Artificial Lawn anyone?

[Principality]

Has anyone got one of these?

I am contemplating it within the next few months as our natural lawn is a mess, and despite my best efforts has never been anything else...

It has a hard life.... Our lawn is 3m at narrowest by about 18m. We have two labradors that charge about on it and rip it up. An 8yo DS who plays football on it and rips it up... a 2yo DS who wants to ride his little tykes car over it but gets stuck in the mud... And a trampoline that despite being moved regularly keeps leaving dead patches of grass underneath when i forget to move it regularly Shade over at least half of it that cuases a lot of bare patches- despite various different types of soil and treatments.

Currently it is a muddly mess. My living room (thank god for hard flooring) is also constantly a muddy mess due to dogs going out and coming in with wet muddy paws.

The top of the garden is laid to patio with the same paving used as a path down the side to the back gate.

I am thinking about the artificial lawn so that i don't have the muddy mess problems, don't have to worry about trampoline, and it looks respectable....

But will it look terribly fake...

I have seen various websites advertising different types ranging from £6.99 sqm to about £32sqm. The very cheap ones look like they will look fake but not sure about the midrange ones...

[cyb]

My mate did her lawn herself with a friend, was quite labour intensive (and she managed to cover her hands in the green rubbery glue which was impossible to get off) BUT it looked amazing.

She would actually hoover up the leaves. her son was big footballer, and like yours her grass was ruined.

She went for a mid range one, other wise it can look like the stuff green grocers put under their displays

[Abirdinthehand]

Pretty bad for the environment, is my first reaction...

[Principality]

Thank you CYB. I'm guessing you don't have any idea which company she used? Was it complicated labour intensive, or just hard work, but anyone could do it?

Well actually I would have thought it would have ended up rather neutral? Once you have done the initial outlay you are not using water on it, nor electricity or petrol in the form of mowing... It's not really high on my list to be honest.

[cyb]

She bought online but I dont know what company I'm afraid...it was hard work in terms of lifting old lawn, and flattening everything with one of those whacker plates you can hire so it was all level

But I think the cutting and securing of the fake lawn was the easiest bit

I dont take on the environmental argument either

[hillbilly]

We have a small shady city garden and have about a third of it (3 x 5m) covered with fake grass. We bought it from www.asgoodasgrass.co.uk/ about 5 years ago and it still looks and feels amazing. It was our only option for a green area and it has been a total success.

[Principality]

Thank you for that hillbilly.


I have had a look on ebay and ordered some samles, but think it will cost about £900 at least...

I think we will probably go for it... but need to save up first!

[Pootles2010]

My dp's gran had it, proudly told us how good it was (spent a fortune) and how it was indestructable, my ds then grinned up at her with fistfuls (and a mouthful) of the fake grass... It can very much still be ripped up.

I'm not sure how it'd be bad for envoironment though - and anyway, real lawns are v bad for environment - all those fertilisers, using a sprinkler, etc etc.