A commercial property surrounded by natural grass costs money nearly every day — money that is often only realized until a year of lawn care and landscaping invoices pile up.
Artificial turf can flip that math on its head. Turf has a higher install cost on the front end, but then next to nothing for the next 15 years post-install. Plus, it looks and feels great year-round.
When margins are tight, how can you prove that the return on investment of artificial turf is worth the investment? Here’s what to know, whether you’re a North Carolina property manager or business owner.
How Much Does Natural Grass Cost to Maintain?
Owners and managers are often surprised to learn that natural grass does cost money. Other than the occasional watering or mowing, how much can it really cost?
The price comes up when you consider all that goes into full-service landscaping. Maintenance from a professional can include mowing, edging, fertilization, irrigation maintenance and repair, seasonal cleanup, and more.
Even a bare-bones weekly mow on a mid-size property can run around $125 to $300 for each service. Now multiply that by 40 weeks (counting out deep-winter months), and you could be seeing yearly costs in the five figures.
And that’s before a sprinkler head breaks or drought forces you to invest in an irrigation upgrade.
Where Does Artificial Turf Save You Money?
Artificial turf can cost more on the install, but over time you’ll start to see three specific areas where the savings add up:
- Water: The EPA estimates that outdoor irrigation accounts for 30% or more of total water use nationally. Up to half of that is lost to wind and evaporation, as well as runoff caused by inefficient irrigation systems. Artificial turf needs none of it.
- Labor: With artificial turf, there’s no need for a mowing crew, edging, seasonal reseeding work, or emergency calls when something goes wrong.
- Chemicals: Turf needs no fertilizer or pesticides to stay strong and healthy – which also means you can avoid runoff into nearby water sources as well as unwanted pests.
That’s not to say nothing can possibly go wrong with artificial turf. But it’s rare when compared with all the ways that natural grass can cause issues.
And 50 Shades of Green backs every single one of our commercial installs with a 15-year limited warranty, so you know there’s a fix available if something happens.
What North Carolina Businesses Are Using Artificial Turf?
It’s more than athletic facilities! As the savings become clear, more and more NC commercial businesses are making the switch to turf.
At 50 Shades of Green, we work with a wide variety of businesses and commercial properties, including:
- Hotel courtyards
- Retail and shopping common areas
- Corporate campuses
- HOA and apartment common areas
- Pool decks
- Playgrounds
- And more!
Artificial turf is slip-resistant, safe at daycares and vet offices, and can keep up with all kinds of foot traffic for more years than you might expect!
Does Artificial Turf Hold Up to Heavy Foot Traffic?
It does, and after the first five years, we’ve had many business owners and commercial property owners tell us that their turf looks just as good as it did on the day after installation.
The reason is that turf is designed for daily use, not occasional traffic. Turf can show wear patterns over time, but tends to be concentrated in pinch points where the most traffic occurs.
Compare that to an entire area of natural grass, where a single point of failure can spread across the entire space. Any maintenance occurs in spots, rather than in full replacements.
A Simple Way to Run the Numbers on Artificial Turf ROI
Every single commercial property is different, so the exact install price will depend on a variety of factors, such as square footage, drainage needs, site prep, and more.
However, there is a simple framework that you can use to see how much you could spend and save with artificial turf over natural grass.
Take your current annual landscaping spend and multiply that by the 15-year warranty you get with artificial turf installation. Then compare that number to a total turf installation quote.
For most commercial properties that are carrying real grass today, turf pays for itself well before the end of the warranty period. Everything after that is savings!
Get an Estimate for Your Commercial Property
The benefits of artificial turf are clear, but the only way to know what your property may save is to run your size of property against a quote.
50 Shades of Green works directly with property managers and business owners across Raleigh, Cary, Durham, and the rest of the Triangle to explore the benefits of artificial turf – and the process of installation and more.
Request a commercial turf quote today or call 984-400-1413 to start the conversation today.
