Measure your lawn to get the square feet and pallets of sod to order, and what installation typically costs.
With Purdue Extension’s 10% extra and 450 sq ft pallets, and Lawn Love’s average installed price of $1.70 to $2.60 per sq ft.
| Lawn | Sod to order | Pallets | Typical installed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 sq ft | 550 sq ft | 2 | $850 to $1,300 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 1,100 sq ft | 3 | $1,700 to $2,600 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 2,200 sq ft | 5 | $3,400 to $5,200 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 5,500 sq ft | 13 | $8,500 to $13,000 |
About 450 sq ft (50 square yards), according to Purdue Extension. Lawn Love says roughly 400 to 500 sq ft, so check your supplier’s pallet size and enter it in the calculator.
Purdue Extension suggests ordering about 10% more than the area you measure. The calculator adds it unless you untick the box.
Lawn Love puts professional installation at $1.70 to $2.60 per sq ft on average, including sod, labor and materials. The sod alone runs about $0.20 to $1.05 per sq ft depending on the grass, from bahiagrass at the low end to zoysiagrass at the high end.
Split the lawn into rectangles and circles, measure each in feet and add them as separate areas. Leave out beds, patios and the driveway, since sod only goes where you want grass.
Purdue Extension calls fall the best time for cool-season grasses like tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, so roots grow before summer. Warm-season grasses like zoysia and Bermuda can go down almost any time of year, but early summer is best. Sod laid when it’s above 90°F may not root until it cools, so it needs careful watering.
Purdue says to start watering thoroughly as soon as the sod is laid and rolled, then water daily in the morning until it roots, usually about 10 days. Lift a corner to check: new roots are white.
Purdue says sod should be delivered and laid within 24 hours of harvest, arrive moist, and be cut thin, with 0.5 to 0.75 inch of soil. Have the site ready and water on hand before you schedule delivery.
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Results are estimates. Suppliers’ bag sizes, pallet sizes and stone weights vary, so check theirs before you order.
Lawn grasses are cool-season (Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue) for the North or warm-season (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia, buffalograss) for the South. Pick by region first, then by sun, traffic and water.
October 28, 2026
Sod itself runs about $0.35 to $1 per sq ft ($150 to $450 a pallet). Installed on prepared bare soil, most pros charge about $1 to $2.60 per sq ft, and $2 to $4.50 if the old lawn has to come out first.
October 1, 2026
Hydroseeding sprays seed, mulch, fertilizer and water onto bare soil for about $0.07 to $0.21 per sq ft, far less than sod at about $1.65 installed. Sod is usable in weeks; hydroseed and plain seed take a season to mature.
September 28, 2026
