What are the Benefits of Having an Artificial Grass Lawn?

Artificial grass saves a Southern California household roughly 55 gallons of water per square foot every year, needs no mowing, and stays green through a drought. On an average 1,800 square foot lawn that is about 99,000 gallons a year, which is the single clearest benefit and the reason most of our customers call us in the first place. The rest of this page covers what else changes when you replace a natural lawn, what it costs you in trade, and what to check before you buy.

Key Takeaways

• Water is the biggest saving: about 55 gallons per square foot per year, or roughly 99,000 gallons on an 1,800 square foot lawn.
• Mowing, fertilizing, reseeding and sprinkler repairs all stop. Light upkeep continues.
• Quality turf is polypropylene, the same family of plastic used for baby bottles and food containers. Ours is third-party certified PFAS-free and lead-free.
• Our artificial turf carries a 15-year limited warranty.
• The installer matters more than the product. A premium turf on a bad base will still fail.

If you are ready to look at specific products, our artificial grass range covers lawn, pet and putting green options.

What is an artificial grass lawn?

An artificial grass lawn is a surface of synthetic fibers tufted into a backing and topped with infill, built over a compacted base instead of soil. Synthetic grass is not new. The first major installation went in at the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island in 1964, using an early product called Chemgrass. What is sold today is a third generation product made from polypropylene and polyethylene, and it looks nothing like the flat plastic carpet people remember from the 1970s.

How much water does artificial grass actually save?

Artificial grass eliminates lawn irrigation entirely, which is where most residential water goes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than a third of residential water use goes to lawn irrigation, around 4 billion gallons a day nationwide. The Synthetic Turf Council estimates that every square foot of synthetic turf saves about 55 gallons of water per year. On an average 1,800 square foot lawn that works out to roughly 99,000 gallons annually.

In Los Angeles and the Santa Clarita Valley that matters twice over. It lowers a bill that keeps climbing, and it takes your lawn out of the argument entirely when watering restrictions come back.

What maintenance does artificial grass still need?

Artificial grass is close to maintenance free, but it is not literally maintenance free, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. What stops is the expensive, repetitive work: mowing, watering, fertilizing, reseeding bare patches, and repairing broken sprinklers and irrigation lines. What continues is light: clearing leaves and debris with a blower or broom, rinsing dust off, hosing down pet areas, and brushing the fibers upright where traffic has flattened them.

That is the honest trade. You are not buying zero work. You are trading a weekly chore in 90 degree heat for an occasional one.

Is artificial grass safe for kids and pets?

Quality artificial grass is safe for children and pets, and the material is more familiar than it sounds. The turf fibers are polypropylene, the same family of plastic used to make baby bottles, food containers and disposable utensils. Our turf is tested at an independent laboratory for lead and heavy metals, and is third-party certified PFAS-free and lead-free.

There is also nothing on the surface to worry about. No fertilizer, no pesticide, no weed killer, and no mud tracked through the house after rain. For pet owners, odor is handled by the infill choice rather than by the turf itself.

How long does artificial grass last, and what does it cost to get there?

Artificial grass lasts many years when it is installed on a properly compacted, well drained base, and our turf carries a 15-year limited warranty. Our own estimate is that a typical installation breaks even against the running cost of a natural lawn in about four years, though where you land depends on your water rates, your lawn size, and whether you were paying a gardener.

What shortens that life is almost never the turf. It is a thin base, poor drainage, and heavy traffic on a low grade product.

Why the installer matters more than the turf

The installation decides whether the lawn lasts, more than the product on the invoice does. Think about house painting. You can buy the most expensive paint made, but if the painter does not prepare the surface properly you will not like the result, and the paint was never the problem. Turf works the same way. Removing the old lawn, capping the sprinklers, correcting the grade and compacting the base is the work that keeps a lawn flat, draining, and free of ripples three years later.

It is also worth asking about paperwork. Homeowners associations will usually want a turf sample and a spec sheet before approving a job, and a licensed contractor should be able to hand that over without a fuss. Lawn Kings is a licensed California contractor, CSLB #944369, with more than 20 years installing synthetic grass.

Who artificial grass is not for

Artificial grass is a poor fit for a few situations, and it is better to say so up front. If you genuinely enjoy mowing and gardening, you will miss it. If your yard is deeply shaded and never struggled in the first place, the water savings are smaller. And in hot inland conditions the surface gets warmer than natural grass, so shade over play areas is worth planning rather than assuming.

Not everyone wants the alternative either. Plenty of homeowners look at decomposed granite and drought tolerant planting and decide they still want a green lawn their kids can actually play on. That is exactly the gap synthetic grass fills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does artificial grass increase home value?

Artificial grass tends to help a home’s appeal more than its appraised value directly. A green, tidy yard that needs no upkeep is a genuine selling point in a dry climate, particularly for buyers who do not want a gardening commitment. Treat it as a quality of life and curb appeal improvement that also cuts a running cost, rather than as an investment that returns a fixed percentage at sale.

Does artificial grass drain when it rains?

Artificial grass drains through perforations in its backing and through the compacted base underneath, and a properly built lawn handles heavy Southern California rain without pooling. Drainage is decided by the base build, not by the turf you choose, which is why the same product performs differently from one yard to the next. Standing water after rain is an installation fault, not a property of synthetic grass.

Can artificial grass be installed over concrete?

Artificial grass can be installed over concrete, and it is a common way to make a bare patio, balcony, or side yard usable. The build differs from a ground level lawn because there is nothing to excavate, so the focus moves to drainage and to securing the edges. A pad is often added underneath for comfort. Existing drainage on the slab has to be kept clear.