How Much Does Artificial Grass Installation Cost?
Updated: Oct 9
Most UK artificial grass installations cost between £45 and £80 per square metre supplied and fitted, including the sub-base, according to Checkatrade's March 2026 cost guide. The grass itself is often the smaller part of the bill: the dig-out, stone, waste and labour make up most of it, which is why two quotes for the same lawn can be far apart.
What you are paying for
A fitted artificial lawn is a small groundworks job with grass on top, and a full quote for artificial grass installation should cover:
Lifting the old turf and digging out, typically 75-100mm
Taking the spoil away (skip or grab lorry)
Edging around the lawn
Weed membrane
A compacted stone sub-base and a granite dust laying course
The grass, joining tape and adhesive, nails or pins
Kiln-dried sand infill and a final brush
Labour, usually two people
Checkatrade's worked example for a 30 square metre lawn shows the split: skip hire about £220, crushed aggregate about £180, labour about £600, mid-range grass about £689 and membrane plus sand about £67, for a total of around £1,756 (about £58 per square metre). Their day rate for installers is typically £300-£600.
Typical costs by lawn size
Smaller lawns cost more per square metre because the fixed costs (delivery, skip, setting up, the edging around the outside) are spread over less grass. Multiplying out Checkatrade's £45-£80 per square metre band gives a feel for the totals:
Around 10 square metres: roughly £450-£800
Around 25 square metres: roughly £1,125-£2,000
Around 50 square metres: roughly £2,250-£4,000
Around 100 square metres: roughly £4,500-£8,000
Because of the fixed costs, a small lawn usually lands towards the top of its band and a large, easy lawn towards the bottom. These are national figures, not our prices, and they assume a reasonably flat garden with normal access.
Watch for VAT when you compare figures: 20% VAT makes a real difference on a whole lawn, and a quote that looks cheap may simply be ex-VAT.
What pushes the price up or down
The same grass can cost very different amounts to fit. In rough order of how much they move the price:
Dig-out and waste. Every square metre dug out at 75-100mm is spoil to be barrowed, loaded and taken away. Old patios, concrete or rubble under the lawn add breaking out and more waste.
Access. If everything has to go through the house or down a narrow side path by barrow, it takes longer. Easy access for a skip or a mini digger saves labour.
Sub-base and drainage. Clay soil, wet spots or a dog lawn can call for a deeper or more free-draining stone base, or a soakaway. That is more stone and more digging.
Edging. Treated timber is the cheapest edge. Composite plastic lumber is typically three to four times the price of timber, and steel or aluminium edging, which can follow curves, also costs more than timber.
Grass quality. Checkatrade puts supply-only grass at roughly £9-£14 per square metre for budget, £14-£24 for mid-range and £25-£45 for premium.
Shape and joins. Curves, lots of corners and several rolls joined together create more cutting and more waste offcut.
Extras. Foam shock pad under a play area, steps, levelling a slope or retaining edges all add cost.
What is often not included
Read the quote for what is missing as much as what is there. Items that are sometimes left out or priced separately:
Removing old paving, sheds or tree stumps
Waste disposal (some quotes assume you will provide the skip)
Drainage work on a waterlogged lawn
A second membrane, odour-control infill for dogs, or shock pad
VAT (some installers quote ex-VAT)
DIY versus fitted
Buying the grass and doing it yourself saves the labour, which on Checkatrade's example is about a third of the bill. But you still pay for the stone, dust, membrane, edging, a skip and plate compactor hire, and you do the heaviest part of the job: digging out and barrowing several tonnes of soil and stone.
The risk is in the base. A lawn on a thin, badly compacted base dips, holds water and lifts at the edges, and fixing it means lifting the grass and starting again. On a small flat lawn with good access, DIY is reasonable. On clay, slopes, large lawns or anything a dog will use, the fitted price usually buys you a lawn that lasts.
How to compare quotes
Put quotes side by side on the same terms:
Dig-out depth. Ask how deep they are going. Anything that skips the dig-out is cheaper for a reason.
Sub-base. Ask what stone and how thick, and whether there is a granite dust layer (not sharp sand).
Edging. Timber, steel, composite or existing paving, and how the grass is fixed to it.
The grass. Get the product name, pile height and backing so you can compare like for like.
Waste and VAT. Make sure both are included or both excluded.
Guarantee. Who stands behind the base and the workmanship, not just the grass.
A good quote is itemised on exactly those lines, and it can only be accurate after someone has seen the ground and the access, because they are what set the price.
Artificial grass cost questions, answered
Is artificial grass cheaper than turf?
Not to install. Real turf is far cheaper to lay. Artificial grass costs more upfront but removes mowing, feeding and reseeding, and a well-laid lawn typically lasts 15-20 years or more.
Does the time of year change the price?
Some installers are busier in spring and summer. The best time of year to install artificial grass is really about ground conditions, and booking outside the busy season can make scheduling easier.
What does it cost to keep it looking good?
Very little. Knowing how to clean artificial grass mostly means a stiff brush, a hose and the occasional cleaner for pet areas, and HomeHow puts a dedicated maintenance brush at around £15-£30.
If you are in Wolverhampton or the West Midlands and want a real figure for your lawn, Pete and the team will measure up, look at the ground and access, and give you a free quote, and all our work is guaranteed. If you are also redoing a path, we can price that at the same visit, and you can book your free quote here.
