Question
Hello Sean. My friend is going on vocation and wants me to replace his grass with with healthier grass in his backyard.(or at least the dried up spots). I've never done it b4 but somehow I believe I can do it. My q's to you are 1) Is that difficult to do and 2) how much should I charge him (60 sf canadian funds) 3) is there a website where there is instructions step by step how to do it

Thank you

Answer
I can tell you the following.

1. Laying sod is very easy, that's why day laborers only get paid about $10 (US) per hour to do this work and it takes about 5 minutes to train them. It is dirty and tiring, but it is easy and hard to foul up.

You simply dig out the area you plan to re-plant. You need to remove about 1" to 2" of soil so the new sod will be even/level with existing grass that will remain. (might want to wait and see how thick the new sod is when it is delivered before digging). You need to square off your excavation area to match rectangular sod pieces. Then you roughen the surface with a dirt rake. Then I like to wet the soil thuroughly and set the sod in place. You should not line up the joints from one row to the next. Make sure each piece is offset half its length from the previous row of sod. The pattern should resemble a brick wall. The continuous joints should run perpendicular to any slope in your yard.
Finally, you need to water almost every day for two weeks if it doesn't rain and there after about every other day for another two weeks (assuming summer install) Then after a month you may go to waterng once or twice a week depending on weather and teperature. Walk on the sod the day it is laid to be sure it is pressed into the wet soil and the roots make good contact. This process is called "stepping it in". After that stay off us much as possible for at least a month. (that includes pets).

2. As for what to charge, I have no idea what Canadian sod or labor prices are. You only have a short season so I am sure it is more expensive. If it helps, here in south US we get about $0.45 to $0.65 per square foot installed. (cost of grass, delivery and install). But we install grass practically year round and have cheap labor and nearby sod farms.

Try this link for more help (cut and paste into your browser)
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-23,G...

Best of Luck
Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
Please check out my blogs and articles on landscape topics like this on my websites.
http://www.seanjmurphy.com
http://amenityarchitects.com