Soil first. Then seed — or sod — only if the lawn needs it.
Thin turf, bare patches, and weeds are symptoms. The real causes are usually soil condition, chinch bugs, or grubs. That is why every program starts with a diagnosis — built from what you're seeing, not a sales visit — and the soil work always comes first.
Pick a program — planned with you in advance, confirmed by email.
Browse the programs, tell us what you're seeing, and we size the lawn from aerial measurement — no separate assessment trip for soil and seeding work. We agree on a preliminary plan together, David confirms your price by email, and we arrive prepared. Any change on the day is agreed with you first.
Replacing a lawn outright with Steam & Sod is the one exception: David sees that job in person before confirming the price. Not sure which program fits? Tell us what you're seeing and we'll recommend a starting point.
Soil Health Program
For lawns that are tired, thinning, or slow to recover but still have enough coverage to work with. We rebuild the soil foundation with organic compost topdressing, core aeration, and targeted pH correction. Often the existing grass recovers and thickens without any seeding at all.
Explore revive →
Precision Lawn Seeding
For significant thinning, bare patches, or confirmed chinch bug and grub damage that soil work alone will not resolve. Soil first, then certified Pickseed cultivars placed mechanically into prepared ground — never simply broadcast over the surface.
Explore repair →
New Lawn — Steam & Sod
For lawns beyond recovery, or when you need immediate results — before a sale, an event, or because gradual repair is no longer realistic. Steam preparation, an enriched soil base, then Manderley sod. An instant lawn that establishes properly.
Explore restart →Don't need the full plan? Book one service.
In our regular service area, single services stand on their own — no bundle required, priced from your measured lawn.
Core Aeration
Relieves compaction — the single most cost-effective visit for a hard, thirsty lawn.
$160 flat — covers most lawnsSee the service →Overseeding
Certified cultivars slice-seeded into the soil, not thrown at it.
$190–$335 by lawn sizeSee the service →Dethatching
Clears the spongy layer so water and feed reach the soil again.
$215–$370 by lawn sizeSee the service →Spring & Fall Cleanups
Leaves lifted, beds edged, the season closed out properly.
See the service →Grub Damage Repair
Diagnosis first — then soil restoration and seeding where it's confirmed.
See the service →Starting prices, +HST — your exact number comes from your postal code and measured lawn in the estimator, in about 60 seconds. See my exact price →
Want the full picture? What lawn restoration costs in Ottawa (2026) →
What we check before anything goes down.
Read the lawn
Before any product goes down we work out what is actually limiting your lawn — compaction, organic matter, pH, drainage, or pest damage from grubs and chinch bugs — from what you tell us, the photos you send, and a lab soil test where the program calls for it. Applying amendments or seed without understanding the soil is the most common reason lawn repairs fail to hold.
Match the treatment to the condition
Compacted Ottawa clay needs aeration and organic matter. Soil out of pH range needs a corrective matched to how far out it is. Depleted biology responds to organic inputs synthetic fertilizers can't replicate. Salt damage from Ottawa winters needs its own fix. We apply what your soil actually needs.
Restore with the right method
Sometimes the soil program alone is enough for grass to recover naturally. Where damage is too significant, we follow with precision mechanical seeding. For lawns beyond recovery, we prepare the soil and install sod. The soil work comes first regardless of the path.
We come prepared — and get it right in one visit. We arrive with the full amendment toolkit on hand and adjust to what we find on the ground — no consultation visit, no separate fee.
Want the lab version? A soil test can be added to any lawn work we are already booked to do — pH, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and salt, measured rather than assumed, from $71.
Do you come out to look at the lawn first? For interlock, yes — David walks the surface with you, measures it, and sends a written proposal by email after the visit — free. For lawn work, no visit is needed: the size comes from the aerial measurement, the condition from your photos and what you tell us, and David confirms the plan and price by email. Full lawn replacement (Steam & Sod) is the one exception: that job David sees in person before the price is confirmed.
Not sure what your lawn needs? Email two or three photos to david@davidslawns.com with your address and what you're seeing. David reads the condition from the photos, prices from the aerial measurement, and replies with what he'd actually do — in writing, within two business days.
The same lawns, months apart — with the dates on them.
Bare, patchy soil in early spring — thick green turf by summer. Not a miracle product: a soil foundation rebuilt first, then the right restoration method on top of it.
Two of them here. See the full past-work gallery →
Curious what actually goes into a lawn program? See the full amendment toolkit on the Revive page — compost, seaweed, wollastonite and the rest, each with what it does.
Diagnosing a problem? Start with grub damage.
Looking for weekly mowing? We've stepped back from it — here's why, and a referral offer.
