15 Reasons to Install Artificial Grass
By AstroLondon
In this blog post, you are going to read 15 reasons why you should install artificial grass in your garden. Before we move forward, let’s see if you really need artificial grass installed in your home? Here is a quick checklist that you can use.
If your answer to these questions is “yes”, then you should consider installing synthetic grass on your lawn or home.
One of the main benefits associated with artificial grass is financial in nature. You want your home to look appealing without having to spend too much money when it comes to time and resources.
Having natural grass installations may cost you very little at the beginning, but these will ramp up as time goes by.
It will cost you about £1.50 to £3 pence per square foot when installing natural grass. Artificial grass will cost you about £5 to £10 per square foot initially, based on factors such as type, quality, color, etc., but these costs are not recurring making it cheaper in the long run.
The comparison table below gives you a visual picture of what it would cost you to have natural vs. artificial grass installations.
The figures are based on a 100 sq. ft. garden/lawn/yard and are for the first year only.
Natural Grass has a recurrent annual cost of £1,680. In 10 years, it will be £18,600
Artificial grass has a near zero annual maintenance cost and in 10 years, any maintenance costs will be below £2,000
The figures speak for themselves.
Artificial Grass | Natural Grass (Sod) | |
---|---|---|
Initial Costs | £750 (Average £7.50/sq. ft.) | £250 (Average £2.50/sq. ft.) |
Annual Recurrent Costs | £750 (Average £7.50/sq. ft.) | £250 (Average £2.50/sq. ft.) |
Watering | Saves 180 GBP | £180 (Average £15 per month) |
Fertilizing | Saves 200 GBP | £200 (Average 20 pence/sq. ft.) |
Watering | Saves 1300 GBP | £1,300 (£25 per week) |
Total | £750 | £1,860 |
Alan is at the end of his wits, and would like to know what to do to make his lawn greener while saving resources and energy at the same time. Similarly, his children always get hurt when playing in the garden and leave muddy footprints through the house after a rainy day.
If you are in the same situation as Alan in, you should know that there is an alternative available.
Artificial grass or Artificial turf is made using synthetic filaments, which are sawn into a porous backing, always allowing water to pass through into the soil when it rains. Before it is laid down, a drainage layer is created to avoid waterlogging on your lawn. This means that your grass will always be dry and mud will be a thing of the past.
The drainage layer consists of compacted gravel, and is fastened along the edges of the area where the artificial grass will be laid out. The compacted gravel is Limestone and Granite, which helps it stay firm and smooth against years of different weather elements.
The synthetic materials used to create artificial grass are polyethylene, polypropylene or nylon. These materials are coloured to resemble natural grass species, and you can choose from a wide range of colours. If you also want the grass in custom colours for your own creative decor ideas, then you can get these done too.
So now you know about Artificial Grass and its installation process, let’s now dive into its benefits.
Artificial grass does not need any mowing. If anything, you simply need to hose off any dust, pet droppings and residue that may have accumulated on the grass. This is a task that can be done in a few short minutes and is also enjoyable.
Cleaning artificial grass is low maintenance, when compared to actually mowing natural grass. With artificial grass, you have the best looking lawn and you do not have to toil to keep it looking lush and green.
Just like any other proud home owner, Alan wanted a home that was appealing to look at from the outside. Adding curb appeal to your home is a no-brainer. Everyone wants a beautiful home.
Alan invested a lot of money in exterior decor; he had rock arrangements in his garden and slabs laid out to from great walkways.
However, the grass kept growing in an unruly manner, making his arrangements seem clumsy and unappealing. It took a lot of effort to manually cut the grass that kept growing in between the slab walkways.
When Alan decided to use artificial grass, he solved a lot of his curb appeal problems.
The grass on his lawn always looked beautiful to the eye. Actually, many would stop and admire the way his home looked, and he would watch proudly from behind his curtains.
The house has a wonderful appeal, which people are attracted to and willing to cough up extra cash for when buying a home.
So should you install artificial grass, and think of selling your home some time in the future, you can be sure if getting a lot more for it than you would if you still had natural grass.
Well, one of the best ways to add value to your home, when it comes to exterior décor is installing synthetic grass. Looking at some of the artificial grass installations that AstroLondon has done will give you an idea of how powerful the installations are when it comes to adding value to property.
The aesthetic appeal of artificial grass can be stretched as far as your imagination can go. Adding more value to your home is not just about the look, but also about the functionality. If you have special installations where kids and pets can play, then the value of the home appreciates. If you have special installations around the pool, then the value goes up to. The options are endless as to how you can use artificial grass to improve the value of your home.
Any buyer knows that artificial grass installations cost money, but informed buyers know the savings that come from having synthetic grass in the home. They will be willing to pay more, and save money in the future thanks to your foresight.
Not all homes come with a layer of fertile grass where natural grass can thrive. Sometimes, a home is built on stony and rocky grounds, which only support rogue grass species, which can survive in such hostile environments.
People living in such areas tend to leave their lawns and gardens alone and simply concentrate on the looks of the house. They will spend a lot on painting the home, and keeping it pristine, simply to overshadow the unruly look of their lawns or gardens.
Many home owners have used the grass to their advantage without a lot of investment in clearing their homes. Actually, some of these “rough” environments provide a lot of exterior décor ideas when it comes to using artificial grass.
With some clever clearing of the area, some of the stones and rocks can still ringed by lush artificial grass to create a startling beautiful contrast that appeals to the eye.
Imagine having a garden full of lush synthetic grass, surrounded by cleverly placed rock outcrops, which give the garden a magical, enchanting feel. You may feel like someone walking through a fairytale book.
Artificial grass gives you the opportunity to let grass grow where no other plant will grow. Your rough and rocky home will be transformed into a wonderland of sorts, which will fascinate your family and friends.
With the help of a clever landscaper, you can transform your home into an amazing heaven using artificial grass installations.
Apart from having a beautiful lawn, Alan also wanted an enchanting garden, where he could spend quality time with his family and pet dogs.
When given the cost of landscaping the garden using natural grass and plants, he felt faint. It was too high, and he would have to give up on his dream of having a beautiful garden
With synthetic grass, you not only have lasting green grass in your garden, you can also use your imagination to ramp up the appeal.
For example, if you had a sloping garden, you could easily lay out synthetic grass in layers of different colors that would be more appealing than a uniform green slope. Imagine having a rainbow flowing down your garden and ending up at a swimming pool at the bottom.
The fact that artificial grass can be created in different heights and colors opens up a lot of leeway when it comes to how you want your garden to look like. Using colored grass, rocks formations, stone slabs or wooden creations, you can transform your garden into something that could only be possible in a fantasy movie.
Let your imagination run wild, but not too wild, and create a unique garden, like no other. With the help of AstroLondon experts, designers and landscapes, you can have the garden of your dreams.
To top it all, you will not have fork out money to keep the garden in a pristine condition, so you have the added financial benefit too.
Soggy and muddy lawns or gardens are a nightmare to home owners, especially those with children and/or pets. Children and pets love to play outdoors, and they are not fastidious about cleaning up after playing.
Homeowners have to deal with muddy footprints running all around the house, and the headache of having to clean up after the kids and pets. There will also be damage to wooden floors caused by grime, sand and stones that stick to the bottom of muddy shows and paws.
Having artificial grass means you do not have to worry about mud in the house when the kids go out to play.
Apart from muddy footprints, you also have to deal with muddy clothes, shoes and fur if your lawn or garden has poor drainage. This adds to the cost and challenge of cleaning these items after children and pets go out to play.
When you have artificial grass installations, you can say goodbye to mud within your home. The installation include having a free-draining layer above the natural soil, which ensures that rain water drains safely away, leaving the grass dry for children and pets to play.
Artificial grass is created to be fast draining as water does not stick to the filaments of grass. The layered backing also helps in drainage, keeping your lawns dry, even after a spell of heavy rain.
Mud is slippery and when children and pets go out to play, they risk injury when running around the slippery ground. Artificial grass is not slippery and children can immediately go out and play, when the sun comes out after rainfall.
Say goodbye to muddy grounds when you install synthetic grass in your home.
Summertime is a period when many people contract hay fever from dry grass and other plants in their gardens. Allergic reactions to pollen are common and so are the visits to emergency rooms or pharmacies.
Hay Fever is quite a nuisance especially for children, who will always go out to play during the hot summer months. They are not aware of the dangers of pollen allergies, but frightfully suffer the consequences.
When you install synthetic grass, you no longer have to worry about allergies and Hay Fever. Artificial grass contains no allergens such as pollen or chemicals. It is completely safe for your children and pets to play on at any time of the year without getting allergic reactions.
It is time that your children enjoyed the hot summer months, whether they want to play on the lawn, garden or jump into the pool for a dip. Artificial grass is completely safe for children and pets and should be your preferred choice if you or your family suffers from these ailments during the summer.
Soaking up the sun with family and friends over the weekend is a favorite pastime for most homeowners. It is especially satisfying when you do this in a clean and attractive environment.
People invest a lot of money when it comes to creating fantastic gardens, swimming pools and other recreational facilities where they can spend relaxing weekends with family and friends.
When it comes to maintaining these areas of recreation, it is costly when you have to use natural plants ad grass. The grass has to be cut every time you are planning a party, which adds to the cost and challenge of hosting friends.
You may use a wide array of colors to make your recreational areas appealing to your visitors and family members. You would be surprised when the number of visitors increased just because they love the way your backyard looks.
Swimming pools areas can be made safer and more appealing. Gardens can be a haven of color that keeps people amazed for the period they spend at your home. Barbeque areas can be places where you can roast your favorite meaty treats and share a few glasses of wine with your friends.
Get artificial grass and you can spend quality time with your friends and family relaxing rather than toiling to keep the recreational area in pristine shape, leaving you little energy to entertain your guests and family.
The safety of your children and pets around the house is paramount. They love to play outdoors and will sometimes come back with scratches and bruises, especially if you have uneven and stony gardens and lawns.
Grass burns are quite common when using natural grass, since it is slippery, especially when wet and children have risky spills when playing out in the yard.
Your pets also need to be safe when playing outside. When it rains, they tend to slip and fall, which could lead to broken limbs and worse.
Installing artificial grass makes your lawns, yards and garden safer for your children and pets. They can romp around without getting struck by stones which can cause cuts.
The fact that artificial grass is not slippery also ensures that they do not slip and fall, even when the surface is wet.
The improved drainage of artificial grass makes sure that lawn surfaces are safe for children and pets.
No more water-logged spots that could make them fall seriously. They can run around gleefully and you can rest assured that their peels of joyous laughter will not turn into cries of pain.
Natural grass usually looks appealing during spring and summer and looks very bad during autumn and winter. Apart from the unappealing loo, a lot of manual work comes with keeping grass fresh during the cold months.
Think about laying down mulch so the grass does not dry out. This is an added task and comes at a cost.
It is costly to maintain natural grass all year round and this is the reason why you should install synthetic grass in your home.
You can have green grass in your home, 365 days a year. All you need to do is keep it clean and your lawns look great all the time.
When it comes to cleaning up after adverse weather conditions, you could spend a lot of time and resources that you would not waste when you have artificial grass installations.
Artificial grass is easy to clean, so when muddy runoff from your neighbors flows onto your property, you can easily restore the lush green, with a light spray using your hose. The muddy runoff seeps into the ground and is quickly drained away.
How creative are you when it comes to the landscaping of you lawns and gardens? Some people have very creative ideas of how they would love their home exteriors to look like, but sometimes t is too costly to do when using natural plants and grass.
You may need rocky outcrops and appearances in your garden, surrounded by beautiful carpets of green grass. Achieving this using natural grass can be cheap in the beginning but costly in the long run.
It takes a lot to cut grass around such creations, and you will be hard pressed to keep this task done well for long periods. At times, it may require paying professional landscapers a lot of money to come in once every few months to redo the landscape.
Apart from gardens, you may use artificial grass in areas where natural grass would not do. For example, you may feel like laying out a terrace in your apartment with a grassy floor. You cannot do this using natural grass, which cannot thrive in an apartment.
You may also feel like making your office building look “green and natural”, and you cannot do this with natural grass.
Artificial grass gives you the freedom to indulge your creativity in the home or office. You can create rejuvenating environments inside and outside without the hardships that come from using natural grass in such situations.
Take a look at the AstroLondon artificial grass installation portfolio and see just how you can use artificial grass to spruce up unconventional areas.
Using a lot of water, especially in water-restricted areas is very costly. There are punitive charges levied to those who use more than their assigned water consumption quotas. The water bills in areas without restrictions can also be huge, especially when running water sprinkling systems.
With artificial grass installations, you do not have to worry about the consumption of water. These installations only require occasional hosing especially in a home with pets. If you do not have pets which urinate on the lawn, then you may really cut down on the use of water for your grounds.
Artificial grass installations help in conserving water use and thereby help in environmental conservation. There are some who would disagree with this, but it is true. Water conservation goes hand-in-hand with environmental conservation.
Bugs, pests and weeds are a nightmare when it comes to maintaining a great lawn or garden. They come and devour your grass, making it look unhealthy and ugly. Natural grass installations are prone to weed and pest attack and require a lot of chemical inputs in order to control them
When it comes to artificial grass installation, you do not have to worry about pests and weeds. Pests will not frequent your grounds since they cannot consume the synthetic materials – there is no food material, there are no pests.
Weeds cannot grow together with artificial grass. The artificial grass layer stops any plant from growing naturally under it. This means that weeds will not have the perfect environment to grow.
Artificial grass is a great way of keeping pests and weeds away from your lawns and gardens.
Another point to mention at this point is the time and financial savings that you make when you do not have to buy and apply pest and weed control agents. This also improves safety, especially for pets and children who may suffer allergic reactions from chemical inputs.
Whether you have natural grass or artificial grass, you will always need to clean up after your pets. Dogs, cats and other pets normally go outside when they need to answer a potty call.
When it comes to natural grass, pets tend to dig up the turf when burying their loads, in a manner of speaking. This tends to spoil the lush, green, and uniform nature of your grounds.
Similarly, it is more difficult to pick up turd that has been left on natural grass. There are always some remnants which may be unsightly especially when people come into close contact with them during events on your gardens or lawns.
Artificial grass cleans off very well. When your pet goes potty, you can easily pick up the turd, and then hose off the area to remove any unsightly remains.
Although natural grass allows pet urine to seep into the ground and be broken down into urea and other nutrients necessary for growth, the fact that pets can easily ruin the surface makes it a problem to the meticulous homeowner.
Artificial grass may not naturally break down pet urine, but once again, a good hosing will wash the urine to the underlying layers of soil where it will be broken up.
Pets cannot tear up artificial grass when trying to bury their turd. This ensures that your lawns and gardens have a clean and untarnished feel, which is a comfort to the homeowner who has a pet.
The more the pets, the more damage they can do to natural grass installations, so you are better off when you have artificial grass installations.
In today’s world, one of the benefits expected for any investment is quick satisfaction. People will pay more to get satisfaction from any product or service that they buy.
Installing natural grass delays the satisfaction you get when expecting results. Although turf is available where grass is laid out when it is already grown, it will take some time for it to look healthy and lush as it will take time to adjust to the new installation.
With artificial grass, you can simply walk onto your new green grass as soon as the technicians leave your home. You can immediately call for a party and show off your new lawn to your friends and family.
This instant result goes a long way into giving home owners great satisfaction after installing artificial grass.
The grass species that you need is already prepared and can be ordered instantly. We do not have to grow a new lawn for you and transfer it to your home.
You can order the kind of artificial grass, color, height that you want for your home. It will be delivered within the shortest time possible
Why wait for weeks for your natural grass turf to pick up when you can instantly see the results when you install artificial grass?
Call AstroLondon now at 0203 515 1321
& get free consultation on how you can improve your garden using artificial grass installation
Much has been said about the benefits of installing artificial grass, and you must be wondering if there are any disadvantages associated with artifical grass installation. Well, to be honest, there are some tiny downsides which pale in comparison to the disadvantages of installing natural grass. Here are some of them.
It is typical for most homes to have natural grass installations, but there are various challenges that come along too. You have to spend a lot of time in the manicure of such grounds. You have to spend a lot of money in terms of inputs required for maintaining natural grass. Natural grass installations are a thing of the past.
Many people are installing artificial grass because it is easy to maintain, lasts long and does not wear off. You can have a green lawn or garden 365 days a year. There are no added costs for inputs and you save a lot of time which you would otherwise use for gardening chores.
It is time that you took a rest and enjoyed time in your lawns or gardens.
Call AstroLondon now and get a free consultation on how you can improve your
lawns or gardens using artificial grass installation.
Call AstroLondon now at 0203 515 1321
& get free consultation on how you can improve your garden using artificial grass installation
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