Allen · Dallas · Plano · McKinney and nearby
Sod Installation in Allen and Dallas
"We laid sod about 6 weeks ago, and it's slowly becoming patchier." New sod browning is the thing people dread most after paying for an instant lawn, and in North Texas it's usually one of three causes: the sod sat on pallets in the heat, it went down on ungraded clay, or it didn't get water every day while it rooted. Call (469) 283-6279 and we'll connect you with a sod installation pro serving Allen and Dallas. Ask when your sod was cut, how the ground will be prepped, and which grass fits the sun your yard gets. Then line up your city's new-landscape watering variance before the pallets arrive, because the normal twice-a-week schedule isn't enough for new sod.
Last updated October 23, 2026
If this sounds familiar
"Green on day one, brown by week three"
"Mine was completely brown when they installed it because it sat on pallets in the baking sun for a couple days." Fresh sod is laid the day it's delivered and watered right away.
"The builder lawn is lumpy forever"
"I have 2500 of lumpy St Augustine because the guys who laid it when the house was built didn't give a crap." Once sod roots, the bumps under it stay. Grading comes first.
"Bermuda under the oak tree"
"If the shade is consistent, the Bermuda will never win there." The wrong grass for the light thins out every year no matter how you water it.
Why new sod turns brown, and how to stop it
- Fresh from the farm, laid the same day, not after "a couple days" on a pallet.
- Watered right away, then every day while it roots. Early on, some pros water more than once a day in summer heat.
- The tug test. "Give the sod a tug, if it's grabbed tight then switch to 1 big water each morning."
- Brown edges first usually means those pieces are drying out. They need more water, not fertilizer.
- Don't let it sit wet at night. Watering late in the day and leaving it soaked overnight invites fungus.
What has to happen before the first roll goes down
- Old grass out. "If the sod company says they will use a string trimmer to cut old grass down, then you should find another provider."
- Graded smooth, sloped away from the house. "If your grade isn't completely smooth before you drop that first piece of grass, your lawn will be lumpy forever."
- Soil worked or added. Some pros spread about 3 inches of screened topsoil. Others till the existing soil.
- Sprinkler heads flagged before anyone starts.
- Tight seams. Gaps between pieces "should definitely be tight and not those 1 inch (and more) gaps everywhere."
St. Augustine, Bermuda or Zoysia?
"St. Augs beats bermuda in the shade. Bermuda beats St Augs in the sun." Bermuda needs 6 or more hours of direct sun a day, and it takes heat, drought and foot traffic. St. Augustine handles partial shade under live oaks better. Zoysia is another warm-season grass people put in around Dallas. Count the hours of sun your yard actually gets before you pick.
Watering new sod under Allen, Plano and Dallas rules
- Dallas: sprinklers are banned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the year since the May 13, 2026 ordinance update. A variance may be granted for "newly installed landscapes, not including cool-season grasses." St. Augustine, Bermuda and Zoysia are warm-season grasses. Call Dallas Water Conservation at 214-670-3155.
- Allen: sprinklers up to twice a week on your assigned days, and not from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 through October 31. Hand watering and soaker hoses aren't time-limited. Allen has a variance request. Call Water Conservation at 214.509.4559.
- Plano: twice a week, even addresses Monday and Thursday, odd addresses Tuesday and Friday, no sprinklers 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. "A variance may be requested to water new landscapes for up to 30 days."
What sod installation costs here
Dallas-area homeowners have posted: "Was quoted $3200 for this sod installation. 3 pallets of Saint Augustine," $1,575 for 300 square feet of Zeon Zoysia with gravel removal and 2 yards of soil mix, and "$5700 for 4000sf." What moves it: the grass, how much old turf and soil has to come out, how much topsoil goes in, and access. Make sure dirt, hauling and grading are on the quote: one homeowner was hit with "$775 for hauling in some black dirt" after the fact.
Sod, seed, or neither
Sod is instant. It also costs a lot more than seed. "If you don't have permanent irrigation don't waste the money on sod." If you can't water every day for the first weeks, ask about timing, or about seed for part of the yard.
Sod on Allen and Dallas clay
The clay under most of these yards drains slowly once it's soaked and cracks when it's dry. That's why grade and soil matter: water has to run off the slope and away from the foundation. Laying sod right before a storm is risky too. One Texas homeowner's St. Augustine got record rain for its first 10 days.
What happens after you call
- Call (469) 283-6279, press 1, enter your zip, and you're connected with a local pro.
- They count your sun hours, check drainage and sprinklers, and measure.
- You get a written quote listing removal, grading, soil, grass type and delivery.
- You line up the watering variance with your city.
- Delivery, same-day install, first watering, and a week-one plan.
Where this applies
Allen, Dallas, Plano, McKinney, and the rest of our service areas.
Questions people ask
Is this sod installation acceptable?
Look for tight seams with no gaps, a smooth grade, no old grass showing underneath, and sod that was green when it went down. Inch-wide gaps or lumps mean it wasn't done right.
Bermuda or St Augustine?
Bermuda for full sun, 6 or more hours a day. St. Augustine for partial shade.
Can you lay sod in the rain?
Light rain is fine. Heavy rain on fresh sod can float it off the soil and wash the ground out from under it, so most pros wait.
Does $5700 for 4000sf of sod installation seem fair?
That works out to about $1.43 a square foot. Whether it's fair depends on what prep, soil and haul-off are included.
Should I roll it back, level the ground, then reinstall?
If it's only been down a few days and it's very lumpy, yes. Once it's rooted, leveling means top-dressing in thin layers over time.
Watering schedule after laying sod?
Water right away, then every day until it roots. Many people water twice a day at first. Use the tug test before cutting back, and get your city's new-landscape variance first.
Get a lawn that roots instead of browning
Call (469) 283-6279 and we'll connect you with a sod installation pro serving Allen and Dallas.