Sod Installation In Doon South, Kitchener
A thin, patchy backyard lawn in Doon South, Kitchener, cut out and replaced with fresh topsoil and farm-fresh Kentucky bluegrass sod on 16 June 2026, photographed by our crew from the first look that morning to the hose out on the new lawn shortly after midday.
The Job at a Glance
This is one of the landscaping projects across Waterloo Region we have photographed: a fenced backyard lawn between a raised deck and a shrub border at a two-storey brick home in Doon South, replaced by our crew and photographed from the first morning of the job to the first watering. The service itself is described on our Doon South sod installation page.
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Before
What we saw: A thin, uneven lawn squeezed between the raised deck and the mulched shrub border along the fence, worn to bare patches below the deck steps and across the middle and thinning to bare ground along the edge of the bed. What grass was left was long, uneven and patchy rather than a level lawn.
If this looks like your lawn: For this lawn, the fix was a full tear-out and regrade rather than patching. Frame 1 in the gallery below shows this lawn first thing on the morning of 16 June 2026, before the crew started.
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The Quote
The estimate covered: A full tear-out of the old turf rather than patching, fresh topsoil graded flush to the deck steps and the edge of the shrub border, and farm-fresh Kentucky bluegrass sod across the whole lawn between the deck and the fence.
Also included: Watering-in guidance for the first weeks and our 100% sod warranty: any piece that arrives unhealthy is replaced free of charge. Estimate requests get a reply within 24 hours.
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The Solution
The work: On the morning of 16 June the old turf was cut out and carried off the lawn in wheelbarrows, the trailer of fresh topsoil and sod rolls stood at the street by mid-morning, and the topsoil was raked and graded level across the bare ground by late morning.
The result: Shortly after midday the Kentucky bluegrass rolls were down across the whole lawn, fitted to the deck edge on one side and the curve of the shrub border on the other, with the hose out on the new sod.
Why Kentucky Bluegrass Was the Right Sod for This Doon South Lawn
Right On Sod installs 100% farm-fresh Kentucky bluegrass, the same turf described on our Kitchener sod installation page. Three reasons it suits a lawn like this one.
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Cold-Hardy for Ontario Winters
The challenge: Kitchener lawns sit frozen for months and go through repeated freeze-thaw cycles every spring. A lawn laid in mid-June, like this one, gets a full summer to root in before it faces its first winter.
Why bluegrass: Kentucky bluegrass is a cool-season grass that is cold-hardy, so it comes through Ontario winters and greens up again in spring.
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Knits Together and Self-Repairs
The challenge: The old lawn had worn through to bare patches in the strip just below the deck steps and across the middle. Bare ground stays bare until something fills it.
Why bluegrass: Kentucky bluegrass spreads by underground rhizomes, so the rolls knit together at the seams and the turf fills small gaps on its own. On a lawn this narrow the rows along both sides meet either the deck edge or the curve of the shrub border, and a grass that closes its own seams is the right one for those edges.
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Thrives on Sun and a Simple Routine
The challenge: This lawn runs along the fence in open sun, with only a few young trees along the fence for shade, and new sod is only as good as its first weeks: rolls that dry out before they root stay loose on the soil.
Why bluegrass: Kentucky bluegrass wants four to six or more hours of sun a day. With daily watering for the first two weeks or so it roots into the topsoil in two to three weeks, which is why the hose was already out on the lawn when the last frames were taken shortly after midday.
Right On Sod
How We Replaced This Lawn, Step by Step
Assess the Lawn and Quote the Job
What we assessed: a thin, uneven lawn between the raised deck and the shrub border, worn to bare patches below the deck steps and thinning to bare ground along the mulched bed. Rather than patch it, the estimate covered a full tear-out, fresh topsoil graded to the deck and the border, and farm-fresh Kentucky bluegrass sod.
Cut Out and Haul Away the Old Turf
Within an hour of the first photo on 16 June the old turf was coming out in clumps and going into the wheelbarrows, and soon after the whole lawn between the deck and the border was bare soil. Stripping it rather than tilling it in means the tired grass and its thatch leave the property instead of being buried under the new sod.
Grade Fresh Topsoil to the Deck and the Border
By mid-morning the crew trailer stood at the street with a load of fresh topsoil and the stacked sod rolls. The topsoil was brought through to the backyard and raked level across the bare ground, flush to the deck steps and the edge of the bed, and by late morning the whole strip was graded and ready for sod.
Lay the Kentucky Bluegrass Sod and Fit the Edges
The frames jump from the graded topsoil in late morning to the laid lawn shortly after midday, so no photo caught the rolls going down. What the finished frames show is the rolls along the deck fitted tight to its edge and the rolls along the bed cut to the curve of the mulched shrub border. Tight seams and edges are what let the rolls knit into one lawn.
Water In and Hand Over Care Instructions
Shortly after midday on 16 June the lawn was laid and the hose was out across the new sod. New sod needs daily watering for the first two weeks or so and roots in two to three weeks, and the homeowner got watering-in guidance to see it through. Every install carries our 100% sod warranty.
Photographed by the Right On Sod crew
Start To Finish: Eight Frames From the Job
Eight photographs taken by the crew on 16 June 2026, in the order they were taken: the worn lawn first thing in the morning, the old turf coming out, the trailer of topsoil and sod at the street, the graded topsoil in late morning and the new Kentucky bluegrass lawn with the hose out shortly after midday.
Doon South, Kitchener, 16 June 2026
Tap any frame to open it full size.
What Our Local Clients Say
Ready for a Lawn Like This One? Get Your Free Doon South Sod Quote.
Do not spend another season on a backyard lawn that has worn through to bare ground. Right On Sod replies to estimate requests within 24 hours, installs farm-fresh Kentucky bluegrass sod and backs every install with a 100% sod warranty. Send us a few details about your Doon South lawn and we will get you a free quote.