Backyard and Pool Lawn in Islip

These homeowners wanted a backyard they could use for entertaining: a new pool, a stone patio, and a lawn to tie it all together. The problem was the ground. Like much of the South Shore, the yard sat on sandy, coastal soil that drains fast and holds little water or nutrients, so grass never filled in.

We started with soil. A layer of organic-rich topsoil went down across the yard to hold moisture and feed the roots, and we graded it smooth around the patio, steppers and pool. Then our crew laid fresh-cut sod with tight seams, rolled it for firm soil contact and gave it a deep first watering. The front lawn got the same treatment.

The photos show the bare, sandy grade before, the crew at work, and the finished lawn the same day. The homeowners went home with a watering schedule to carry the sod through its first weeks.