Mechanical dethatching
Most lawns:
$360–$540 tax included
Blades pull the dead layer out and I haul it away. Check your thatch before you book this — most lawns do not need it.
I text — I don’t call, and I measure from satellite — no estimator comes out.
Thatch is the brown spongy layer of undecomposed stem, crown and root material sitting between the green growth and the soil. Cut a small wedge out of the turf and look at how thick it is. That measurement decides whether this job is worth your money, and most of the time it is not.
The threshold is
half an inch
— WSU is direct about it: thatch in excess of half an inch should be removed, because it starts stopping water reaching the roots. Under half an inch it is doing no harm, and WSU is equally direct that regular power raking is not a beneficial practice for home lawns. If that is your lawn, book core aeration instead — it breaks the thatch down over time, and it costs a third of this.
Not your grass clippings — WSU is explicit that clippings contribute little to thatch formation, so mulch-mowing is not the culprit. What builds it is excess fertilizer, overwatering, improper mowing, and acid soil that slows decomposition down. Fix those and the thatch stops coming back after I have taken it out.
Source: WSU Hortsense, Lawn and Turf: Thatch · WSU Extension King County, Tip Sheet 11: Lawns
Three times aeration, because it is a slower pass and it produces a great deal of material to clear. Debris removal is in the price. Over 6,000 sq ft is by estimate.
Lawn size (sq ft)
Up to 2,000
Price
$360tax included
Text me my priceDon’t know your size? That’s what the satellite measure is for.
All prices include Washington sales tax. What you see is what you pay.
I run routes across Pierce County and King County, with some Snohomish County work in the north.
Send your address anyway — I’ll tell you straight.
Cut a small wedge out of the turf and look at the brown spongy layer sitting between the green growth and the soil. WSU puts the threshold at half an inch: thatch in excess of half an inch should be removed, because it starts stopping water reaching the roots. Under that, it is doing no harm.
Then do not buy this. WSU is blunt that regular power raking is not a beneficial practice for home lawns, and recommends core aeration one to two times a year to break the thatch layer down instead. Aeration is a third of the price and it is what I would book you for.
By lawn size, $360–$540 for lawns up to 6,000 sq ft, tax included. Over 6,000 sq ft is by estimate. It runs three times aeration because it is a slower pass and it produces a great deal of material to clear.
No. WSU is explicit that grass clippings contribute little to thatch formation. Thatch is undecomposed stem, crown and root material. What actually builds it is excess fertilizer, overwatering, improper mowing, and acid soil that slows decomposition.
Early spring, per WSU. The lawn needs the growing season ahead of it to fill back in, which is why I will not power rake a lawn going into winter.
Yes, at first, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not done it. Power raking pulls a large amount of dead material out and the lawn looks thin and torn up until it grows back in. That is why it is a spring job and why it is not something to do every year.
Yes. That is a real part of what this costs - a dethatched lawn can produce several bags of material, and clearing it is included in the price you were quoted.
No. This is a one-time job. No contract, no auto-renew, no cancellation fee.
About five minutes for a firm number. No contract, no deposit, nothing to pay today.
Text me my priceTexting only — I don’t take calls, and I don’t send an estimator. Text me at 206-512-5614.