The costs of installing synthetic turf aka. artificial grass make up the majority of your project’s cost. First we’ll go over the various factors that go into the cost of installation, because the costs we’ll list can be off by a lot if your project is easier or harder than ‘normal’. If you don’t care about any of that feel free to scroll down to the bottom for some general numbers, but for everyone else that wants to figure out a more accurate number or simply wants to learn keep reading and enjoy!
The size of the area is a huge factor in the cost of artificial grass. Larger jobs will always translate to a lower cost per square foot, as they offer better economies of scale.
Access to the site is another factor for synthetic grass. Some sites are a hundred yards into the woods, or on a tall rooftop, while others are right next to a parking lot. Time spent transferring materials to the site and a number of other factors mean that remote sites are more expensive to install.
Current conditions are another major factor to consider with artificial turf. Some sites are relatively straightforward while others have tree trunks, buried concrete or other obstructions that have to be removed.
Drainage needs are a key concern when installing synthetic turf. The frequency, amount and type of liquid expected to run through the turf all are taken into account for drainage needs. Frequency and Amount – If it rains hard or often, you might need a more advanced drainage system. Lowland vs Highland and other factors also need to be taken into account. Type – Indoor dog facilities may not expect rain, but they still have advanced drainage needs!
If you need to bury pipes and drains you’ll obviously have a higher cost.
Base Prep is an important facet of artificial grass installation. Sometimes you can install directly on a pre-existing concrete surface, and sometimes you need crushed rock, a geotextile fabric weed barrier and advanced base sculpting for a putting green. Base work increase cost both in labor and materials.
Waste of synthetic turf is something to take into account when planning. Most artificial turf comes in 15 foot wide rolls. You’ll also want to go a bit over the edge and cut it back, so ordering an extra foot of turf is a necessary evil. This means if you’re installing turf in a 11 x 11 area you’ll have a very easy installation on this end. However if you’re installing in a 18 x 18 area you’re going to have a lot of waste. You’ll either need a 2 seam install with a lot of waste (Going with a 15 x 37 cut of turf, cutting it in half, joining it in the middle and cutting it on the outsides.) or a 3 seam install with a decent amount of waste. (A 15 x 24 cut of turf, cut into a 15 x 18 area, plus a 15 x 3 area, plus a 3 x 3 area with the remaining 12 x 3 feet cut off.)
Finally here are some average numbers for a frame of reference. You can consider your job and the differences between these to get a ballpark for your install, or contact a company like Perfect Turf to get an exact quote.
We’ll need to break these numbers up into two sizes: Above and Below 1000 square feet. Economy of scale is such an important factor that we simply cannot give an average without separating it at least a little.
| Job Type | Under 1000 s/f | Over 1000 s/f |
| Landscape | $10-15 | $8-12 |
| Example | Example | |
| Playground | $12-18 | $10-14 |
| Example | Example | |
| Dog Run | $11-16 | $8-12 |
| Example | Example | |
| Rooftop | $14-20 | $10-16 |
| Example | Example |