Get matched with top mulch and topsoil pros in Hillsdale, IL

Topsoil should go down first. If the topsoil is next to your house, make sure the grade slopes away from the house to keep water from pooling against your foundation and possibly leaking into your basement or crawl space. Don’t cover your decorative landscape mulch with topsoil as that defeats the purpose of laying down the mulch. If you’re trying to create a certain soil composition to improve plant growth, you’ll likely want compost mixed into the topsoil instead of mulch. Over time, any decorative wood mulch will simply decompose under the topsoil.

Mulch is made from natural materials, which will break down and add nutrients to your soil for better plant and soil health, so removing old mulch is unnecessary before putting down new mulch. However, if you live in a particularly moist area, it’s possible that the old mulch will harbor fungus or mold, which can hurt plant health. If you notice these issues, you might want to consider removing the old mulch first. Otherwise, save time and money by placing new mulch right over the old mulch.

Mulch costs an average of $15 to $80 per yard, depending on the type you choose and whether you have it delivered and installed by a pro. Generally, it’s cheaper to buy mulch in bulk and have it delivered to your home. However, bags are the more cost-effective choice if you only have a small area to mulch.

Artificial turf usually requires some sort of base. If you’re installing the grass over soil, you’ll want to add a weed barrier (weeds can damage your fake grass) and an artificial grass sub-base . Typically, this is a mixture of gravel and sand, like crushed miscellaneous base (CMB) or decomposed granite. If you're placing turf over concrete, you can skip the sub base and use a padded underlayment.