Be mindful of your drainage points – you want the gradient of the soil to fall away from your house. Hiring a bobcat will help in levelling and grading the dirt.
Next is the base - use a little lawn soil mix to go on top of the dirt. This can be a mixture of sand and manure. You want some soil on top of the bare dirt so that your grass has something to grab hold of and grow. Important note: Pick your timing, the last thing you want is for your soil to wash away after the next downpour. Check the weather and if possible put the soil down first thing in the morning.
Which turf? There are a few varieties depending your budget. Buffalo is in the middle to high price range, where as Kykiua is good and at the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Once you have your grass it is time to roll it out over the soil. Now is the time to get a few friends around to help with a little heavy lifting and laying the grass. It can also be helpful to hire a roller to roll over the turf once it is in place, gives it that extra touch.
The most important step - Water! You need to keep the water up for the first couple of days and then start to slowly pull it back. If you water too much the roots will not go down into the soil. The roots need to seek out the water, so slowly bring the watering back to train the roots to head down.
Extra tips - now that you are a few months in, the grass is starting to take hold and is looking good. It can be helpful to use a slow release fertiliser, a light sprinkle over the top. You also want your first couple of mows to be on the high setting, this way it thickens the grass and plunges the roots down into the soil.
These handy tips are also available on this factsheet.
If you would prefer to get the professionals in, call Clinton from Visionary Gardenscapes on 0447 645 877. He can help with garden makeovers, development and maintenance services.