Turf Laying & New Lawn Cost in Brisbane (Per m² Installed)
Laying new turf in Brisbane costs $15–$40 per m² supplied and laid, with most jobs landing around $25/m². This is install intent, not maintenance — a different buyer and a different price model, charged by the square metre rather than per visit.
This is a deep-dive on turf laying cost in Brisbane. For mowing, edging and the ongoing maintenance once your new lawn is down, head back to the main Brisbane lawn mowing cost guide →.
What turf laying costs per m² in Brisbane
The headline rate is the supplied-and-laid figure: $15–$40/m², typically $25/m². Roughly a third of that is the turf itself (turf-only runs about $8–$15/m² off the farm) and the rest is labour, delivery and the bits most quotes bundle in.
| Lawn size | Supplied & laid @ ~$25/m² |
|---|---|
| 80m² courtyard | $1,200–$3,200 |
| 200m² backyard | $3,000–$8,000 |
| 400m² block | $6,000–$16,000 |
Where you land in the band comes down to turf variety, how much ground prep is needed and access. A flat, cleared courtyard with a couch lawn sits at the bottom; a sloped block in premium buffalo with old turf to strip sits up top.
Turf types and what they cost in SEQ
Four warm-season grasses do the work in South-East Queensland, and the variety swings the per-m² rate as much as anything:
- Common couch — the cheapest and a tough performer in full Brisbane sun; fine in lawns that cop foot traffic, but it invades garden beds and browns off in shade.
- Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo — the premium pick and the most popular for a reason: soft, shade-tolerant and hard-wearing. Expect the top of the supply band.
- Zoysia (incl. Sir Grange) — a premium, slow-growing, low-input lawn that means less mowing; dearer to buy, cheaper to run.
- Kikuyu — cheap and fast to establish on big open blocks, but vigorous and high-maintenance once down.
For a typical shaded Brisbane backyard, Sir Walter buffalo earns its premium; for a sunny, high-traffic block, couch does the job for less.
Ground prep, soil and delivery
The number that ambushes people is prep. Bare dirt is rarely ready to roll turf onto. A proper job means spray-off of the old lawn and weeds, a rotary-hoe, a screed and level, and a layer of under-turf or sandy-loam topsoil — commonly +$5–$15/m² on top of the supply-and-lay rate. Stripping and carting away old turf adds more again.
Then there is delivery: turf is sold by the pallet (roughly 50m²) and a delivery fee applies, more so for outer suburbs. Turf is perishable — it wants to go down within a day of cutting — so prep needs to be finished before the pallet lands. Budget the prep honestly and the rest of the job runs smoothly.
Worked examples: courtyard, backyard, block
Using the ~$25/m² supply-and-lay rate plus realistic prep:
- 80m² courtyard, couch, light prep: ~$2,000 laid (~$1,600 turf+lay + ~$400 prep). Flat, cleared, easy access.
- 200m² backyard, Sir Walter, full prep: ~$5,000–$6,500 (~$5,000 turf+lay + ~$1,500 spray, hoe, topsoil and old-turf removal).
- 400m² block, kikuyu, heavy prep: ~$10,000–$13,000 with levelling, topsoil and cartage on a larger, rougher site.
Get the prep line itemised separately on every quote — that is where two quotes for the “same” lawn diverge by thousands.