the yard in sections over several weekends, ordering only what you can lay and water each time.
  • You can water it. In hot weather above 80°F, new sod needs watering every day until it roots,[1] so someone has to be home or have a timer set up.

Our step-by-step guide to how to lay sod covers the preparation, laying and first watering.

When to hire a landscaper

  • The yard needs grading or drainage work. Moving soil to correct the slope takes equipment and experience, and getting it wrong sends water toward the foundation.
  • The old lawn has to come out. Stripping turf and hauling it away is slow, heavy work.
  • The area is large. A crew can prepare, lay and water a big lawn in a day. For the largest jobs, single big rolls weigh at least 2,000 pounds[1] and need machinery.
  • The site is steep or awkward. On slopes, sod is laid perpendicular to the flow of water and stapled in place,[2] and steep banks are hard to work safely.
  • Lifting is a problem for you. There is no light way to move tons of wet sod.

If the preparation includes tilling or digging, someone has to request a utility locate first. Virginia 811 says to contact it at least 3 working days before breaking ground.[3]

There is a middle path. Virginia sod farms offer a range of services, which can include delivery and site grading, fertilization and installation.[1] Doing the preparation yourself and paying for delivery and laying, or the reverse, can split the difference.

Hiring the right business

Under Virginia law, anyone who contracts to improve real property needs a contractor licence once a single job is over $1,000.[4][6] The specialty that fits sod work with soil preparation is landscape service contracting, which covers altering a land area by excavation, clearing or grading.[5] Hiring a licensed contractor also makes you eligible for compensation from Virginia's Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund in cases of improper or dishonest conduct,[6] while the Board for Contractors may not be able to help you resolve a complaint against someone who does not hold a licence.[6]

A licence number on a business card does not prove the licence is valid,[6] so check it yourself on DPOR's licence lookup.[7] Get at least three written bids based on the same specifications, and do not automatically accept the lowest.[6] Virginia law requires all licensed contractors to provide a written contract for residential work.[6] The quote should name the grass, the square yards, what preparation is included, who waters in the first weeks and what happens if sections die. Our guide to what sod installation costs in Virginia lists what else to ask.

Stop and call a pro if

  • You start preparing the ground and find heavy clay, buried debris or a grade that slopes toward the house.
  • Utility marks cross the area you need to till or dig.
  • You have sod on pallets and cannot get it all down and watered within the day.
  • New sod is drying out or lifting despite watering. See why new sod turns brown and how often to water new sod.

Browse more lawn and landscaping answers, compare sod installation services, or find lawn and landscaping businesses near Blacksburg. If you decide to hire, describe the sod job once and licensed local businesses can quote it.

Common questions

Is laying sod hard work?
It is heavy rather than technical. Dry sod weighs about 20 to 25 pounds per square yard and wet sod 30 to 40 pounds, and every piece is lifted, carried, set and pressed down by hand. Soil preparation before it, raking and tilling, is often the harder half of the job.
Can I prepare the ground and have someone else lay the sod?
Yes. Virginia sod farms offer services that vary from one to the next, and many landscapers will quote the work in parts, so ask whether they will lay sod on ground you have prepared. Make sure the written quote says exactly which part each side is responsible for.
Does a landscaper need a licence to lay sod in Virginia?
A business that contracts for improvements to real property worth over $1,000 needs a Virginia contractor licence, and grading and clearing fall under the landscape service contracting specialty. Check any business on DPOR's licence lookup before you sign.
How much sod can one person lay in a day?
It depends on the person, the yard and the weather, so plan conservatively. The real limit is that sod should go down within eight hours of harvest, so order only what you and your helpers can lay and water that day, or ask the farm to split the order.
Who is responsible if hired sod dies?
Whatever the contract says. Before you sign, ask who waters in the first weeks and whether dead sections are replaced, and get the answer in writing. Most new-sod losses come from drying out, so watering responsibility matters.

Sources

  1. [1] Sod Source Selection, Installation, Maintenance, and Producers in Virginia (418-040), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 27, 2026.
  2. [2] Stormwater Best Management Practice: Sodding (EPA-832-F-21-028LL), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 27, 2026.
  3. [3] Homeowners, Virginia 811. Checked October 27, 2026.
  4. [4] Code of Virginia § 54.1-1100. Definitions, Virginia General Assembly. Checked October 27, 2026.
  5. [5] 18VAC50-22-30. Definitions of specialty services, Virginia Administrative Code. Checked October 27, 2026.
  6. [6] What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor, Virginia Board for Contractors, DPOR. Checked October 27, 2026.
  7. [7] License Lookup, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Checked October 27, 2026.

Want a pro to handle it?

Describe the job once. Licensed local businesses send quotes, and you pay only when you book one.