How does height of soil get affected by amending compost in?

Hello all, I'm going to be installing turf in my front and back gardens this coming Autumn (live in WA). The soil that I currently have is level with the driveway/kerbing and I would like to amend it to a depth of at least 150mm. From what I've read I need to get the soil level to about an inch under the kerbing. Does that mean I need to remove about 200mm of the current soil before adding any compost to get the level that I need?

Hi Mortuus
You are correct. If you want a good lawn the prep is all important.
In WA lots of people simply level out the sand, throw on some dynamic lifter then roll on the turf. Because we are on sand it kinda works, but the lawn will never be good quality and will struggle.
Remove a good layer of sand as you have specified and bring in a good quality lawn mix. That will be a mix of sand, loam and fertilizer that will promote good root growth.
A 100mm of lawn mix would be enough but 150 is even better.
While you have the original sand out do all your retic prelay and then back fill with your lawn mix. It is easier than digging in the retic after.

It does seem like a lot of work and money goes into fixing the soil. Only the cost of the turf underlay is pretty pricy unless I'm looking at the wrong kind. If anyone from WA has any suggestions for cheap and effective underlay that'd be great.


Just for a bit of fun, this is the sand I currently have.