is designed to be installed directly on natural soils. A mature and well established lawn and landscape presents far fewer preparatory requirements than does a new construction or casually maintained site.

At the most simplistic extreme, site preparation requires only the stripping of existing sod (generally requiring a “sod cutter” machine) and some hand manicuring of the underlying soils so as to soften naturally occurring peaks and valleys. At the other extreme is major excavation involving substantial areas of “cut and fill,” and involving as an extensive array of landscape enhancements as might be imagined.

In relation to the areas to be covered by , the only important considerations are;

· The soils must be stable, but not necessarily compacted.
· Contouring of soils must provide drainage away from permanent structures at a slope that optimally does not exceed 30%.
· Soils must be suitable to permit vertical drainage without excessive retention.
· Flat surfaces should be avoided in favor of undulations that accentuate what would be considered naturally appearing and complimentary to the overall landscape.