Sod Installation in Burlington
New lawns for Burlington's older lakeside streets and its newer north end, where the builder's sod on compacted ground gives up. The strip, the soil, the roll, and the City's grading rules. Lumen Landscaping installs new sod across Burlington: call (905) 906-0671 or send the form for a free written quote.
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Sod in Burlington
Sod installation in Burlington: two kinds of lawn problem
Burlington has two kinds of lawn problem. On the older streets between the lake and the QEW, in Roseland, Shoreacres and Aldershot, the lawn has been patched for decades under big trees and has more weed than grass. In Alton, The Orchard and Millcroft the lawn went down with the house, on compacted builder's grade with a skim of soil, and has been thinning since. The fix is the same for both, and it is not a top dressing: the old grass out, the soil regraded, new topsoil where the lawn needs it, starter fertilizer, premium Kentucky bluegrass sod laid tight and rolled, and a 12 month care plan.
How we install sod is on our sod and lawns page, the city is on our Burlington page, and our guide to new sod in Burlington covers the watering. Soil and sod come at what they cost us, the work carries a 1-year craftsmanship warranty, and we are fully insured. Call (905) 906-0671 or send the form with the square footage. We usually reply within the hour, and a lawn can often be priced from its size alone.
Our Work
Lawns we have laid
What a good sod quote in Burlington includes
These are the lines that decide whether the lawn is still green in August.
- The old lawn out: The existing grass excavated throughout the area and disposed of, not rototilled under or sodded over.
- Regrading and a clean surface: Minor regrading, debris raked out, and a surface that drains away from the house and keeps the lot's drainage pattern.
- New soil, when the lawn needs it: Topsoil is not in a sod price by default. If the grade would be smoother or better drained with new soil, it should be suggested after the strip and priced per yard installed. On a builder's lot it usually is.
- Starter fertilizer, the sod named, and a roll: Sod starter fertilizer before the rolls go down, premium Kentucky bluegrass sod laid tight with staggered joints, and a lawn roller for proper contact with the soil.
- Roots and stumps: Large roots or stumps found below the surface are excavated at an additional cost confirmed with you first, which matters under the old trees of Roseland and Aldershot.
- The grade, kept: A note that the lawn follows the existing grade, because Burlington's site alteration by-law regulates changing grade or drainage.
- A care plan: Watering, mowing and fertilizing instructions for the first year. Every lawn leaves with a 12 month plan.
Google reviews
What our customers say
“The team did an excellent job re-sodding our backyard. They were professional, careful working around our pool, and the finished result looks fantastic.”
“I recently had Lumen remove the surface of our weed-infested lawn and replace it with fresh sod on the larger of two areas, and river rock on the smaller area. It was a pleasure dealing with Jeff at Lumen.”
“Excellent experience with Lumen Landscaping. Efficient, knowledgeable, hardworking, and my lawn looks fantastic. Highly recommend! I had Lumen landscape a second project one year later. Same terrific experience.”
By neighbourhood
Sod installation by Burlington neighbourhood
The grass is the same everywhere. What is under it, and what shades it, changes by street.
- Aldershot: Older lots between the escarpment and the bay, with mature trees and lawns patched for years. The strip takes out the weeds for good.
- Tyandaga and Brant Hills: Sloping lawns on the escarpment side, graded so the water runs off without taking the topsoil with it. A low wall sometimes makes a better lawn than a steep one.
- Roseland and Shoreacres: Lakeside streets from the 1920s with big trees and shade, where the lawn is laid around trees the City protects and watered for the shade it lives in.
- Millcroft and The Orchard: Family lawns north of the QEW that went down with the house, where thin soil over compacted grade is the usual finding and new topsoil the usual answer.
- Alton Village: The newest subdivision, north of Dundas Street between Walkers Line and Appleby Line: small lawns on builder's grade where the sod was never going to last, redone with the approved lot grading kept.
- Headon Forest and Palmer: Established streets from the 1980s on, between Upper Middle Road and the QEW, where a tired front lawn is the easiest change to make.
Why Burlington homeowners choose Lumen for sod
Burlington lawns are a regular stop for our Hamilton sod crew. The quote names the strip, the soil and the sod, and the crew that lays it is the crew that rolls it and explains the watering.
- Materials at cost, no markup: Sod and topsoil billed at what we pay the farm and the yard.
- 1-year craftsmanship warranty: A lawn laid by us that fails to root inside a year is ours to fix.
- Fully insured: Liability coverage on every Burlington lawn.
- Over 40 five-star Google reviews: Five stars on Google, many of them for new lawns.
Local rules
Burlington rules and seasons that affect a new lawn
The season. We lay sod from spring until the ground freezes. Spring and early fall are kindest to new roots, and a midsummer lawn lives or dies on daily watering for the first two weeks.
Grade and drainage. Burlington’s Site Alteration By-law 64-2014 regulates placing or removing fill and changing the grade or drainage of a lot, and the City’s screening checklist asks about grade changes within 0.5 m of a lot line. New sod at the existing grade leaves the drainage where it was; building a low lawn up with many yards of fill beside a neighbour is a different conversation, and we have it with you first.
Trees. Inside the urban boundary a tree 20 cm or more across is protected by Burlington’s private tree by-law, and damaging its roots counts as injuring it. We strip and grade by hand close to a protected tree.
Locates. A lawn strip is shallow, but regrading and new soil mean digging, so Ontario One Call marks the lines first: no charge, booked by us, about five business days.
Watering. A new lawn needs water every day for the first two weeks and roots in about two to three weeks. Our Burlington sod guide has the schedule.
Related
Related pages
Service: sod and lawns. The same service in Hamilton. Other pages: Burlington interlock patios, Burlington concrete, Burlington fences and Burlington retaining walls. New lawns in Waterdown, Oakville and Hamilton are covered on those pages. Lawn already in trouble? Read why your lawn is patchy or dead and why a new build lawn fails. See the rest of our service areas, and the FAQ page for watering and timing questions.
FAQs
Burlington sod questions
Because it was laid on compacted builder's grade with a skim of soil, and the roots had nowhere to go. The fix is the strip, real topsoil, premium Kentucky bluegrass sod laid tight and a roll, with the approved grading kept. More on why new build lawns fail.
Shade is the limit, not the trees. We tell you honestly where grass will thrive and where a bed or groundcover is the better answer. The City's tree by-law protects trees 20 cm or more across, so we work by hand near the roots.
That depends on what the strip uncovers. On a builder's lot in the north end, new soil almost always gives a better drained lawn, and we suggest it then and price it per yard installed, at cost. On an older lot with good soil it may not be needed.
Spring and early fall are the best windows, and we lay sod right through summer when you can water every day for the first two weeks. Start dates are booked in the order quotes are accepted, so call (905) 906-0671 early.
No. We install new lawns and see them established; the grading, rolling and prep come with every sod job. For weekly cutting we recommend a local lawn care company.
Replacing a lawn at the existing grade leaves the drainage where it was, which is the usual case. The City's by-law regulates changing grade or drainage, so a lawn being built up with a lot of fill near a lot line is different, and we tell you before we quote.
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Get a Free Sod Quote in Burlington
Tell us the size of the lawn, the neighbourhood and whether there are big trees. We get back to you quickly, usually within the hour, with a free quote in writing.