Having a beautiful backyard where you can play with your kids and pets, or simply relax during weekends is a blessing. Especially for people living in urban areas, having a beautiful backyard is like a dream and luxury that requires a lot of time, effort, and upkeep. While a stunning landscape may seem expensive, there are budget ideas that can better curb appeal.
Yes! You heard it right.
Here are some budget landscaping ideas for your backyard.
Add a Pathway
While there are a lot of ways to design your backyard, one of the simplest and minimalist ways is to add a pathway. It is both aesthetically pleasing as well as practical. You may design it according to the size of your backyard. The good thing is that you won’t even have to cast a hole in your pocket for this.
Place some stones at a distance and there you go. You can design the edges and plant your flowers around it just to accentuate the path a little. This proves to be effective especially if you have a small backyard. To top this up you can design a small sitting space or play area around the pathway.
Before the advent of specialized styles of artificial grass, having a backyard putting green was a pipe dream – or a monumental ongoing expense – for most folks. Now, you can have your very own green no matter the size or shape of your yard. And our “greens pros” here at Heavenly Greens can help you create a design that fits your terrain and goals as well as your budget.
For example, you can take advantage of your yard’s natural slope or undulations, or you can make your green more challenging or more level. You can add features such as sand traps. As a side project, you could even build a small pond next to your green. It could serve as a water feature for putting practice and enhance your overall landscape at the same time.
In addition to designing a just-for-you putting area, you can also choose the artificial turf that fits your style of play. If you’re a casual golfer, or you want your whole family to enjoy the putting experience, you’ll want our Standard style turf. (By the way, this type of artificial grass is also excellent for bocce ball courts, another creative way to boost the play-ability of your backyard.) On the other hand, if you’re serious about your golf game, you’ll probably want our Professional grade putting turf.
But there’s more – artificial grass styles made especially to simulate fringe/fairway conditions and to line a tee box, if you want practice your chip shots and/or full swing as well as your putting.
So don’t let anyone tell you installing an artificial grass putting green in your backyard is self-indulgent! It is actually a smart investment. While you’re enjoying yourself and improving your golf game, you’re also increasing the aesthetic beauty of your property and your home’s future value. Not only that, you’re saving time and money you would otherwise have wasted making repeated trips to the driving range or country club for practice. Savvy you!
Kids and pets love to play on the lawn. But sometimes it’s better if they have a separate play area all their own. In the case of dogs, a fenced-in area keeps them contained when you’re entertaining or away, but they can still get fresh air, run around, and do their potty business. But how much time would you want to spend sitting or walking or running on an uncomfortable surface?
Your dear dog deserves an upgrade! Instead of gravel, bark chips, pavers, or concrete, give him artificial grass. Soft, fluffy, comfy faux flooring makes his kennel/play area inviting rather than punishing his body.
You benefit, too. Artificial grass looks great. It stays cleaner and drier. It doesn’t produce mud or debris that can be tracked into your house. And it’s a breeze to clean up after your dog.
But why stop there? Fake grass makes a nice, cushy bed for inside Fido’s dog house. If his house has a flat or slightly-sloped roof, you can cover that with fake grass, too, giving him a more comfortable observation deck.
Cats love faux grass, too. If you have a kitty, she might appreciate having a grass-covered play structure in the yard. When she’s indoors, does she love to hang out on a high shelf or windowsill to keep an eye on her world? A grassy mat would make that space so much better. And if you’re a home owner with a soft heart for feral cats, you can help protect them by building a cozy, grass-lined shelter for one or several of them.
If your home includes a backyard play structure for your kids – or you’re considering building one – we know one of your biggest concerns is safety. Every parent worries about their child (or the kid from down the street) falling off the swings or slide. Installing artificial grass with Heavenly Greens FallSoft technology gives you peace of mind, because it helps cushion falls from up to 5’. Artificial grass is safer for kids in other ways, too.
Let’s face it. Concrete is just plain ugly whether it’s your aging walkway or patio or it’s an indoor floor. It’s always cold, and it’s unforgivingly hard. In many homes, concrete floors in basements tend to encourage dampness that encourages growth of mold or mildew in traditional carpet, no matter how you try to remedy the situation. Forget that! Carpet your unattractive, annoying indoor floors with artificial grass instead.
A number of fitness centers and gyms have opted for indoor grass to boost the aesthetic atmosphere of their facilities. You can do the same thing at home.
Artificial grass is soft and warm underfoot, like traditional carpet. It’s also very affordable and extremely long-lasting. Unlike carpet made from other materials, fake grass won’t ever fade or stain. It is specifically designed to retain its stand-up shape and fluffiness no matter how much rough-housing your gang does in that basement bonus room. You can vacuum it just like carpet or sweep it with a broom to remove dirt and debris.
No basement? Many Bay Area homes don’t have one. But artificial grass is a fun and practical alternative to carpet your sunroom, a man cave, or your child’s bedroom. You can cover the entire floor or cut out fun shapes of fake grass to make easy-to-clean area rugs. And speaking of cleaning, indoor/outdoor turf is a great choice for flooring in mud rooms and laundry rooms, where dirt and debris usually accumulate the most.
While you’re cutting shapes, make welcome mats or outside and inside your exterior doors. Or pet placemats (no, they won’t eat the fake grass). Or carpet the treads on your wooden or concrete stairs with grass to improve traction.
Artificial grass is as easy to remove as it is to install on the floor. So you can get creative with it to improve your indoor experience seasonally as well as permanently.
Sometimes, you just have to put decorations on your lawn, right? Christmas and other holidays cry out for your own personalized displays. For special occasions such as birthday or graduation parties, starting the party curbside with front yard decorations lets everyone know, “This is the place!” And when Halloween rolls around, you’ll be the neighborhood’s must-visit house if you build a haunted house on your artificial grass lawn.
Artificial grass is a lot more accommodating than natural grass when it comes to this kind of decorating. No worries about rain or dampness, because fake grass drains far better than the real thing. No puddles or mud to damage your displays (or get your shoes and clothes filthy while you’re setting things up and taking them down).
And no matter the weather or how long your decorations or large-scale displays remain, they can’t kill the grass. If your artificial grass becomes flattened, you can simply re-fluff it using your fingers for tiny spots or a stiff, natural bristle broom for larger areas. Good as new, green as ever, ready for its next grassy assignment.
But here’s the thing. Artificial grass does have one special requirement – you cannot put holes in it. Inflatables and other decorations that use stakes or pegs to hold them in place are not appropriate for your faux lawn. That’s really no big deal, though, because you can use sandbags or attach “feet” to most items to stabilize them. And if your kids (or your inner child) insist on inflatable decorations, you can always install them in areas other than on your grass.
It’s easy to learn the dos and don’ts of decorating on artificial grass. Once you do, you’re prepared to get creative without concerns about damaging your lawn.
No, it will actually cost you money over the long term. There are many steps involved in the installation process and nuances that are simply not appreciated by regular homeowners. For instance, synthetic lawn often slopes in a particular direction; you will want them all sloping in the same way in order to avoid a mismatch.
There are many other considerations. The base needs to be properly compacted so no weeds or plants make their way through. The grass needs to be evenly cut and pinned down so the entire area is 100% flush and firmly held down. It’s hard to get this consistency unless you have been cutting and laying synthetic lawn for a long time. The infill also needs to be evenly distributed.
There is a large degree of variance in terms of the synthetic grass cost. While you can get low quality grass for around $10, it’s virtually a waste of money. This is often imported from China or elsewhere, and the warranty and any kind of guarantee are essentially worthless. Your grass will fade and it won’t hold up. It’s best to look for at least a medium quality artificial turf where possible. The table below will give you a better idea of average costs per square metre.
Before we delve more deeply into the price, we first need to understand what we’re paying for. There are two items to keep in mind in terms of the total cost:
Supply
Installation
This will help us to avoid any confusion later on. Many providers offer a combined service for both supply and installation, and this may be slightly discounted for getting the two services combined.
When providers advertise a price per square metre, this is usually for both the supply and installation. The price for the grass itself will be lower. The quoted price will rarely include preparation work because the provider has no way of knowing the difficulty of this work.
The advertised synthetic grass cost assumes a workable, smooth, and flat surface. If you already have this, it will make things easier (and more affordable). You will have to pay for preparation work separately from the synthetic grass cost, unless you go to the trouble of doing it yourself.
We’re here to help. Since Heavenly Greens is northern California’s leader when it comes to artificial grass, we know first-hand just how many homeowners are adding personalized artificial turf putting greens in their backyards. Having your own putting green is an asset that repays in multiple ways.
But like everything else pertaining to your yard, there is always a way to make it even better. What a great place to start, then, when contemplating the perfect gift for your golfer. There’s no reason their backyard green can’t have all the accoutrements of a country club putting green. Any of these upgrades would make exceptional gifts:
Bench with side table to hold beverages and snacks Personalized sign Ball washer or shoe cleaner – no, of course these things aren’t strictly necessary, but they are undeniably useful and each of them adds to the ambiance of the putting green and the backyard putting experience Custom flag for the hole(s) – did you know you can not only order flags with standardized catchy sayings or images on them, you can even order customized flags with photos on them? Or how ‘bout a professional tune-up for their artificial grass green? We offer an excellent multi-point “refresher” package as well as an enhanced service that also includes moss removal and minor repairs such as correction of any sinking.
Some synthetic grass products include sophisticated permeable backing systems. These technologies facilitate improved air circulation, which contributes to more efficient heat dissipation. Because of this, even in direct sunshine, the artificial grass’s surface temperature stays lower.
2. Infrared-Reflective Additives
A few producers of artificial grass include infrared-reflective materials in their goods. By reflecting sunlight instead of absorbing it, these chemicals reduce the amount of heat that builds up on the turf’s surface. As a result, even on hot days, the fake grass is more comfortable to touch and stays cooler.
3. Cooling-Infused Fibers
Artificial grass fibers with cooling properties have been developed as a result of advancements in fiber technology. Compared to conventional synthetic materials, these specific fibers are intended to decrease heat absorption and maintain a lower temperature. Consequently, cooling-infused artificial grass provides more comfort and utility.
