Sod Installation — New Lawn Sod and Sod Repair Patches
A lawn that never came back, a new house sitting in dirt, or a strip of bare ground where the trench went through — sodded on prepped soil so it takes root instead of shrinking.
JMB Builders does sod installation across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud: a whole new lawn, the front yard only, or patches where a trench, a patio job or a dog left bare dirt. The old lawn or weeds are stripped, the soil is graded away from the house, loosened and raked, and fresh-cut Minnesota bluegrass sod is laid tight, staggered, rolled and watered the same day. Priced per project by the area.
- Priced per project, by the square footage
- Old lawn stripped, soil graded and prepped
- Fresh-cut bluegrass sod, laid and rolled same day
- Patches after our own digging included
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Sod fails on the soil under it, not the sod. Rolls laid on hard clay or on top of dead grass sit there, dry out at the edges, shrink into strips with gaps between them, and never root. The prep is the job: strip what is there, grade the soil so water runs away from the house and off the low spots, loosen and rake it, and add topsoil where the grade is short. Sod laid on that roots in a couple of weeks.
The rolls have to be fresh. Sod cut the morning it is laid, laid the same day, is green; sod that sat on a pallet in the sun for two days is yellow in the middle of the roll and half of it dies. We schedule the sod delivery for the morning we lay it, with the soil already prepped, and it is down and watered before the afternoon. Seams are staggered like brick, the rolls butted tight without stretching, and the whole lawn rolled to press the roots into the soil.
Patches are the same job in a small area. After we trench a downspout line, build a patio or a walk, or pull a wall, the strip of bare dirt gets prepped and sodded so the yard is whole when we leave. Patches for damage someone else left, a dog run, a snowplow scrape or a dead spot under a tree, are quoted from a photo.
What you supply
- The area: the whole lawn, the front, or the patch; a photo and rough dimensions are enough
- Water: a sprinkler system set to run, or hoses and sprinklers ready the day we lay it
- Sprinkler heads marked so the sod cutter and the rake do not hit them
- Keeping everyone off it for the first couple of weeks while it roots
What JMB supplies
- Old lawn, weeds or dead turf stripped with a sod cutter and hauled off
- Grade corrected so water runs away from the foundation and low spots are filled
- Topsoil added where the existing soil is thin, clay or fill
- Soil loosened, raked level and lightly firmed so the sod sits on a smooth bed
- Fresh-cut Minnesota bluegrass sod delivered the morning it is laid
- Rolls laid tight and staggered, edges cut to walks and beds, the lawn rolled and watered
- A watering and first-mow schedule for the first month
- Photos of the finished lawn in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage of sod; a patch is priced on its own, a whole yard by the area
- What comes off first: a dead lawn to strip and haul vs. bare dirt on a new build
- Topsoil needed to fix the grade or replace clay fill, delivered by the yard
- Slopes, low spots and drainage problems that have to be graded out before sod goes down
- Access for a skid loader and where pallets can be dropped
- Cutting around trees, beds, walks and a lot of edges vs. an open rectangle
- Sprinkler heads to raise or move to the new grade
Send a photo of the area and the dimensions, or a screenshot of the lot from a map with the area marked. If the ground has a low spot that holds water, say so; that changes the grading.
How long it takes
A front yard: one day of prep and the sod laid the next morning. A whole lot on a new house: two to three days. A patch: a couple of hours on the day the sod is delivered.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Whole new lawn
The old lawn stripped, the grade fixed, topsoil added where needed, and the whole yard sodded. The right fix for a lawn that is more weeds than grass or that never came back after a dry summer.
New construction sod
A new house with a lot of graded fill and no topsoil. Topsoil brought in, graded to drain away from the house, sod laid over the whole lot or the front with seed in the back.
Front yard only
The part everyone sees. Stripped, prepped and sodded to the curb, with the edges cut clean to the driveway and the beds.
Sod repair patch
A trench line, a dead spot, a dog run, a plow scrape or the strip where a patio went in. Cut out square, the soil prepped, sod cut to fit and rolled in so it disappears in a few weeks.
Sod after our own digging
Every patio, walk, wall, drain line and bed job we do that tears up lawn gets the strip prepped and patched with sod or seed before we leave. It is on the quote for that job.
Sod Installation — New Lawn Sod and Sod Repair Patches: questions, answered
When can sod be laid in Minnesota?
Any time the ground is not frozen and sod farms are cutting, which is roughly spring through fall. Spring and early fall are easiest because the sod roots in cool weather with rain. Midsummer works but the sod needs water every day for the first couple of weeks. Late fall sod can go down until the farms stop cutting; it roots slowly but it is down and green in spring.
How do you prepare the ground for sod?
Strip the old grass and weeds with a sod cutter so the new sod sits on soil, not on thatch. Grade the soil so water runs away from the house and low spots do not hold water. Add topsoil where the soil is thin or clay. Loosen the top few inches, rake it smooth, and firm it lightly so there are no footprints. The sod goes on that within a day. Sod on unprepared ground shrinks and dies at the seams.
How much do I water new sod?
Water it the day it is laid until it is soaked through to the soil, then daily for the first couple of weeks, enough that the sod and the soil under it stay moist, more often in hot wind. After it has rooted, which you can check by tugging a corner, back off to a deep watering a couple of times a week. We leave a schedule and set the sprinkler zones if you have them.
Can you patch a section of lawn with sod?
Yes. A dead spot, a trench line, a dog run or a snowplow scrape gets cut out square, the soil under it loosened and leveled to the surrounding grass, and fresh sod cut to fit and pressed in. A patch blends in within a few weeks if it is kept watered. We patch our own digging on every job, and patches for other damage are quoted from a photo.
Sod or seed for a new lawn?
Sod is a lawn the same day: it holds the soil on a slope, keeps the mud out of the house, and is usable in a few weeks. Seed costs less, takes a season to fill in, and washes out on slopes and in heavy rain. The usual answer on a new house is sod in the front and seed in the back, or sod everywhere if you want to use the yard this year. The soil prep is the same for both.
When can I mow new sod?
When it has rooted and the grass has grown tall enough to need it, usually a couple of weeks after it is laid. Tug a corner: if it holds, it is rooted. Mow high the first few times with a sharp blade, and let the soil dry a little before that first mow so the mower does not rut it. We leave a first-month schedule with the watering instructions.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Landscape Bed Edging and Mulch Installation — Beds Redone
Beds that have lost their edge to the lawn, mulch that is more dirt than mulch, and shrubs hidden in weeds — recut, edged and mulched so the house looks kept.
Read moreYard Drainage Solutions — Grading and Buried Downspout Extensions
Water in the window well, a wet corner of the basement every spring, a side yard that is mud until June — most of it is fixed outside with a shovel, some pipe and the right grade.
Read moreShrub Planting Service and Tree Planting — Foundation Plantings
Dead junipers in front of the picture window, a bare foundation on a new house, or a fence line that needs screening — planted right so it is still alive in three years.
Read morePaver Patio Installation — Built on a Base for Minnesota Frost
A backyard paver patio that is still flat after the fifth winter: the base does that, and the base is where we spend the time.
Read moreLandscape Rock Installation — River Rock Beds and Foundation Rock
Rock is the bed you do not redo every two years: no mulch washing out, no re-spreading, and a clean line along the foundation, the deck or the fence that stays.
Read moreLawn Repair After Construction — Regrade, Topsoil and Seed
The addition is done, the septic is in, the windows are new — and the yard is ruts, clay and a pile where the lawn used to be. We put the grade back and grow a lawn on it.
Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All landscaping pages
Where we work
Landscaping near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: