kitgould

Hi there,
I am brand new to this site (2 mins old!). I hoped some kind soul can give me some help and advice on reinstating a lawn after a new swimming pool has been built.

We have around 600 sq. ms. of muddy ground after the pool works have been completed and need to ensure that we have a grass surround to the pool. I have a quote for a cost of €8,250 (presumably plus IVA) for the complete job of prepping and installing turf. Or about €5,000 for seeding (but this will take longer to look good and be usable).
Both these prices seem crazy to me and way beyond what we had expected.

Can anyone tell me how much I should expect to pay and if at all, any possible suppliers they know of in Piedmont. (near Asti/Alba)

Many thanks if you can help,

Kit

Pecora Nera

Hi I have an Italian friend Giorgio who does this for a living. If you want I can send you his number. He is in between Casale Monferato and Asti. I helped him 2 summers ago to law a lawn complete with sprinklers etc. Nic guy.

Pete

kitgould

Hi Pete,

Thank you for your speedy response and yes I would be keen to see if your friend could help us. As I have just joined and haven't completed at least 3 posts yet I can't mail you directly but my email is(SNIP) if you would be kind enough to contact me through there.

Cheers

Kit

Capo Boi

I'm afraid that I can't help with suppliers in your area but I have a fair bit of experience on turfing and seeding lawns. My first comment is that the prices that you have been quoted do not look out of line to me. I can only speak for Sardinia but here its very difficult to get below €14 + IVA per m2 for turfing a lawn. I've afraid that its the preparation work required that brings it to this number. (Also with seeding). Your ground will have to be tilled and "disinfected" - weed control (I would reccommend a minimum of two treatments) and almost certainly built up with some new earth. In my mind the best turf to go for is "splendor" or an equivalent. Varieties such as "uganda" are less hard wearing, especially around pool areas. Unfortunately, expect to pay a couple of euros more for this variety. I would also add that its slightly late in the year to commence on turfing so if you decide to go down this route, you want to go very soon. Most projects are started in March or April with a bedding down period of around six weeks to two months. With seed you can go later, but your time period can be up to six months for decent results.
Hope this helps.

Pecora Nera

Make another 2 posts then send me your e mail

Pete

Pecora Nera

Hi again, I spoke to Giorgio he charges 16€ / sq ms. So it looks like you have a decent price.

kitgould

Thanks for the comments.
I guess I just had an unrealistic idea of the price!
Does anyone have any idea how long seeding takes to be usable - we have guess arriving in Mid June and I would like it to be presentable (but it doesn't have to be perfect - just able to use it?)
Thanks
kit

Capo Boi

If you go with seed, you will see results after one to two weeks. You need to water a lot. After maybe the third week you should give your lawn a mowing with the mower on the highest setting. Don't water for the previous two nights. Repeat mowing every 10 days or so. This will force the grass to thicken. After six weeks to two months you should have a pretty good cover, but only really suitable for very light foot traffic and you have to be careful. As I said earlier, you are talking around six months for everything to bed down and become robust. If you are looking at the most basic presentable cover for mid June, you should really be starting now especially as the prep work may take up to three weeks and you should definitely not skimp on this.

Isakat

I agree, laying a turf costs a lot more here than in the UK. I made inquiries a few years ago for this and then decided to do it myself and save money. I dug and levelled the ground and did everything according to the gardening book and used a mix of English grass and more hardwearing one, plus OH installed the watering system.
I battle with the odd weed sometimes, but the grass looks amazing after I feed it early in spring. Obviously it was not a big lawn-150m2, I do not think I would have managed a bigger plot.