Is it really that much to put in artificial grass?

[jtvang125]

The neighbor across the street said it cost him $9k to put in artificial grass on his front lawn. No bigger than the size of a residential swimming pool. There's still the small strip on the other side of the driveway that he didn't do. Honestly it looks like he went with the cheapest type and it looks like ****. Like the type they use on the putting surface at a miniature golf course. And it still cost that much?

 

[Homerboy]

People put in artificial grass? Why on earth would somebody do that?

 

[highland145]

$12-14/sq ft is done right. Costco had 45 sq ft for $128 but the prep is the large cost. My friend, the landscape architect, said crush and run (I would imagine 6 or 8") and then paver sand. IIRC, the grass he used was $4/sqft.

People put in artificial grass? Why on earth would somebody do that?

3 years ago, we spent $12K redoing the yard. Grass, bushes, roses, sprinkler. 1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water. That does not include equipment. This year, we had a real hard freeze after 80 degrees in February. A lot of my centipede has not come back. Eff me. So what now? Crappy yard or re sod? $2 or $3K and that's if I do it. Double eff me.

 

[WelshBloke]

3 years ago, we spent $12K redoing the yard. Grass, bushes, roses, sprinkler. 1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water. That does not include equipment. This year, we had a real hard freeze after 80 degrees in February. A lot of my centipede has not come back. Eff me. So what now? Crappy yard or re sod? $2 or $3K and that's if I do it. Double eff me.

I jus make my son mow mine every week. :shrug:

 

[highland145]

I jus make my son mow mine every week. :shrug:

I don't mind the work. Just extra exercise.

 

[jtvang125]

$12-14/sq ft is done right. Costco had 45 sq ft for $128 but the prep is the large cost. My friend, the landscape architect, said crush and run (I would imagine 6 or 8") and then paver sand. IIRC, the grass he used was $4/sqft.

3 years ago, we spent $12K redoing the yard. Grass, bushes, roses, sprinkler. 1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water. That does not include equipment. This year, we had a real hard freeze after 80 degrees in February. A lot of my centipede has not come back. Eff me. So what now? Crappy yard or re sod? $2 or $3K and that's if I do it. Double eff me.

I just think that if he was sinking that much into it already then at least go with something better. It doesn't look and probably dropped the value a little bit because not everyone wants artificial grass and especially not when it's that cheap looking.

 

[highland145]

I just think that if he was sinking that much into it already then at least go with something better. It doesn't look and probably dropped the value a little bit because not everyone wants artificial grass and especially not when it's that cheap looking.

Agreed. When we remodeled the kitchen, I told the wife she could spend $12K. IIRC, she spent $10K just on the cabinets, $22K for the whole job. It does look good though.

 

[Homerboy]

$12-14/sq ft is done right. Costco had 45 sq ft for $128 but the prep is the large cost. My friend, the landscape architect, said crush and run (I would imagine 6 or 8") and then paver sand. IIRC, the grass he used was $4/sqft.

3 years ago, we spent $12K redoing the yard. Grass, bushes, roses, sprinkler. 1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water. That does not include equipment. This year, we had a real hard freeze after 80 degrees in February. A lot of my centipede has not come back. Eff me. So what now? Crappy yard or re sod? $2 or $3K and that's if I do it. Double eff me.

Well yeah - yards are work if you want them looking "beautiful"
AStro-turf though? How on earth can you remotely like the looks or even enjoy it?

 

[highland145]

Well yeah - yards are work if you want them looking "beautiful"
AStro-turf though? How on earth can you remotely like the looks or even enjoy it?

Expensive.

My friend was supposed to bring by a sample because I wanted to see it. He said the new new stuff looks pretty good. If I could afford it and you couldn't tell from 10' away, I'd probably be all in.

~20 different examples here.

 

[highland145]

What's not to like?

 

[jtvang125]

Expensive.

My friend was supposed to bring by a sample because I wanted to see it. He said the new new stuff looks pretty good. If I could afford it and you couldn't tell from 10' away, I'd probably be all in.

~20 different examples here.

Yep there's some now that looks damn realistic and can probably fool most people. There's another house down on the next street that did theirs just recently. Much better quality and it even has the manicured look so they definitely dropped some big time $ on it.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

OP can you take a pic and post? Not really interested in doing this myself, but would like to see just how shi**y it actually looks!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

3 years ago, we spent $12K redoing the yard. Grass, bushes, roses, sprinkler. 1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water. That does not include equipment. This year, we had a real hard freeze after 80 degrees in February. A lot of my centipede has not come back. Eff me. So what now? Crappy yard or re sod? $2 or $3K and that's if I do it. Double eff me.

Couldn't you just, I don't know, spread some grass seed the same species as what you have, and water it? It'll eventually fill back in.

 

[highland145]

Couldn't you just, I don't know, spread some grass seed the same species as what you have, and water it? It'll eventually fill back in.

I could and I might. There's a long back story with my craptastic yard and it's worn me down. Not the work but the WTF? We've been here 21 years.

For ex.:
I'll have a spot that's not doing well. Send in a soil sample of that spot and one 4' over that's fine. 2 completely different results. Probably done 12 samples in the last 3 years.

The warm February brought out the mole army. My back yard, which is doing almost fair now, looked like a dirt bike mogul track. Treated for grubs/mole crickets. The front section that is now dead has newer mole activity so it might not have been the freeze and could be grubs/crickets even though I treated that section as well. Could be voles. Could be lawn gnomes pissing on my yard.

I can follow the sprinkler trench likes because of the yellow grass. Why? Because they trenched it after they supposedly amended my craptastic soil and brought up the old poor dirt. Added iron the last 2 years and that has helped but, this spring, effing yellow lines again.

etc, etc. So, at this point, I'm real inclined to say fuck it or I need to hit the lottery or sell the kid. I'm leaning towards the kid.

 

[Yakk]

Keep in mind artificial grass also traps heat, if you ever played in an artificial grass football (soccer) field in full sunlight it can be up to 10C hotter on the field versus real grass. Less so on small residential lots, but it definitely still radiates a lot of trapped heat.

 

[mxnerd]

Would love my yard look like this. Seems only needs mowing twice a year according to web articles.

http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden...-no-mow-fescue-attracts-attention-3176301.php

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've seen some very high quality artificial grass.... Having said that, most residential varieties are unrolling a carpet, connecting it to the ground, and piling sand on top of it...then raking/fluffing it. It's not extremely labor intensive, except for leveling the lawn and prep work.

 

[Exterous]

1/4 acre. Every year, I probably spend $800 on fert, pre emerg, post emerg, gasoline, water.

Is that 1/4 lot or 1/4 grass? I get 6 bags of Milorganite on sale and 1 large bag of fertilizer from a landscaping supply company that sells to the public. Costs me around $80. The smallest fertilizer they carry is 15000 sqft but those last me 3-4 years on a 1/4 acre lot so I just rotate the type I buy each year (fert+ preM one year, summer stuff the next, winter stuff the year after that etc). Better slow release than the big box sold stuff too. Maybe $10 on gas? Is your water super expensive or something?

 

[highland145]

Grass.

fert, May and Aug. $50 each
pre emerg Nov and Feb $50 each
water, 6 months or so, ~$240 extra.
post emerge, that's not much $20. Roundup concentrate, not much either. Nor is the ant killer.
This year, 3 separate treatments to kill whatever the moles are after. I don't remember. Maybe $30 each.
Bug infestation in the banana tree/camellias. Waiting on the bill. Hoping $100.
Gas, IDK. I mow every week, 40 min. Weed eat 10 min. Edge every other week, 10 min. Blower, year round. Hedges, I hate hedges, 3 times/yr.
Didn't aerate this winter so saved a $$ there.
Bought a new mower last fall, under $300. The husky blower and weed eater are 5 years old and still going strong but the motors are rated for 300 hrs.

So maybe shy of the $800 but not by much. Might not be much mowing this year depending on what I do about the dead grass.

 

[Exterous]

fert, May and Aug. $50 each
pre emerg Nov and Feb $50 each

How big are those bags? There is a SiteOne Landscapes not too far from you that might be worth checking out or a call. Same company bought out the place I go to but I haven't seen much change in the pricing. Plus you can get the good stuff like dithiopyr instead of pendimethalin (Halts) and 30-60% slow release instead of the 5-12% most of the big box stuff sells. Better pricing and options on grass seed as well (At least up here)

 

[highland145]

How big are those bags? There is a SiteOne Landscapes not too far from you that might be worth checking out or a call. Same company bought out the place I go to but I haven't seen much change in the pricing. Plus you can get the good stuff like dithiopyr instead of pendimethalin (Halts) and 30-60% slow release instead of the 5-12% most of the big box stuff sells. Better pricing and options on grass seed as well (At least up here)

50lbs
Haven't heard of them. Been using Carolina Fresh. Can't find the fert schedule on their site ATM. Had to call them last time to print one out. I'm not sure what's in the pre emerg but is seems to work. Maybe prodiamine. No poa annua (blue grass) last year or this one.

Ouch, $210 bill just came in for the banana tree bug infestation.

Not really on topic but the wife drops several hundred on the planter bed each year. They look nice and they should. $200 for pansies in the fall and whatever she plants in the spring.

 

[Exterous]

50lbs
Haven't heard of them. Been using Carolina Fresh. Can't find the fert schedule on their site ATM. Had to call them last time to print one out. I'm not sure what's in the pre emerg but is seems to work. Maybe prodiamine. No poa annua (blue grass) last year or this one.

Ouch, $210 bill just came in for the banana tree bug infestation.

Not really on topic but the wife drops several hundred on the planter bed each year. They look nice and they should. $200 for pansies in the fall and whatever she plants in the spring.

You know - you give me shit for all my travels but you spend more on your lawn than some of my trips. Damn 1%ers

 

[highland145]

You know - you give me shit for all my travels but you spend more on your lawn than some of my trips. Damn 1%ers

Hell, that's why I can't go on trips. That and the kid.

Blame the wife.
I tried to work the yard for years and failed so I didn't water and only mowed the dirt a couple time a year. Then I promised the kid a basketball court. So my "buddy" comes up with this plan. Clay pavers for the court. Tumbled block for the boarders on the circular drive. Curved walk to the back door. Then my "buddy" pulls the wife aside and says that the yard really looks like shit compared to the expensive drive. Nearly doubles the cost.

Might be the problem with the soil. My "buddy" has been missing for a while.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Where's Ns1? He could let you know what $2000 buys.

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...-surface-for-a-dog-run.2493713/#post-38730371

 

[highland145]

Where's Ns1? He could let you know what $2000 buys.

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...-surface-for-a-dog-run.2493713/#post-38730371

Holy crap $2K?!?!?! Concrete and green paint is cheaper.