How Much Turf Do I Need? A Practical Guide

A new lawn is one of the most satisfying garden jobs there is — unroll it today, enjoy it tomorrow. But turf is unforgiving about two things: bad measuring and bad timing. Order short and you're ringing the supplier for an extra pallet that never quite matches; leave rolls stacked in the sun and you're laying yellow hay. Paul recommends sorting your measurements and your delivery day before anything else — the rest of the job falls into place around them.

Measure twice, order once — getting the area right

Turf is sold by the square metre, and a standard roll covers exactly 1m², so your area in m² is your starting roll count. Rectangular lawns are easy: length times width. For awkward shapes, split the lawn into rough rectangles, measure each, and add them together — and for a circular lawn, multiply the distance across by itself and knock off a fifth. Paul suggests pacing out wiggly edges rather than wrestling a tape measure round them: a normal walking pace is close enough to a metre, and turf maths forgives small wobbles far better than it forgives guessing.

How much to order — and why you always add a bit

Every edge, curve and flower bed means a cut, and every cut means an offcut you can't use. On a simple rectangular lawn add 5% to your measured area; on lawns with curves, trees or island beds add 10%. Paul's tip from years of working with turf: always round up to the next full roll after adding your allowance — a spare roll tucked round the back of a bed is cheap insurance, but one roll short on laying day stops the whole job.

Ground prep before the turf arrives

Turf is only ever as good as what it's laid on. Strip out weeds and old grass, dig or rotavate the soil, rake it level and firm it underfoot — you're aiming for a surface that's firm but not concrete, with no footprints deeper than a boot. If your soil is thin or tired, lay 10–15cm of screened topsoil before the turf; it is the single biggest improvement you can make to how the lawn establishes.

The common mistakes homeowners make

The same few slip-ups come up again and again. Ordering the exact measured amount with nothing for cuts. Skimping on ground prep because the turf will 'hide it' — it won't, every bump prints through. Laying onto dry, dusty soil in summer so the roots have nothing to drink. Paul has seen this go wrong when people leave delivery day to chance: turf arrives Friday lunchtime, everyone goes out Friday night, and by Sunday the pallet is composting itself. Book the day off and lay it the day it lands.

Paul's biggest mistake — and how to avoid it

If Paul could stop homeowners making one mistake, it's this: treating turf like it can wait. In Paul's experience, a pallet of rolled turf on a warm day is a ticking clock — the rolls heat up in the stack and start to yellow within 24 to 48 hours. Order your turf to arrive the morning you plan to lay it, get the ground ready the day before, and work in the shade of the pallet, unrolling as you go. Do that, and a new lawn is genuinely a one-weekend job.

Laying day — quick notes

Start along the longest straight edge, stagger the joints like brickwork, butt each roll tight to the last without stretching it, and never walk on fresh turf — work off boards. Water within an hour of laying in warm weather, then daily for the first fortnight. If you're timing the job against the weather, the UK gardening calendar shows the best turfing windows month by month.