Old grass stripped, ground graded, sod laid tight and rolled in. Centipede, zoysia, St. Augustine, bermuda or fescue, picked for the light your yard gets rather than the light you wish it had.
A pallet covers about 450 square feet. The ground work underneath is usually the difference between a lawn that takes and one that limps through a season and then dies on you.
Existing grass stripped and hauled away rather than buried under the new lawn
Ground graded so water runs away from the house instead of standing on the new turf
Screened topsoil worked in where the soil will not hold a root
Starter fertilizer under the sod, where the roots are, not scattered over the top
Sod laid tight with the seams staggered, then rolled in
Irrigation tested and adjusted before we leave the property
By what comes out first
Stripping the old lawn, grading, topsoil and the irrigation check are each their own line, so you can see exactly where the money goes and take any of them out.
IIWhat it costs
What sod costs in Charleston: the grass is the cheap part.
Two yards the same size can be double each other in price. The difference is what has to come out first and how far off level the ground sits before anything goes down.
CentipedeLow input, acid soilContent in Lowcountry sand, slow growing, and it asks less of you than anything else on this list.
ZoysiaDense and hard wearingTakes traffic and crowds weeds out on its own. Costs more per pallet than the rest, and earns it.
St. AugustineThe shade choiceThe most shade tolerant of the warm season grasses, which is why live oaks are usually the reason people pick it.
BermudaFull sun, heavy useRepairs itself fast and gets punished by shade. Wrong grass under a canopy, right grass on an open lot.
FescueCool and shaded onlyStruggles through a Charleston August anywhere it catches afternoon sun.
Ground workEach priced on its own lineStripping, grading, topsoil, starter fertilizer and the irrigation check are quoted separately rather than folded into one number you cannot argue with.
Pick the grass for the light the yard gets in July, not the light it has today. Most failed sod in Charleston is a sun grass laid under a canopy in April.
The finish
Pl. IINew sod laid with tight, staggered seams
Pl. IIINew sod laid tight to the walk in front of a house
Pl. IVA front lawn laid level again after the drainage work
IIIBefore, and after
A new sod lawn where there was more weed than lawn.
BeforeAfter
SodMore weed than lawn.
Bare sand through the middle, crabgrass standing above whatever grass was left, and ground too rutted to cut evenly. The fix is to strip it, grade it and lay sod tight to a straight edge along the drive.
IVSod in the Lowcountry
Which sod for which Charleston yard, and when to lay it
Where you live picks the grass before you do. Close to the water on James Island, salt spray burns centipede and St. Augustine is the grass that copes. Under the old live oaks in West Ashley, shade decides it, and it is St. Augustine again. In the open sun of North Charleston, zoysia and bermuda earn their keep. On builder fill in Mount Pleasant, the grade gets fixed before any grass goes down. On acre lots on Johns Island, bermuda is the cheapest thing to keep looking right, and under Summerville's pines centipede copes as long as the needles are kept off it.
Timing, by Clemson's book. Clemson Extension says sod can go down almost any time of year in South Carolina, with mid to late spring and the fall the best windows. It should be laid within 48 hours of delivery, on bare, moist soil, and rolled afterwards. That is why the pallets should arrive the day they go down, not sit on the drive over a weekend.
Watering decides the first month. Clemson's advice for new warm season sod is light watering once or twice a day, depending on heat and sun, until the roots grow into the soil underneath, then back to a normal schedule. In a Charleston July that usually means twice. You get the schedule written down the day we finish.
Where we lay sod
Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley, Daniel Island, Summerville, Hanahan and Goose Creek.
VStraight answers
What decides whether new sod takes in Charleston.
When is the right time to lay sod here?
Warm season grasses go down best from April through September, while they are actively rooting. Sod laid in December mostly sits there until spring and needs more care to get through the wait.
How much watering does it need?
Every day for the first two weeks, then you ease off as it roots. You get the schedule written down the day we leave, not recited at you over the tailgate.
When can I walk on it?
Give it two weeks beyond watering it. Foot traffic on sod that has not knitted down pulls the seams apart.
Can you lay it over the old grass?
No. Old grass under new sod rots, holds water and comes back up through the seams. Stripping it is the reason the new lawn takes at all.
How long does the job take?
Most residential yards are one to two days. One to strip and grade, one to lay and roll.
What is the best grass for shade in Charleston?
St. Augustine, by a distance. It is the most shade tolerant of the warm season grasses, which is why it turns up under live oaks all over James Island and old West Ashley. Centipede and bermuda both want sun and will thin out under a canopy no matter how well you feed them.
When should centipede sod go down in South Carolina?
April through September, while it is actively rooting. Centipede is slow to establish compared with bermuda or zoysia, so laying it late in the season leaves it sitting through winter without a root system. If it has to go down in the cool months, it can, but it needs more watering discipline to survive the wait.
What is the best sod for Charleston?
It depends on your light and soil more than the city. St. Augustine for shade and salt, zoysia for foot traffic, centipede for low upkeep in sandy soil, bermuda for full sun. We pick it on site, for the light the yard gets in July.
How much sod do I need?
A pallet covers about 450 square feet. Measure the area, divide by 450, and allow a little extra for cuts around beds and curves. Send rough measurements or photos and the pallet count comes back with the price.
Get your number
Tell us the yard, get a real figure.
Send the address and roughly how much lawn you want replaced. You get a number the same day, with the ground work listed separately.
Before
After
