Artificial Grass Installation Cost, DIY vs Professional

What artificial grass installation costs in Australia

The turf is only half the bill. The other half is getting it down properly, and that is where quotes vary the most.

As general market data (not our pricing), professional installation in Australia typically adds around $30-70/m² on top of the turf itself. If you lay it yourself, the base materials (road base or crushed rock, bedding sand, weed membrane, pins and joining tape) usually come to around $10-20/m², plus tool hire and your own weekends.

Here is how that stacks up against general market turf prices, all inc. GST:

Turf tier (market range)	Turf, supply only	Turf + DIY materials	Turf + professional install
Budget, 15-25mm pile	~$15-30/m²	~$25-50/m²	~$45-100/m²
Mid-range, 25-35mm pile	~$30-45/m²	~$40-65/m²	~$60-115/m²
Premium, 35-45mm pile	~$40-60/m²	~$50-80/m²	~$70-130/m²

A flat, open yard with good soil sits near the bottom of the install range. A sloping block with clay, tree roots and a tight side gate sits near the top. For the turf side of the equation, our artificial grass cost guide goes through supply prices by tier in more detail.

Lasting Grass supplies turf only. We do not install, so if you go the professional route you will be hiring your own landscaper or turf installer and buying the grass from us (or asking them to supply it).

What you are paying an installer for

It helps to know what goes into that $30-70/m², because most of it is labour and machinery for work you never see once the grass is down.

A typical professional job covers:

• Removing the existing lawn, usually with a turf cutter, and taking the spoil away
• Excavating to depth (usually 75-100mm below finished level, depending on the soil)
• Spreading and compacting a crushed rock or road base layer with a plate compactor
• Screeding a finer bedding layer so the surface is smooth and falls toward drainage
• Laying weed membrane
• Rolling out the turf, cutting it in, joining rolls and pinning the edges
• Spreading sand infill and power-brushing the pile upright
• Cleaning up and removing offcuts

Spoil removal is the line item people underestimate. Digging out even a modest backyard to 100mm produces several cubic metres of soil and old grass, and someone has to load it into a skip or trailer and pay the tipping fees. Installers fold that into their rate. DIYers pay it separately.

What DIY costs in practice

Going it alone saves the labour, but it is rarely as cheap as the materials list suggests. A realistic DIY budget covers four things.

Base materials

Road base or crushed rock, bedding sand or crusher dust, weed membrane, landscape pins, joining tape and adhesive, and sand infill. At roughly $10-20/m² for the lot, this is the predictable part of the budget.

Tool and machine hire

You will want a turf cutter to lift the old lawn and a plate compactor for the base. Both are standard hire-shop items, usually by the half day or full day. Check your local hire shop's day rates before you commit, and try to schedule so you only hire each machine once.

Waste disposal

A skip bin or several trailer runs to the tip. This is often the surprise cost on a DIY job, so price it before you start digging.

Your time

For an average backyard, most first-timers need a full weekend or longer, and the digging and compacting is hard physical work. Our step-by-step guide on how to lay artificial grass walks through each stage so you can judge whether it is a job you want.

Worked example: a 40m² backyard

To make the numbers concrete, take a flat 40m² rectangle with soft existing lawn and easy side access. Using the general market ranges above:

Cost item	DIY	Professional
Base materials (~$10-20/m²)	~$400-800	Included in install rate
Installation labour (~$30-70/m²)	Your time	~$1,200-2,800
Tool hire and waste	Extra, varies by area	Usually included
Turf	Same either way	Same either way

So on a simple site, doing it yourself typically saves $800-2,000 before tool hire and tipping fees are taken off. That gap shrinks on small areas and widens on large, easy ones.

What tips the decision one way or the other

Two yards of the same size can cost very different amounts to turf.

Site size

Small areas (a balcony, a strip beside the pool, a dog run) are good DIY territory. The materials are cheap, you may not need machinery at all, and many installers set a minimum job charge that makes small areas poor value to outsource. Large yards swing the other way. The digging and compacting scale up quickly, and a crew with a skid steer can do in a day what takes a DIYer a fortnight of weekends.

Base condition

Sandy, free-draining soil on a flat block is forgiving. Heavy clay, a slope, poor drainage or old concrete with cracks all need more careful base work, and that is where DIY jobs most often go wrong. A base that settles unevenly or holds water will show through the turf within a season or two, and fixing it means lifting the grass and starting again.

Joins

Rolls come at a fixed 3.71m width, so any area wider than that needs at least one join. A good join is close to invisible. A poor one shows as a line or a ridge, especially in low sun. If your yard needs several joins or awkward angled ones, weigh up how confident you are with seaming tape and a knife. Our guide on how wide artificial grass rolls are explains how to plan joins before you order.

Access

If materials and turf can come straight in through a wide side gate, the job is simpler for everyone. If everything has to be carried through the house or down a narrow path, installers will price that in, and a DIYer will feel it in their back.

Pets and heavy use

For a yard that a dog will use every day, drainage and a well-compacted base matter more than usual. If you are unsure about getting the fall and compaction right, that is a reasonable case for a professional base even if you lay the turf yourself. Our page on artificial grass for pets covers what else to look for.

The trade-off: upfront saving vs redo risk

DIY saves money when it goes well and can cost more when it does not. The most common problems we hear about are a base that dips or ponds after rain, visible seams, edges that lift because they were not pinned or fixed firmly, and turf laid with the pile running in different directions so the colour looks patchy.

None of those are hard to avoid if you take your time, but all of them are expensive to fix after the fact, because the fix usually means lifting the turf. Many installers also offer a workmanship guarantee on their labour, which is worth asking about when you compare quotes. The turf itself carries its own manufacturer warranty regardless of who lays it.

A middle path works well for plenty of people: pay a landscaper to excavate and compact the base, then roll out, join and infill the turf yourself. That puts the professional money where mistakes are hardest to undo.

Ordering turf for either approach

Whichever way you go, the turf order works the same. Our rolls come in fixed cut lengths (commonly 5m, 10m, 15m or a full 20m roll, depending on the product) at the 3.71m width. You pick the length that covers your area, and for wider yards you join rolls side by side. A length shorter than a full roll carries a cutting fee. Start with our guide on how to measure your yard for turf, then use the length and quantity calculator on any product page in the range to see current pricing for your area.

We do not currently ship to Western Australia or South Australia.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to have artificial grass professionally installed?

As a general market guide, professional installation in Australia typically adds around $30-70/m² on top of the turf. Where your quote lands in that range depends mostly on site prep: lawn removal, soil type, slope, drainage and access. Always get at least two or three written quotes that list what is included.

Is laying artificial grass yourself worth the saving?

On a small, flat, easy-access area, usually yes, because the materials are cheap and the risk of a poor base is low. On a large, sloping or clay-heavy block, the labour saving is bigger but so is the chance of a base problem that means relaying the turf. Be honest about your time, fitness and patience before committing.

Does Lasting Grass install synthetic grass?

No. We supply turf only, so installation is done by you or by a landscaper or installer you hire. Many customers buy the turf from us and have a local landscaper handle the base and laying.

Can I pay for a professional base and lay the turf myself?

Yes, and it is a sensible way to split the job. The base is where most costly mistakes happen, and it is hard to fix once the turf is down. Laying, joining and infilling the grass on a well-prepared base is well within reach for a careful DIYer.