Sod help in Central Florida

jb4195 – posted 13 October 2004 14:08

New to this forum but need some information from you experts … My parents lost their mobile home during Charley and during demolition lost their lawn as well . We are ordering 17 pallets of St. Augustine sod but are reluctant to pay $53.00 a pallet for them to lay the sod; however, I am researching it and find that there is more to it than just hiring someone to throw down the sod … there is preparation, raking, rolling, etc. so my question – where can I find people that are knowledgeable but charge a reasonable amount to prepare and lay the sod properly?It will need to be done within next 2 weeks.

jr – posted 14 October 2004 08:41

Your situation is one reason that I furthered my education, re-tooled, and graduated to arboriculture and left the lawn business.

I am not intending to be rude, but most people’s perception of what we should do and how much we should be paid for it is ridiculous. If you have found reputable contractors to perform the labor for $53/pallet, you are getting a steal. Try doing it yourself. Laying sod is miserable work. I wouldn’t even do it myself in my own yard anymore.

jb4195 – posted 14 October 2004 19:00

I guess you are right – as I said – I did some research and found out there was a lot more to it than just pitching sod pieces on the ground … thanks for the comment – I appreciate the input … I didn’t mean to offend anyone in the business

Trollinator – posted 18 October 2004 02:41

You aren’t offending anyone as far as I’m concerned. Some people who post here just have a way of making you think you are. I just about guarantee those knowledgeable contractors charging $53 or more per pallet ain’t gonna be the ones slinging it. I have a friend who owns a business installing lawns and such. He pays his laborers (usually a group of 3) $10 per pallet (that’s not a piece, they split it). I had them do my yard. Now I prepped it myself (read enough here and you’ll know what to do). But they did a great job. With the tip it was closer to $15 per pallet, but I know I made out like a bandit. It’s been a year and the yard still looks great. I’d suggest scouting out a new community for the guys actually laying the sod. Offer them a slightly better rate for some side work and the rest is history. $53 x17 = $901 or $15 x 17 = $255. Your potential savings is pretty significant.

jb4195 – posted 18 October 2004 06:12

Thanks so much for taking the time to give me another viewpoint – I was starting to think I was crazy for thinking $53 a pallet seemed high … but maybe not … I guess it is all on your perspective … I am just trying to save my folks some money – they didn’t get enough from insurance to completely cover all their needs so every little bit helps. If you or anyone knows where I can begin to search for other help – we are willing to be fair about paying for the extra prep work (and as you said some we can do on our own) … the lot will already be graded and easy layout to install. I checked with a local nursery yesterday and he said he would only do it if he provided the sod too and that his price was $250 per pallet for sod, delivery and install … now I know that is OUTRAGEOUS!

Thanks again

jr – posted 19 October 2004 07:56

You might get lucky doing it that way, but what if you do hire some bums off the street and they don’t do a good job? What are you going to do then? Nothing, because they aren’t licensed or insured or accountable to anybody, and then you’ve wasted money on the labor AND the sod, and the entire job will have to be redone. Frankly, I think this other guy is a liar, but even if he’s not, it has nothing to do with who actually does the work when you hire a contractor. It has to do with a business owner hiring quality people, training them to do quality work, and paying for business licenses, paying for insurance, and paying for worker’s comp, and also being accountable for the work that was done. You can do whatever you want, but one method is gambling and the other is not. You are right about the guy wanting $250 a pallet though. That is ridiculous.