I’m getting fed up with maintaining the lawn in my backyard as it seems to be a battle I’m forever losing. I spent nearly $3,000 about two years ago to have it re-sodded with new KBG… looked great for one summer, but quickly succumbed to the conditions that exist around my yard the following year, such as:
– a small dog that we let out to go to the washroom in the yard
– backing onto a protected ravine on 2 sides, it has underground tree roots constantly trying to sprout new trees through the lawn
– mature trees from the ravine provide a lot of shade but kills the grass
– we have an issue with wildlife from ravines, especially voles and mice, burrowing under the yard, creating sinks holes and trenches
I have about 1,400 sq ft of backyard lawn area, but not sure if I want to necessarily cover it all with artificial grass. I’ve tossed around the idea of including some kind of mini putting green, which seems to be a popular installation.
One quote received so far:
$9/sq ft for supply only
$12 to $15/sq ft for supply and install
… That’s over $20K … seems a bit steep. I’ve yet to receive other quotes, but just wanted to do an “RFD check” to see if this is in line with what others are seeing or have done.
This is for the “good” stuff too, that I’m told will address all of my above issues (pet-friendly, pest resistant, good water drainage, etc)… it looks remarkably real, in that it has some yellow-colored thatch mixed in with various shades of green blades. Not the emerald green cheap stuff you see on roles in Home Depot/Lowes.
Currently looking at products from the following companies:
– Rymer Grass
– SynLawn
– Fairlawn
I’m not opposed to DIY installation but seems like preparation is rather critical to the performance and longevity of the product, so I may leave this project to the pros.
How did your installation go? Any pics? pros/cons? Any lessons learned?
Thanks!!