More Homeowners Trading Grass For Artificial Turf

The warmer weather means homeowners everywhere are mowing the yard on a regular basis. But some people are trading the typical lawn for a grass that never needs to be cut.

One homeowner near Los Angeles, California, decided to rip out her lawn's old grass and replace it with artificial turf. "We like real grass," Peilin Pratt says, "but you realize how much water it takes to keep your grass green, and all of that water, and the runoff, and everything else is just not necessary."

Many western states are in the midst of mega-drought and some cities now have major water restrictions which will likely cause many yards to turn brown.

People in Denver, Colorado, are also trading real grass for the synthetic kind.

A job could cost around $5,000. The company Perfect Turf says there is a backlog of orders from new clients. "It really comes down to time, water, and money. They want to save their weekends, not mowing. They want to cut back on the water," says owner Josh DeYoung.

Because of that, artificial grass is growing in popularity and has come a long way since AstroTurf was introduced in the 1960s.

There are many different types of turf available. The BuildCal Turf company worked on a yard in LA where lawn is made out of a mix of coconut fibers that make it feel almost like grass. "So, it mimics real grass and also doesn't get hot. This has been in the sun on the top of the car. You can feel the turf, it's not hot," says BuildCal Turf specialist Olivier Roumy.

Kim Nguyen and her husband say it took one day to install the turf in their backyard. They wanted the look and feel of grass without the maintenance. "I think it transformed our backyard into something much more liveable and enjoyable," Nguyen says. "We spend all this money and time that we spend watering grass and then cut and then water again and we cut it."

The new yard doesn't require any mowing or watering and stays green all year long.