# LAYERUP > Landscapers and earthworks contractors across Bay of Plenty & Waikato: excavation, drainage, walkways, footpaths & garden paths, front yards, backyard entertaining areas and premium artificial lawns - every layer of your outdoor space. LAYERUP ("From ground up") is a landscaping and outdoor solutions contractor based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The team handles the full build, from earthworks and drainage up to the finished surface, for homes and commercial properties. - Website: https://layerup.co.nz - Phone: +64 27 256 5949 - Email: contact@layerup.co.nz - Service area: the whole of Bay of Plenty and Waikato. The main centres are Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua, Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel, but that list is the biggest towns rather than a limit - we work anywhere in either region - Quotes are free and start with an on-site visit. ## Services - **Earthworks & Excavation**: Site preparation, excavation and groundwork for outdoor projects. - **Drainage & Land Levelling**: Drainage solutions and precise levelling for long-term surface performance. - **Artificial Turf**: Premium residential, commercial and specialty artificial turf installation. - **Artificial Turf Cleaning & Maintenance**: Deep cleaning and power brushing, sanitising and pet odour treatment, moss removal, infill top-ups and repairs - on turf we installed and turf we did not. - **Walkways, Footpaths & Garden Paths**: Paver walkways, footpaths, stepping stones and entry paths built on a compacted, free-draining base. - **Gardens & Outdoor Living**: Front yard landscaping, garden beds and planting, patios and backyard entertaining and game areas. Also available: River stone & decorative stone, Wood chips & bark, Garden edges, Low retaining walls, Pool fencing, Paver pathways & stepping stones, Home basketball key courts, Bocce & petanque courts, Garden boxes (raised beds), Site clearing & old-lawn removal, Turf deep cleaning & sanitising, Turf hire for stands, expos & events. ## Service coverage Every service below is available across the whole of both regions. The towns named are the main centres, not a boundary - smaller towns anywhere in Bay of Plenty or Waikato are covered too. - **Earthworks & Excavation**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions - **Drainage & Land Levelling**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions - **Artificial Turf**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions - **Artificial Turf Cleaning & Maintenance**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions - **Walkways, Footpaths & Garden Paths**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions - **Gardens & Outdoor Living**: Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua); Waikato (Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel), and the smaller towns across both regions ## Pages - [Home](https://layerup.co.nz/): services, project portfolio, process and contact form - [Artificial Turf](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf): what we install, the full build sequence layer by layer, where turf suits a space and where it does not, and turf-specific questions - [Tauranga](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/tauranga): Near the harbour, through Matua and Otumoetai, the ground is largely estuarine sand that drains freely. Inland and up the hills, around Bethlehem, Pyes Pa and Welcome Bay, it turns to heavier clay and volcanic ash that holds water. Older sections also come with mature trees and existing paths, walls and paving to work around. - [Mount Maunganui](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/mount-maunganui): Coastal sand, all the way down. It drains fast and holds almost no water, which is why real lawns here brown off so quickly. The other factor is exposure: onshore wind carries salt, and these sections get full sun for most of the day. - [Papamoa](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/papamoa): Sand, with a water table that sits high in places, particularly closer to the flats. New sections are usually built on compacted fill with a thin skim of topsoil over it, and that fill is often uneven and carries construction debris. Backyards tend to be compact and laid out fence to fence. - [Te Puke](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/te-puke): Clay and volcanic ash, through kiwifruit country. Clay does not shed water, it holds it, and the area gets more rain than the coastal suburbs. Sites out here are also larger, often lifestyle blocks with room for a machine to get in. - [Rotorua](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/rotorua): Volcanic pumice, which drains freely but is light and soft and compacts differently to sand or clay. The climate does the rest: cooler and wetter than the coast, with more established tree cover, so a lot of sections carry heavy shade for most of the day. - [Hamilton](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/hamilton): The Waikato basin, mostly volcanic ash soils over river terraces of alluvial sand and silt, with peat pockets scattered through the district. Hamilton also has its gully network, so a lot of sections back onto a steep bank rather than a flat boundary. Frosts are regular through winter. - [Thames](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/thames): Alluvial silt and peat across the Hauraki Plains, with the water table sitting high through much of it. Peat holds water and settles over time, and the flats give you almost no natural slope to shed water off a surface. - [Coromandel](https://layerup.co.nz/artificial-turf/coromandel): A mix of clay and sand over volcanic rock, on sites that are often steep or terraced and carry heavy bush cover. The peninsula also gets significantly more rain than the Bay of Plenty coast, and the salt air comes with being coastal on both sides. - [Walkways & Paths](https://layerup.co.nz/walkways): Paving contractor for walkways, footpaths and garden paths across Bay of Plenty & Waikato, built on a compacted base so they stay level and drain instead of sinking. - [Landscaping](https://layerup.co.nz/landscaping): Landscapers covering Bay of Plenty & Waikato, from earthworks and drainage through to planting and paving. One crew for the whole build, ground up. - [Courts & Greens](https://layerup.co.nz/sports-courts): Backyard basketball keys, putting greens, mini golf and play surfaces across Bay of Plenty & Waikato. A true, level base is what makes a court actually play right. - [Portfolio](https://layerup.co.nz/portfolio): completed jobs with our own photos of the excavation, the compacted base and the finished surface, plus before and after comparisons - [FAQ](https://layerup.co.nz/faq): common questions about turf, paths, patios and the project process ## FAQ ### Turf **Q: How long does artificial turf last?** A: Quality artificial turf stands up to years of foot traffic, sun and Bay of Plenty weather. We install premium NZ-made, UV-resistant turf built for NZ conditions on a properly prepared, free-draining base - and a good base matters as much as the turf itself, which is why we do the groundwork first. **Q: Is artificial turf safe for kids and pets?** A: Yes. It is non-toxic and pet-friendly, drains freely so it will not pool, and gives a soft, even surface for play areas, daycares and backyards. We can add a shock pad under playground turf where it is needed. **Q: Does water drain through artificial turf?** A: Yes - the turf is perforated and we build a free-draining base underneath, so rain drains straight through. On tricky sites we sort the drainage and levelling first so water never pools. **Q: How do I look after artificial turf?** A: No mowing, watering or fertiliser. An occasional rinse or a brush up keeps it upright and fresh, and when a lawn is due for a proper clean we handle that too. Year-round green without a weekend spent on it is the whole point. **Q: Do you re-install or maintain existing artificial turf?** A: Yes, on turf we laid and turf we did not. We fix and re-install turf that was poorly laid, has shifted or has lost its base - lifting it, sorting the groundwork and re-laying it properly. We also service existing lawns: deep cleaning and power brushing, sanitising and pet odour treatment, moss and weed removal, re-sanding seams and topping up infill, so an older lawn looks and drains like new again. **Q: Can you do custom turf designs, colours and shapes?** A: Yes - coloured turf, chess lawns, hopscotch, logos and bespoke shapes are our specialty work. We cut and join the turf on site, so the design ends up exactly as drawn. **Q: Can you do vertical turf walls and feature panels?** A: Yes - we build vertical artificial turf walls and green feature panels for both indoors and out: restaurant and cafe fit-outs, retail and reception walls, event backdrops, fences and courtyard screens. Tell us the wall and the look you are after and we will mount it cleanly on the right backing. **Q: Can you install turf over concrete or an existing deck?** A: Often yes, with the right prep and drainage. We will check the surface on the free site visit and tell you straight whether it suits. ### Paths, Patios & Outdoor Areas **Q: Do you build garden paths and walkways?** A: Yes - paver paths, stepping stones and walkways are a core part of our landscaping work. Front entries, paths down the side of the house, links from the deck to the lawn or garden - we set the levels, build a compacted base and lay the pavers so they stay put. **Q: What materials can you use for a path?** A: Concrete pavers, stepping stones, exposed aggregate slabs, river stone, and gravel or crushed rock with clean edging. We recommend a material that suits the ground, the foot traffic and the look of your place at the free site visit. **Q: Can you lay pavers with artificial turf between them?** A: Yes - pavers set in artificial turf is one of our most popular looks. We set the pavers and the turf on the same prepared base and cut the turf tight around each paver, so the surface stays level and drains freely. **Q: Can you sort the narrow strip down the side of my house?** A: Yes - narrow side-of-house strips are a common job for us. They are usually shaded, muddy and awkward to mow, so a paver path, stepping stones or turf (or a mix) turns dead space into a clean, usable link between the front and the back. **Q: What goes under a path so it does not sink or pool?** A: The same groundwork we put under everything: we excavate to solid ground, sort the falls and drainage, then build a compacted base before any pavers go down. That base is why a path stays level through Bay of Plenty winters. **Q: Can you build a backyard basketball key or game court?** A: Yes - we build paver and turf game courts, home basketball key courts, bocce and petanque areas, mini golf and putting greens. Tell us the space you have and we will design a court that fits it. **Q: Will the court lines fade?** A: Not the way painted ones do. On a turf court we cut the lines in as strips of white turf and seam them into the green, so the line is the same material as the rest of the surface. Paint on turf starts going grey and patchy in a year or two, especially in full sun. Cutting the lines in takes longer to do and it is the reason the court still looks right years later. **Q: Can you do a full front yard makeover?** A: Yes - front yards and kerb appeal are part of what we do: lawn or turf, garden beds and raised planters, planting, an entry path and clean edges. We start with the levels and drainage, then build up the layers so the finished front holds its look. ### Projects & Process **Q: What areas do you cover?** A: LAYERUP covers the whole of Bay of Plenty and Waikato. The main centres are Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Te Puke, Rotorua, Thames, Hamilton, Taupō, Coromandel, but that list is the biggest towns rather than a limit - we work anywhere in either region. Every service we offer - landscaping, earthworks, drainage, artificial turf, walkways and footpaths, courts and putting greens - is available across both, so if your town is not on the list it is still worth asking. **Q: Who installs artificial turf in Hamilton and the Waikato?** A: LAYERUP does. We install artificial turf across the Waikato - Hamilton, Thames, Taupō, the Coromandel and the towns between them - and we do the excavation, levelling and drainage under it ourselves rather than subcontracting the groundwork. Ash soils, peat pockets and gully-section access all change how the base gets built, so the quote starts with an on-site visit. **Q: Do you do landscaping in Tauranga, Papamoa and Mount Maunganui?** A: Yes. LAYERUP is based in Tauranga, so those three are our closest work and a same-day trip. The ground is different in each: sand near the harbour and at the Mount, builder fill and a high water table on the newer Papamoa subdivisions, heavier clay inland around Bethlehem, Pyes Pa and Welcome Bay. **Q: Do you cover the Coromandel and Thames?** A: Yes, both. LAYERUP works across the Coromandel peninsula and the Hauraki Plains around Thames. Out there the two things that decide a job are access - steep or terraced sites often mean barrow work rather than a machine - and water, since the flats sit on silt and peat with a high water table. We work both out before quoting rather than after starting. **Q: Do you work on commercial properties?** A: Yes - offices, retail, showrooms, daycares and public spaces, alongside our residential work. Same approach: proper groundwork first, then a surface that handles the foot traffic it will get. **Q: How do I get a quote?** A: Send your details through the contact form and we will give you a call, then book a free on-site visit. As well as measuring up, we check the depth from the surface down to the clay base, so we know how much to excavate to build a proper base for the turf - then we give you an accurate, no-obligation estimate. **Q: How long does a project take?** A: It depends on size and groundwork - a straightforward lawn can be a few days, while a full backyard with earthworks and drainage takes longer. We give you a realistic timeframe at the quote, before any work starts. **Q: Do you remove the old lawn or surface first?** A: Yes - site prep is part of the job. We clear the old lawn or surface, sort the levels and drainage, then build up to the finished surface. **Q: Do you hire out turf for events or stands?** A: Yes - we supply temporary artificial turf for expos, trade stands, displays and events. Tell us the area and the dates and we will coordinate it.