A New Lawn Costs $1.20–2.50 a Square Foot — and Almost None of That Is the Grass
You are buying soil and labour. The sod is the cheap part.
In short
Supplied and installed, sod in the GTA runs about $1.20 to $2.50 per square foot. On a typical 1,000 square foot front yard that is roughly $1,500–2,800 once the old lawn is stripped and new topsoil goes down.
The rolls themselves are a small share of it. What you are actually paying for is removing the old lawn, the topsoil, and the levelling — which is exactly where two quotes for the same yard diverge, and why a cheap quote is usually a thin one.
And autumn is arguably the best moment in Ontario to do it. Cool air with warm soil lets roots establish without summer heat stress, and the watering bill is a fraction of a July installation. The hard boundary is the first deep freeze.
Where the money goes
Market quotes, autumn 2026 — prices published by GTA businesses that sell the work. Ask for your quote split this way and the comparison becomes possible.
| Line | Share of a typical job | Why it varies |
|---|---|---|
| Removing and disposing of the old lawn | 20–30% | Machine access. A backyard reached only through a gate is hand work |
| Topsoil | 20–30% | Depth matters more than anything else in this table for how the lawn survives |
| Levelling and preparation | 10–20% | Grading away from the house is not optional on a sloped lot |
| The sod itself | 20–30% | Priced by the roll or pallet; the one part with a published market price |
| Labour to lay it | 15–25% | Slopes, curves and obstacles all add time |
| Water, afterwards | Yours | Daily for two to three weeks — visible on a metered account |
This is why a $0.90 per square foot quote and a $2.40 quote can both be honest. One is sod laid on whatever is there; the other includes stripping, four to six inches of soil and grading. Ask which you are getting — the same discipline as reading a renovation estimate.
Repair the lawn, or replace it?
The useful rule: if more than about half the lawn is still living grass, overseed instead. Aeration plus overseeding costs roughly a third of full sod and, done in autumn, closes most of the gap by the following spring.
| Situation | What usually makes sense | Rough cost on 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Thin, patchy, mostly grass | Aeration and overseeding | $150–350 |
| Half grass, half weeds | Overseed now, reassess next autumn | $300–600 with fertilising |
| Mostly weeds or bare soil | Full sod replacement | $1,500–2,800 |
| Grade has to change anyway, or the house is for sale | Full sod replacement | $1,500–2,800 |
One honest caution about the instant result: sod laid on poor soil looks perfect for a season and then thins out, and you pay twice. If the budget is tight, better soil under less area beats thin soil under the whole yard.
Why autumn beats spring for this
Three reasons, in order of how much they matter.
The part that decides whether it lives
New sod needs a great deal of water, daily, for the first two to three weeks, then progressively less. This is not a detail — it is the single variable that determines whether you spent $2,000 well.
Which is also why establishment warranties, where offered, are conditional on watering as instructed. That condition is reasonable, and it means you should get it in writing: how long the warranty runs, what watering they expect, and what evidence they want if you claim.
If you have an irrigation system, note the collision of seasons: the system needs winterising before the first hard freeze, and new autumn sod still needs water. Talk to both contractors about the sequence before either books a date.
Red flags
What to do next
Measure the area yourself — length by width, in feet — before you call anyone. Then ask two companies for a quote broken into removal, topsoil depth, levelling, sod and labour. With your own number and their five lines, you can actually compare.
Compare home services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact businesses directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone. Also useful: lawn care prices, how to choose a landscaper and the booking calendar.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
Market quotes generally run $1.20 to $2.50 per square foot supplied and installed, with the spread driven by access, how much old lawn has to be removed and how much topsoil the site needs. Sod alone, picked up by the roll, is a fraction of that — the labour and the soil are most of the bill.
On a 1,000 square foot front yard, a full supply-and-install job commonly lands between $1,500 and $2,800 once removal of the old lawn, topsoil and levelling are included. Ask for the price broken into removal, soil, sod and labour, because that is where two quotes actually differ.
It is arguably the best time in Ontario. Cool air and warm soil let roots establish without the heat stress of July, and the watering demand is far lower than a summer installation. The practical limit is the first hard freeze — sod needs weeks of root contact before the ground locks up.
If more than about half the lawn is still living grass, overseeding with aeration is usually the cheaper and better route, at roughly a third of the cost of sod. Full replacement makes sense when the lawn is mostly weeds or bare, when the grade has to change anyway, or when you need an instant result for a sale.
A great deal, daily, for the first two to three weeks, then tapering. This is the part of the bill people forget: a large new lawn installed in a dry spell adds a noticeable amount to a metered water account. Autumn installation reduces that considerably.
Removal and disposal of the existing lawn, the depth of new topsoil, levelling, the sod type, installation, and first watering instructions. Ask whether the price is per square foot or a lump sum, and confirm the measured area — a quote based on a guessed area is a dispute waiting to happen.
Some companies offer a short establishment warranty, usually conditional on you watering as instructed, which is reasonable because watering is the main variable. Get the condition in writing, including how long it runs and what evidence they expect if you claim.
Sources and how current this is
Checked 18 September 2026. Prices on this page are market quotes published by GTA businesses that sell the work, not an independent survey, and sod pricing moves with the growing season and with fuel and soil costs. The share-of-job percentages are the ordinary shape of a quote rather than a measured average, and they are offered so you can compare like with like — ask any contractor to break their own number down the same way. The timing advice reflects southern Ontario’s climate; northern Ontario’s window closes earlier. Limits on what may be applied to a lawn for weeds come from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks page on pesticides for home lawns and gardens under the Pesticides Act and Ontario Regulation 63/09. Warranty terms are set by each company. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not install lawns or vet the businesses listed.