Frequently Asked Questions

For a sunny yard, bermudagrass. It seeds reliably, grows hardest in the 75 to 99 degree range Houston has most of the year, and spreads to fill thin spots. St. Augustine is the other popular Houston lawn, but it has usually been started from sod or plugs because viable seed only recently became available. In heavy shade, neither seeded bermuda nor a quick fix works well, and we will talk through options.

You do not get an instant lawn. It takes about 5 to 7 days to see grass, and the mower should stay in the garage for four to six weeks. You have to water faithfully for the first few weeks and keep foot traffic off. A big storm in the first days can wash a low corner. And it is not the right method for St. Augustine, which is still mostly sodded.

Angi lists $700 to $2,200 for about 10,000 square feet. HomeGuide's national range, $0.12 to $0.35 for each square foot, works out higher. Grading, topsoil and slope add to that, and we quote prep separately. The total we write on the quote after measuring, once you sign it, is the amount you are billed.

Yes. Bermuda germinates fastest in heat. The catch is water: the surface dries quickly in July and August, so the yard needs irrigation or a hose schedule you can keep. If watering is hard to manage, April through June is easier.

On its own, a project under one acre does not need coverage under TCEQ's construction general permit. But if the lot sits inside a bigger development that is being built out under one plan, such as a subdivision, the disturbed acreage of the whole development counts. Your builder or site operator will know whether the project has a stormwater plan.

The tackifier and fiber mulch are there to stop that, and on flat ground they usually hold through ordinary storms. Concentrated flow is the risk: a downspout, a swale or a slope that funnels water. We grade those spots, add more mulch or a blanket, and touch up any washed areas.

Once the water is gone and the soil has dried enough to work without smearing. Flood debris and any thick silt layer come off first, and we check that the grade still drains away from the house. Then it is seeded like any bare yard.

HomeGuide puts the per-square-foot rate between $0.12 and $0.35. On a yard of about 5,000 square feet that works out to roughly $1,000 to $1,750 in its guide, with minimum fees of $300 to $500 or more. Angi's range for 10,000 square feet is $700 to $2,200. Topsoil, regrading and slope add to that, and the signed quote after we measure is what you pay.

St. Augustine has usually been planted as sod, plugs or sprigs, because commercially viable seed only recently became available. For a dependable St. Augustine lawn we still point people to sod. Bermuda is the grass we hydroseed for most sunny Houston yards.

Keep off it except to move hoses until after the first mow, usually four to six weeks after seeding. Light foot traffic after that is fine; heavy play is better after the lawn has had a full summer.

Often it is packed clay with little topsoil left. We check it at the visit and recommend loosening, added topsoil or grading where they are needed, and we price those separately so you can decide.

No, but you need a way to wet the whole area lightly several times daily until the seedlings are up and growing, usually the first two weeks or so. Hoses and timers on oscillating sprinklers work for most yards.

Yes. The bulk of our commercial seeding is done under the builder or site contractor who holds the job. We work from your plans, schedule and SWP3.

We seed side slopes and bottoms once they are dry enough to work, and we use heavier mulch or bonded fiber where water moves. Areas that stay wet most of the year may need a different approach, which we will discuss at the site walk.

It depends mostly on how far the truck travels to refill with water, plus access and mulch rate. A close hydrant or pond makes a big difference. We give a schedule once we have seen the site.

Seeding with hydromulch is a common stabilization method in SWP3s, but your plan and permit set the standard. We apply what the plan calls for and touch up areas until coverage is established.

Both are sprayed. Hydromulch is fiber mulch and tackifier that holds seed and soil on gentler ground. Bonded fiber matrix uses more binder and cures into a tougher, continuous layer, so it holds up on steeper slopes and under heavier rain.

Seed alone rarely does. The slope may need to be cut back, and the band near the waterline usually needs blankets. We look at the bank and recommend the combination that will hold.

For the first months you see the netting. Grass grows up through the blanket, and the straw or coir breaks down over time. In a season or two most people cannot tell it is there.

It depends on who owns the pond, which the plat or your HOA documents should show. We work for whoever is responsible and can quote repairs to eroded banks.

TCEQ says permit coverage is not required when a project disturbs less than an acre and does not belong to a bigger development being built under one plan. A lot inside a subdivision that is still being built out usually does belong to one, so the subdivision's total acreage counts. Your builder or site operator should know which applies.

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. TCEQ requires operators covered by the construction general permit to develop and implement one before work starts. It describes the site and the controls, such as silt fence and inlet protection, used to keep pollutants out of runoff.

Usually because it was not trenched in, so water runs underneath, or because sediment has built up behind it and nobody cleared it. Fence run straight downhill or across a concentrated flow path also fails. Correct layout and regular upkeep solve most of it.

Yes. We inspect what is there, repair or replace sections that are not doing the job, and keep it up through the rest of construction.

When the area it protects is stabilized, typically with established grass, and your plan or inspector agrees. We remove it and seed the trench line.

Often, yes. On Houston clay, standing water usually means a low spot or a yard with no path to the street or a swale. Regrading to create that path solves most cases. If there is simply nowhere for the water to go, we discuss a drain line.

It depends on what the builder left. Some lots need only a thin layer to level and fill, others need more where clay is at the surface. We check at the visit.

It should not send more water onto them, and we design the grade to avoid that. Shared swales between houses need to stay open and draining for both lots.

Yes, when a job produces more soil than can be used on site. Hauling is listed separately on the quote.

Sometimes, if it was under water briefly. A lawn buried in silt or under water for days often does not. We look at whether live grass remains under the silt and recommend overseeding or full reseeding.

St. Augustine is normally planted as sod, plugs or sprigs, and seed for it has only recently become commercially available. For dead patches we usually recommend plugs or sod. Bermuda overseeds well; St. Augustine generally does not.

For bermuda, April through September, while temperatures stay warm enough for it to grow actively. Damage that happens in winter can be cleaned up and mulched, then seeded in spring.

Seeded bermuda usually shows in about a week in warm weather and can be mowed in four to six weeks. Blending fully with the older lawn usually takes most of a growing season.