Turf or seed, the result only lasts if what’s underneath it is right first. Most of the job happens before a single strip of grass goes down — and sometimes the honest answer is that you don’t need a new lawn at all.
Tell us the street and we’ll give you a fixed price. Free, no obligation.
All three happen before the grass arrives. Skip one and it shows within a season.
Sandy dune soil drains fast in most spots and badly in a few low ones. Getting the fall right before anything’s laid means water moves off the surface instead of sitting in a corner and drowning the new roots.
Coastal sand has almost no organic content or water-holding capacity of its own. Proper topsoil brought in and worked through the top 100–150mm gives new roots something to actually establish into.
Full sun, wind and salt exposure suit kikuyu’s vigour. A shaded, sheltered corner under mature planting often does better with a softer, shade-tolerant blend that won’t out-compete itself in low light.
Neither is the better option. They suit different timelines and budgets.
Turf is instant. Rolls go down, the section looks finished the same afternoon, and it can be walked on lightly within days. It costs more per square metre and it still needs careful watering for the first few weeks while roots knit into the new soil underneath.
Hydroseed — a sprayed slurry of seed, mulch and fertiliser — costs noticeably less and covers awkward or sloped ground well, but it needs two to three weeks of consistent watering before it can be walked on at all, and longer again before it takes normal use.
The deciding factor is usually timeline, not preference. A property going on the market in six weeks needs turf. A section with no deadline and a tighter budget is well served by hydroseed, particularly over a larger area where the per-square-metre saving adds up fast.
Either way, the soil prep underneath doesn’t change. That’s where the job actually lives.
From existing ground to a lawn you can plan a schedule around.
We’ll say if you don’t need this. A tired lawn is often a mowing and dethatching job away from looking new, at a fraction of the cost — see below.
A new lawn is at its most vulnerable in its first month, and the two sides of the peninsula ask different things of it.
Wind and salt that a mature, established kikuyu lawn shrugs off can dry out or scorch a brand-new one before its roots have gone anywhere. Which side of the Mount you’re on changes what that first month needs.
We’ll tell you what watering commitment to expect for your specific site before you commit to turf or hydroseed — an exposed ocean-facing section on hydroseed needs a genuinely different watering routine to a sheltered harbour one.
Fixed once we’ve looked. Green waste is in it and GST is already included.
| Small courtyard, turf | Prep and lay, ready to walk on | From $650 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard section, turf | Front and back, full prep included | $1,400–$2,600 |
| Standard section, hydroseed | Same area, lower cost, slower establishment | $550–$1,100 |
| Larger section | Arataki, Matapihi and bigger blocks, either method | Quoted |
Hydroseed on a larger section is usually the better-value option if there’s no deadline to work to — the per-square-metre saving grows with area. Turf earns its cost back on a tight timeline or a high-traffic section that needs to handle use immediately.
Timing affects how much watering the establishment period actually needs.
Spring and autumn ask the least of a new lawn. Moderate temperatures and reliable rain mean less watering falls on you to make up, and less risk of losing seedlings to a hot, dry stretch before roots are down.
Told us straight our old lawn wasn’t worth replacing — a dethatch and a proper mowing schedule sorted it for about a tenth of what a new lawn would’ve cost. Appreciated getting talked out of spending money rather than into it.
Mostly about the job rather than about us, which is how it should be.
Turf if you need the lawn usable within days or you’re working to a deadline; hydroseed if cost matters more than timeline and you can hold off using the area for two to three weeks. Both need the same soil prep underneath, so neither is the cheap shortcut on that front.
Turf can take light foot traffic within days and normal use within a few weeks once rooted. Hydroseed needs two to three weeks before any foot traffic at all, and closer to six to eight weeks before it handles regular use.
Not always the best first move. A lot of tired lawns are a dethatch, a proper mowing height and a season of consistent care away from looking genuinely good again, at a fraction of a full replacement’s cost. We’ll check and tell you honestly which situation is yours.
For most sun-exposed sections, yes — it handles salt, sand and wear better than anything else on this coast. Shaded sections under mature planting, more common on the harbour side, sometimes do better with a softer shade-tolerant blend instead.
Nothing beyond clearing access for materials — topsoil and turf pallets both need somewhere to be dropped and a path to the work area. We handle the strip-out, grading and prep.
Area first, then soil condition. A bare, sandy building-site section needs more topsoil brought in than a worn existing lawn that already has some soil structure to build on.
The old surface is fully cleared and any weed growth removed before grading, so the new lawn isn’t germinating alongside weed seed already in the ground. Early mowing once established also keeps weeds from getting ahead.
Technically yes, though summer and deep winter both ask more of the establishment period — more watering in summer heat, slower growth in winter. Spring and autumn need the least intervention from you to get a good result.
Most people add one or two of these, since we’re already on the property.
