In Times of Drought, Is it Time to Consider Synthetic Grass?

So often we get into conversations with homebuyers who are thinking of putting in synthetic grass. They want to know what we think, what we know, and if it makes sense for them, so here’s the real deal on fake grass.

 

Synthetic grass has made huge strides in the last few years and is more common in home landscapes. It works well in putting greens, areas where there are inhospitable conditions for growing real grass (such as perpetually shady areas), and areas where small pets relieve waste.

 

The pros: Low maintenance (obviously): no trimming, no watering, no fertilizer, no pesticides, no mowing. Most of your household water use is taken up by landscaping, so if there is no need for watering, you’re not going to be running up a bill. Synthetics look great year-round, and with the strides in aesthetics, it’s almost impossible to tell fake grass from real grass unless it’s closely inspected.

 

The cons: Cost. Fake grass is expensive and takes skill to install. The less expensive types can look cheap and unnatural, though, in time, you could recoup your investment. You can expect to pay $2-$3 per square foot for material, and $20 per square foot with installation. This stuff gets hot, too. Real hot. Synthetic material is usually stronger than natural materials, so the polymers that bind it together tend to heat up to the degree that sand does.

 

For us, function over form when it comes to aesthetic grass. If you can come up with a good reason to use it, then we say do it!