How do contractors price sod installation?

Per square foot or per pallet installed, with separate lines for killing/removing existing turf, grading, topsoil, and disposal. Prep is usually more labor than laying.

How many square feet does a pallet of sod cover?

Commonly 450–500 sq ft depending on region and cut. Order to arrive day-of — sod on a pallet in July is compost by Wednesday.

What terms belong in a sod quote?

Watering schedule responsibility, establishment expectations, and what is and isn't warranted. Sod fails from customer under-watering more than installer error — put the schedule in writing.

Field guide

A Sod Quote App for the Most Perishable Product You Install

Sod is landscaping's ticking clock: the product starts dying on the pallet, the prep is invisible until it isn't, and success after day three belongs entirely to a customer with a hose. A sod installation quote app prices the work correctly and — just as important — writes the survival terms down.

Prep is the job

Existing turf out: sod cutter passes, hauled weight, disposal fees — cut sod is astonishingly heavy and the line should reflect it.
Grade: rough grade fixes, low spots, and a topsoil skim by the yard where the soil is junk. Photo the bad areas; the line then explains itself.
Edges: against beds, walks, and drives — hand work, counted in feet.

The pallet math

Measure the lawn areas, divide by your regional pallet coverage (450–500 sq ft), round up, and schedule delivery for install morning. Your install rate per pallet is a learned price in FieldSquire — correct it once and every future sod draft carries it.

Watering terms: the warranty you don't eat

Write the schedule into the estimate terms: watering frequency for the first weeks is the customer's job, and the warranty (if any) rides on it. The signed sentence converts August's "your sod died" call into a service visit instead of a free re-sod.

Quote it while the yard is ugly

The customer standing on their dirt patch is your best closer. Narrate the areas, review drafted lines, and send the branded PDF with deposit and e-signature from the driveway — the landscaping estimating app is free for 14 days.

Try it on a real job: FieldSquire's Solo plan is free for 14 days with no credit card — unlimited manual estimates and AI-assisted drafts you review line by line. Start the free trial or see the landscaping estimating app guide.