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Ask a Gardening QuestionGarden Design: Garden Design QuestionsHow best to returf lawn?

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How best to returf lawn?

#1 · 7th May 2025, 10:07 am

Morning all

I'm really new to gardening and have been baffled by a range of quotes for the same project.

The job in hand is to returf an 80msq section of lawn. A thin gravel path (that is soil underneath) also needs removing, along with some sleepers. My main issue is that some companies have suggested a sub base and membrane is required, while others have said we only need topsoil and new turf and I'm not sure who to believe.

The existing lawn has a lot of weeds and wildflowers in it, and the soil is around four inches deep. I've been told that the existing soil is "poor" soil, and that's why weeds have grown in.

The area also needs some levelling off, particularly in the corner where the lawn meets the house as it dips about 2-3 inches below the corner of the driveway, presumably as the land in that corner has settled.

We've never had any issues with standing water on the lawn, even in that "settled" corner, and even in winter.

Quotes for the job have ranged from £1500, to £2,500, to £4000 and to be honest, I feel completely out of my depth and a bit lost with it all. The cheapest quote was for the soil, turf and a labour, whereas the most expensive one is because that landscaper has told me he needs to dig 125ml into the garden, add 20 tonnes of type 1 MOT subbase, membrane and 40ml of top soil and he'll need to use at least five muckaway trucks, costing £480 per load.

Could anyone please give any advice on what exactly is needed for a returf? I hope it's appropriate to ask this on here and apologies if not - I've never used this forum before.

All the best.

#2 · 7th May 2025, 10:14 am

Hi @mbh

Could you please upload a few pictures to assist the Ninjas?

All the best

Lee Garden Ninja

#3 · 7th May 2025, 11:01 am

Sure, will do Lee.

Uploaded files:

#4 · 8th May 2025, 7:52 am

Hi @mbh

Thanks for your comment and yes landscaping costs can vary significantly. You've done the right thing in getting a number of quotes as it helps you work out the different quality levels and options.

I wouldn't like to confirm or reject any of the quotes as I don't have all the facts, but here are some tips to help you decide.

Returfing a lawn is one of the easiest jobs to do, but it can be done badly very quickly, such as landscapers not preparing the base or tilth for the turf properly. You can see the steps here on my guide that show that the prep of the soil beneath is 95% of the effort and then stagger laying turf is the fast bit!

With your path, yes, some landscapers would put down MOT to stop it from sinking. Twenty tonnes seems excessive, especially given that the path is already there. I'd suggest membrane and gravel would suffice if it's already in situ and level (ish). That sounds like overkill.

Sorting out the drop or 'fall' by topping up the subsoil is a good idea no matter which option you go for.

Poor soil isn't better for weeds than rich soil. To improve soil you just need to add decent organic matter or top dreess the lawn with sieved compost.

It all depends on whether you're changing the garden layout (I quite like the 45-degree path - it's a clever design trick).

Another option is just to scarify the lawn and top the gravel path back up, replacing the worn sleepers.

Like I said I don't want to confirm which quotes best, but the above should help. The more you're spending consider whether adding some garden design ideas would be a good idea rather than just lawn and a path. My courses are a cost effective place to start to see what you could do with that space.

I hope that helps!

Lee Garden Ninja

#5 · 8th May 2025, 8:35 am

Great stuff, thanks Lee. Really appreciate all of the thoughtful info.

Agreed on the path - we like the design but we have a two-year-old and it's just not practical having the lawn split with a lot of gravel. The main reason for having one larger piece of lawn is so it's safer for our son to play on.

I did get the impression that there was some upselling going on with the biggest quote (my word not yours!) and everything you have said in terms of how we can go about things has at least armed me with useful info to take to our preferred contractor.

All the best.