Artificial Grass

milliebear00001

Hi there

I am hoping to buy a house with a large back garden that needs complete renovation. My plans is to get a landscaping company in to resurface the drive at the end of the garden and build me a patio in front of the house, but my problem is the big space in the middle. As I posted on another question here recently, there is a large, tarmac drive across the middle of the garden. I now discover that this 'drive' is actually the old access road that ran behind the properties. It is now sectioned off and forms part of my, and the other houses', rear gardens.

I am reluctant to pay somebody to tear up the tarmac and whatever road building materials are underneath just so I can grow a lawn for my kids to wreck, but do want to have that space as an area for my children to play on.

I am thinking of artifical turf. I have no problem with the appearance of this and I'm guessing it would be easy enough to lay on top of the tarmac. I hate mowing grass anyway, but would like the 'green-ness' of a lawn.

Does anyone have artificial grass? I need to know what it's like as a playing surface and to maintain. There seem a lot of different types and some suggest they are more suitable for children than others. They also state that they don't 'burn' in the way the old astroturf did - is that true?!

Also, what about resale. Would you buy a house with a great garden, if it had fake grass?

zed.red_2

Hey there,
I've had artificial grass for 6 or 7 years - too much shade for grass to grow successfully here. I'd say it has lasted well - at the time it was expensive but worth it in the long run. It is a two-tone "lawn" rather than astroturf. Appearance wise - you can tell it's fake as it looks too green and neat to be real especially in this dry summer but it is soft underfoot and serves it purpose as the kids play on it all the time and it doesn't get muddy like a real lawn. Maintenance is pretty easy, I just sweep the leaves off it with a stiff broom and haven't had any weeds growing through - and I can enjoy the garden without having to mow the grass
If you're using it as a playing surface, you would want a thick layer of sand over the tarmac so the grass has some softness under the base (also to help with drainage). The way mine was laid was a framework of wooden battens onto level ground and all the spaces filled with sand, then the grass is nailed to the wooden battens - a bit like a carpet with gripper rods.

milliebear00001

Thank you. Do you find it slippery for playing on? Does it really damage skin if your kids fall on it (in the way the old astroturf used to leave terrible friction burns?)

morg_monster

Hi, I remember there was an article in the Guardian about this earlier this year. You may have already seen it, if not it's here
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/17/artificial-grass

zed.red_2

No it's not that slippery for playing on - of course there's no soil among the grass for grip but on the plus side it has a layer of sand below it so it drains really fast and is drier than a normal lawn so less slippery that way. I've found it pretty soft for falls too - its much longer and softer than astroturf and it has 'give' in it like blades of grass rather than bristles.
You should be able to request samples from all the fake grass companies so you can compare - I think you can still get the greengrocers matting type(!) and regular sports astroturf, but if you look at some of the ones that are supposed to resemble residential lawns with longer "grass" you're more likely to find something good.
Hope that helps - good luck with house buying

wallbash

Seven posts all praising artificial grass ..... smell SPAM