Depends on the quality of the turf and who is doing the installation but the average cost is $12-13 per square foot. So potentially as much as $20K for your area.

Location will also play a factor in the cost.

I am in the Denver area and recently got a quote from a local company. It was $5 per square foot for a “luxury” turf product that most resembled bluegrass out of all of their offerings. Then $5 per square foot for installation which included lawn removal and disposal. Someone from a local company could come and give you a free quote and also tell you if they could possibly install the base over your gravel so you wouldn’t have to remove it. A side note - all surrounding landscape plantings should be finished first before turf installation. I would still like to install artificial turf in our back yard due to the high cost of water, etc but hubby is not on board :).

That gives me an idea, anyway. I'll start researching and get some estimates. Thanks!

The advantages of artificial turf include low need for care, elasticity and attractive appearance. All this makes artificial grass a popular alternative to other floor coverings, especially natural grass, more information here. Therefore, buying such a lawn, you do not lose anything. Maybe in ten years it will have to be updated.

Congratulations!! That is wonderful. Babies are enchanting.

If you are able to spend some $$, it might be worthwhile to look at a gray water system, if you are already digging things up.

Also, maybe somebody needs gravel, and would come take it up for you in exchange. You never know. How much of the space is the gravel in - the whole thing?

The cheapest thing to do would be to get some dump trucks full of dirt and bury the sharp rocks under a few inches of soil and then put down grass seed. Might cost under a grand if you do the spreading and seeding. Depends on local costs and delivery fees.

The downside is your lawn will be a few inches higher. Might not be an issue. And some rocks may poke through over time. Plus there will almost certainly be a few bare spots for the first year or two. But, the spots won't be dangerous to the kids.

Suggesting to plant any kind of traditional lawn in drought ravaged CA is irresponsible. Most SoCal counties are paying homeowners to remove existing lawns. Artificial turf is an excellent alterative.

Cheapest is rarely ever the best option and in this case, not what the OP wanted to know. If you did not consider this a viable alterative, why would you even suggest it? Unnecessary AND irresponsible!

Thanks GG. And besides adding soil over the horrible sharp gravel would cost a mint, as everything will have to be wheelbarrowed in and out of the yard!

Looks like the Home Depot artificial grass starts around $2.19 per square foot. So a little over $3,000 in parts for a bottom of the line plastic lawn. Installation will increase the cost.

I doubt the kids will want to play on it, because the Sun will heat it up much hotter than the air temperature. It's 100 degrees outside currently and my real grass is 84 degrees. A plastic lawn might be 100 degrees or more, but the kicker is that the heat transfer from plastic to skin is faster than from grass to skin. In other words, if feels much hotter than it is. Artificial lawns are not kid friendly. One way to help keep it cool is to put a shade cloth over top of the turf. Another is to water it well an hour or so before the kids want to play and then again right before they go out.

Clearly you are not a fan of the gravel used by the previous owner. We get it. Personally I love the stuff and wish I could find more sources for it around San Antonio.

dchall This gravel is horrible! It's vey sharp! The twins were here at Easter and they were struggling trying to find eggs! (they were about 18 months at the time)

There is a tree in the yard and other shade.

Anything is better than this sharp nasty rock!

The picture in my mind of chipped stone is this.

I would not want to walk on the 3/4-inch chips, but I'm sure when I was a kid running around barefoot everywhere, I walked on stuff like this.

Maybe you have obsidian pieces leftover from making arrowheads.

Well, it ends up our yard guy is willing to wheelbarrow the horrible gravel from the back to the frontyard! Much better, and no dumping charges! It also covers the yukky wood mulch that has been deteriorating and is a fire hazard!!

l

We're also going to contact the business next door to see if they want gravel in their helstrip. I'll even plant succulents for them if they'll take the rock!

If I’m not too late with this, I would pull up all the wood mulch before putting down gravel so as not to combine them . . .

Wood mulch is separate from the gravel. Right now, the gravel is being removed from most of the backyard. We have heavy duty weed cloth under the gravel. Oops, sorry, looked at the post above. Most of the wood chips in the front yard had been absorbed by the yard! Gravel is going on top a couple of inches.

Well, the yard guy has almost finished taking the gravel from the front to the back! Looks good! Just have to get rid of the dead peach tree (heavy sigh!),do a dump run, install a pergula and decide on what to install for the grandkids to play on!

If you do a web search for "play area surfacing materials" a variety of options appears.

Thanks. I'll look into that.

Nanctjane, recently I've been hearing a number of radio talk-shows saying that artificial tuff is really bad on many levels - from manufacture to what they continue to put in the air as they age. Perhaps you'll look into Embothrium's alternatives.

I have a small area of real grass in the back yard and that was always enough for the grands when they were small.

If the artificial turf is in a sunny area, it may get too hot to play on, much hotter than real turf.

CA Kate I'll look into that, thanks. lgteacher, we're planning on putting up a pergola in the area. Thanks.

I understand that the carbon footprint is huge with articifial grass.

Looking into all scenarios, including steppables.

The newer ATs have a cool factor and special materials for kids and animals, I was happy to find!

I am sure you will figure out what is the best thing to do. It is important for children to play, it's part of how they learn (I am reliably told by an early childhood specialist).

I am just chiming in to say - well maybe this isn't helpful, but - I have a lot of fond memories from playing in the dirt! We used to make tracks for matchbox cars, and also make mud pies. Maybe leave a little dirt patch somewhere?

Anyhow, enjoy!!

Oh there's still plenty of dirt to play in! 3 4x8 garden beds as well as some of the nasty gravel left to put in their mouths (while looking at us waiting for us to scold them and empty the rocks from their mouths!) There is also real grass in the front yard, just not fenced in for the babies.

Be careful of wrinkles ! Neighbors put in artificial turf during a $500k renovation on a $2.5 mm house. And their lawn gas wrinkles. Looks so incredibly fake.

Thanks! Will do! We'll be on site for the total installation!

Do not pay more than 12-13psf.

How do I close this?

Thanks for coming back with an update. Glad that you are loving it. Would love to see a photo :)

Congratulations on the new lawn!! I'm not sure you mentioned where you are in SoCal, but if you are within 3 miles of the beach, you will get much more use of the lawn than if you are inland. Or if the lawn is under a tree, you can use it more. This is because heat doesn't multiply without an energy source helping it out. On a cloudy, 80-degree day, the grass will be about 80. But if it is sunny and there's no wind to blow away the heat and no evaporation, plastic grass can feel like hot sand at the beach. Just a caution. Go ahead and enjoy it as much as you can.

I'm in No CA. 63 miles North of SF

dchall also we bought the AT with the cooling agent for pets and kids.