The idea behind AstroTurf may sound dumb to some, but in California, the idea of having actual grass is kind of dumb. First off, most of the grass people have here isn’t native to California and requires a large amount of water to keep alive, not to mention the trimming and cutting. My backyard is very small, but ugly. I’m lucky enough to be a homeowner, but the previous owners had nothing in the backyard except a thin layer of rocks that wasn’t put in correctly. Plants and weeds got very wild during spring and summer. I was very tired of having to clear out the backyard of wild weeds and plants that would grow like clockwork every year. I wanted something nicer.
I finally saved up the money and got a quote from Home Depot, who hired the company "Astro Lawn." They came out, measured (around 300sqft of yard), and gave me a quote. A few weeks later, they came back to install the lawn. They were professional and quick. However, during the install, they noticed my office window was melting a small patch of grass. Apparently, this happens when the sun’s rays reflect off windows and can damage AstroTurf. Thankfully, they noticed it late in the day and warned me, but I was pretty peeved that the inspection person, Mario, didn’t flag that window as a problem before the install. To prevent the issue I had to purchase a special type of outdoor window tint to prevent the damage, which cost me $250. At least I learned something from the experience. After the install and the window tint, I’d spent about $6,200, about $1,200 over what I had budgeted.
The install and final result looked great, and I am very happy I won’t have a jungle growing in my backyard every summer. The install was perfectly level and done quickly. The installers also moved all the rocks to my side yard and covered the ground to prevent weeds from growing, which was a nice bonus.
In the end, the AstroTurf made my yard look much nicer and in the long run, will increase the value of my home. I do think I overpaid (likely due to a nice California state upcharge), but when I look outside, I like what I see.
