Owning a home is a dream of almost any living human being. To those who manage to own the home one day, maintaining it in good condition always comes at a cost. Among the inventions that have helped reduce the cost of maintaining a home, while at the same time maintaining the desired beauty, is the residential artificial turf.

What is artificial turf?

Artificial turf refers to synthetic fibres which look like the natural grass. It is made up of filaments which are threaded in to backing which can let water through. This backing is mostly laid on drainage layer (mostly a compacted gravel), then fastened along the drainage layer perimeter.

To ensure it does not get blown away by wind or by stiff breeze, it is mostly filled with sand or recycled crumb rubber. Most of the artificial grass residential of our times is made of polypropylene, polyethylene or nylon, which is coloured to look exactly like the natural green grass. Its greatest advantage over the natural grass is that it can withstand heavier use and does not require maintenance in trimming and irrigation.

Why it is gaining popularity in residential homes:

Artificial grass for homes is gaining a lot of popularity in most residential homes as it gives picture-perfect lawn in addition to solving weeding, watering and fertilizing woes. The question that most people have in mind is whether it is perfect.

Well, if you live in area where there is water shortage of if you feel the costs of lawn maintenance are getting too high, then you should consider artificial turf for homes. Those who have installed it in their homes benefit from water and time savings. Some of the best landscaping pictures of homes with beautiful lawns, play areas, pool surrounds, rooftops and dog runs are not real grass but artificial turf.

The top benefits:

The top benefits of laying artificial grass include the following –

✓ If the need of fertilizing, wedding, watering and cutting the real grass is becoming too frequent, time consuming and costly.
✓ If the need for irrigation is rapidly increasing water bills.
✓ If you want to go green and do not want the use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers in the farm.
✓ If the soil condition at your home does not support growth of the real grass.

The cost of installation:

One thing that everyone wants to hear and know about is the residential artificial turf cost. Well, the upfront cost of the artificial turf is a bit high. Although the exact price may vary depending on the brand and from one store to the other, it will cost you between $5 and $20 or higher per square foot to have it installed.

The cost of lousy sod, the natural grass is far much cheaper as it will cost you about 60 cents to have it laid per square foot. However, once artificial turf is put in place, it will not need any other significant maintenance in terms of watering or mowing, and will remain in good condition for up to 25 years! The lousy will cost very cheap to install, but as soon as the next day after installation it will need watering, mowing and fertilizing, and all these will take your money and time.

The drawbacks:

The artificial turf has many benefits but also some few drawbacks.

× It does not last forever, and so it will need replacement after some period of use, which is mostly between 15 and 25 years.
× In addition to the high residential artificial turf cost of buying and installation, it also needs periodic cleaning and other maintenance practices.
× Unlike natural grass it cannot absorb pet urine and break it down.
× In direct heat of the sun, it tends to heat up.
× It cannot be recycled.