Artificial turf cost calculator

An artificial turf install has three parts: the turf, the labor to lay it, and the base under it. We priced them separately, so you can see where the money goes and so only the labor part changes with local wages.

For turf, the low is the middle of the four guides' lows, the high is the middle of their highs, and the typical price is the middle of their midpoints. Labor and base average the two guides that give them.

All in, the guides' installed prices are wide: Fixr says $5 to $12.50 a square foot, Lawn Love $5.45 to $20 with $12.75 average, and LawnStarter $15 to $19 for mid-quality turf. Our typical 500 sq ft job works out to about $12.86 a square foot including base and lawn removal, right next to Lawn Love's average.

At the typical prices for polyethylene turf, labor, base and lawn removal:

The guides' own size tables bracket these. Fixr puts 500 sq ft at $2,500 to $6,250 and 1,000 sq ft at $5,000 to $12,500 installed. Lawn Love puts 500 sq ft at $2,725 to $10,000. HomeAdvisor and Bob Vila show turf materials alone at $1,000 to $4,000 for 500 sq ft, and HomeAdvisor adds $2,000 to $4,500 of labor on top.

Very small areas cost more per foot, because the crew, the compactor and the delivery cost the same for a dog run as for a backyard.

Location moves the price too. LawnStarter's installed prices by city, turf and labor together:

Those sit above our typical figure because LawnStarter prices mid-quality turf with a full install, and big-city labor costs more. The calculator handles location by scaling only the labor lines to your state's landscaping wages when you enter a ZIP.

• Polyethylene. Soft, natural-looking blades and the most common choice for lawns and play areas. A good balance of feel and durability.
• Polypropylene. The cheapest fiber at the low end. Bob Vila describes it as best for low-traffic, shady areas. Not the choice for dogs, kids or heavy use.
• Nylon. The toughest, and Lawn Love's pick for lawns that get extreme heat and sun for long periods. It holds its shape under heavy traffic, which is why it is used for putting greens and sports, but it is stiffer underfoot and costs the most.
• Pet turf. Made to drain urine quickly and resist odor, usually with a flow-through backing. Bob Vila puts the K9Grass brand at $4.50 to $9.50 a square foot.

Within each fiber, brand and pile height move the price. Fixr lists brands from about $1.50 a square foot for EasyTurf up to about $11.50 for premium ProGreen lines, and LawnStarter and Bob Vila show similar spreads. A thicker, taller pile looks more like real grass and costs more.

Choose for how the yard is used, not just for looks. A play area under a swing set wants a shorter, denser pile that springs back. A dog run wants a backing that drains fast and an infill made to control odor. A front yard that is mostly looked at can use a taller, softer blade in two or three shades of green. Ask for samples, take them outside in full sun and step on them in shoes; turf that looks great in a showroom can shine like plastic in the afternoon light, and some fibers get very hot in summer sun.

Turf is only as good as what it sits on. A proper install removes the old grass and a few inches of soil, lays weed fabric, spreads and compacts crushed rock or decomposed granite, then rolls out the turf, seams it, nails or staples the edges and brushes in infill.

• Excavation. Bob Vila says the area is usually dug out about 2 in deep, at $50 to $200 a cubic yard. HomeAdvisor gives the same per-yard range.
• Base. HomeAdvisor lists crushed miscellaneous base at $0.50 to $2 a square foot, class II road base at $0.35 to $1.80 and decomposed granite at $1.20 to $2.25. It lets water drain and keeps the surface flat.
• Edges and seams. Seams that show and edges that lift are the most common complaints. Curved and cut-up layouts take more cutting, which HomeAdvisor and Bob Vila both price at $1 to $3 a square foot more in labor.
• Infill. Sand or rubber granules brushed into the blades keep them standing and weigh the turf down.
• Drainage. Water has to pass through the turf backing and the base and soak away. On clay soil or a flat yard, ask how the installer will keep puddles from forming.

An owner in a dry climate is replacing a 500 sq ft patchy lawn with polyethylene turf, with the old lawn removed and a crushed rock base.

• Turf. 500 × $2.10 / $3.20 / $4.05 = $1,050 / $1,600 / $2,025.
• Labor. 500 × $3.50 / $7.13 / $10.50 = $1,750 / $3,563 / $5,250.
• Base and fabric. 500 × $0.60 / $1.18 / $1.75 = $300 / $588 / $875.
• Lawn removal. 500 × $0.88 / $1.36 / $1.84 = $440 / $680 / $920.
• Total. $3,540 to $9,070, with $6,430 typical at the US average.

Some water districts pay to replace grass. Bob Vila cites $2 a square foot from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and $3 a square foot from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Many programs require approval before work starts, so check first. Enter a ZIP to scale the labor to your state.

Switch the same yard to nylon turf and the turf line becomes $2,500 / $2,800 / $3,100, about $1,200 more at the typical price, for a surface that stands up better to dogs, kids and summer heat.

Artificial turf is low maintenance, not no maintenance. LawnStarter puts yearly upkeep at about $250 to $350: brushing to keep the blades upright, rinsing off dust and pet waste, removing leaves, and topping up infill. Against that, there is no mowing, fertilizer or weekly watering. LawnStarter breaks the upkeep down as about $165 a year for brushing and $0 to $100 for the occasional rinse, with infill top-ups on top.

Compare that with real grass before deciding. Bob Vila puts new sod at $0.90 to $2 a square foot, so a 500 sq ft lawn is $450 to $1,000 to lay against several thousand for turf. Turf pays back through the water, mowing, fertilizer and weed control you no longer buy, and faster where water is expensive or restricted and where a lawn service would otherwise come every week. In a cool, rainy climate with a healthy lawn, the payback is slower.

Doing it yourself saves the labor, which is most of the bill. Lawn Love estimates savings of $1,725 to $6,000 on a 500 sq ft lawn, and LawnStarter puts DIY at about $6.63 to $9.18 a square foot depending on the fiber. The hard parts are digging out and hauling the soil, renting and running a plate compactor, and making seams disappear. Small, square areas are a fair DIY job; large or curved yards are where a crew earns its price and its warranty.

• Price turf, labor and base on separate lines so customers can compare products without asking for a new quote.
• Measure for waste. Turf comes in rolls of fixed width. Plan the layout to keep seams few and out of sight, and price the offcuts.
• Price access and haul-off. Wheelbarrowing soil out of a backyard with no gate access takes far longer than loading a truck in a driveway.
• Mind the margin. Our profit margin calculator shows the price that keeps it after turf, base and dump fees.

The "Save as an estimate" button above turns the result into lines. Send it from Koira and the customer can approve it and pay a deposit on their phone.