Artificial Turf Installation in Los Angeles and Across Southern California
Green Design and Build installs artificial turf for homeowners across Los Angeles County, the San Fernando Valley, Orange County, Ventura County, western Riverside County and western San Bernardino County, as a standalone job or as part of a full outdoor living remodel. We are a licensed residential general contractor (CSLB #1110975), which matters for turf because the part of a turf job that fails is the part under the grass.
This page covers why turf makes sense here, what a proper installation looks like, how bad ones fail, the honest answer on heat, what the water rebates do and do not cover, and what turf costs installed.
Why turf in Southern California
Four reasons come up on almost every call.
Water. A lawn is the thirstiest thing on a residential lot, and watering-day rules and tiered rates across most of our service area make a green lawn the most expensive square footage you own. Turf uses none.
Summer heat. Fescue goes brown from July to October in the Valley and inland unless it is overwatered. Turf looks the same in August as in March.
Dogs. A dog run on real grass is mud in winter and dead patches the rest of the year. A properly built pet turf system drains and can be hosed down.
Shade. Grass will not grow under a mature ficus, magnolia or oak, and the roots make the ground uneven. Turf on a compacted base does not care.
The case against turf is real too; see heat and rebates below. On a front yard where you want plants and a rebate, a drought-tolerant landscape with drip irrigation is often the better answer, and we will say so.
What a good installation is
Turf is a wearing surface on a compacted base, the same as pavers. Every failure we are called to look at is in the base or the edges, not the fabric.
- Sod and soil removal. We cut out the existing lawn and 3 to 4 inches of soil below it, roots included, and haul it away. Leaving roots to save a day is how weeds come up through turf a year later.
- Grade and drainage. The base is graded to fall away from the house and toward a drain. Turf is permeable, but the compacted base under it is not very, so a flat yard with a low spot will pond under the turf.
- Base. 3 to 4 inches of crushed rock, Class II road base or decomposed granite, placed, wetted and compacted with a plate compactor in two lifts, until a heel does not leave a mark. This is the step cheap bids skip, and it is why their turf shows footprints and ripples in year two.
- Weed barrier. Landscape fabric over the base. It does not stop weeds on its own, which is why the removal step matters.
- Nailer board. A composite or treated bender board staked around the perimeter gives the turf edge something to be nailed into. Without it, edges lift.
- Turf. Rolled out, left to relax in the sun, then stretched and nailed every 6 inches at the edges and every 12 to 24 inches in the field. All pieces run with the grain in the same direction, facing the house, so it reads as one lawn from the patio.
- Seams. Cut on the backing, joined with seaming tape and adhesive, not just nails. A seam done with nails alone opens in the first heat wave.
- Infill. Silica sand for standard lawns, antimicrobial or zeolite infill for pet areas, cooling infill where heat is the main concern, spread at about 1 to 2 pounds per square foot and brushed in with a power broom so the blades stand up.
- Flush edges. We set the base so the finished turf sits flush with adjacent concrete or pavers after infill, not a half inch proud of them.
Product tiers
Turf is specified by pile height, face weight and yarn shape. The differences matter.
- Pile height. 1.25 to 1.5 inches reads as a mowed lawn and stands up better to traffic; 1.75 to 2 inches looks lusher and mats faster under dogs and furniture.
- Face weight. The ounces of yarn per square yard. Heavier turf is denser, hides infill better and lasts longer. Light turf shows the backing when the blades lie down.
- Pet turf. A shorter pile with a fully permeable backing, over a base that drains, with antimicrobial infill. The odor problems people associate with turf come from urine trapped in a hole-punched backing on a base that does not drain.
- Cooling turf and infill. Lighter blade colors, yarn shapes that reflect more light, and infills that hold moisture and cool by evaporation. They help; they do not make turf as cool as grass.
- Putting greens. A dense, short nylon or polypropylene surface with heavy sand infill, on a base shaped and compacted to the contours you want.
A back lawn nobody walks on does not need the heaviest turf; a dog run does. We will tell you which tier the job needs.
How bad installs fail
Wrinkles and ripples. Turf that was not left to relax before nailing, or a base that was not compacted, moves with the temperature. You see it as waves after the first hot week.
Open seams. Nails only, no tape and adhesive. The seam opens, the base shows, and infill washes out.
Weeds. Roots left under the base, or fabric skipped. Bermuda grass will come through a seam or an edge if the rhizomes were not removed.
Odor. A pet area on a non-draining backing or a base with fines that clog. Urine sits in the base and warms up in August.
Heat. Every turf gets hot; the wrong one gets hot enough to keep kids and dogs off it. More below.
Drainage. A yard that used to soak up rain now sheds it toward the house, because nobody thought about where the water goes when the lawn stops absorbing it. Grade and drainage first, always.
The honest answer on heat
Artificial turf gets meaningfully hotter than grass in direct sun. On a 95-degree afternoon in the Valley or inland, dark turf in full sun is too hot for bare feet and for a dog’s paws, and no product on the market changes that entirely. What helps: lighter blade colors, cooling infill, a hose-down before use, and shade from a patio cover, a tree or a sail. What we tell people: put turf where you look at it and walk across it, and put pavers, shade or real plants where you sit and where the kids play at 3 p.m. in August.
Rebates: what we can verify
The turf-replacement rebates in our service area pay for taking out a lawn and replacing it with plants, not with artificial turf. The Metropolitan Water District’s SoCal WaterSmart program, which most local water agencies use, states that synthetic turf is not an approved conversion option and that no synthetic turf is allowed in a rebated project. In the City of Los Angeles, LADWP’s Turf Replacement Rebate is applied for through the same SoCal WaterSmart website, pays residential customers five dollars per square foot up to 5,000 square feet, requires pre-approval before any grass is removed, and requires California Friendly plants, mulch and drip irrigation in the converted area. LADWP lists synthetic and artificial turf among the materials that do not qualify, and it ended rebates for synthetic turf in 2016.
So: if your plan is artificial turf, do not budget for a rebate. If a rebate is important to you, a drought-tolerant planting with drip, or a mix of planting and a smaller turf area that is not part of the rebated square footage, is the way to get it. Programs change and agencies differ; we check the rules for your water provider before you commit.
Maintenance and pets
Turf needs a rinse when it is dusty, a brush against the grain a few times a year to stand the blades up, and infill topped up where it wears. Pet areas get hosed weekly and an enzyme cleaner when needed. What damages turf is a dropped grill, sunlight reflected off a neighboring window, which can melt a strip of it, and a lawn service that runs a steel rake across it.
Where we install turf
We install across our service area, and the reasons people call differ by region. In Los Angeles County and the San Fernando Valley, it is heat and water: back lawns in Northridge, Van Nuys and Burbank that die every August and cost too much to keep alive. In Orange County, most jobs are front yards on tract lots in Irvine, Tustin and Huntington Beach where the HOA has to approve the product, color and edge detail before we start. In Ventura County, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo homeowners are usually replacing a lawn under mature trees or building a dog run. In western Riverside County and western San Bernardino County, in Corona, Murrieta, Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario, lots are larger, summers are hotter, and the conversation is about which part of a big yard should be turf and which should be shade and plants.
Timeline
A 500 to 800 square foot back lawn is a two to three day job: one day for removal and base, one for compaction and turf, part of a third for seams, infill and cleanup. Larger yards and putting greens run a week. There is no cure time.
What artificial turf costs in Southern California
Installed, including removal of the existing lawn, base, turf, infill and edging.
| Product tier | Installed cost per sq ft |
|---|---|
| Entry level (lighter face weight, 1.25–1.5 in. pile) | $9–$13 |
| Standard residential (mid face weight, 1.5–1.75 in. pile) | $12–$18 |
| Premium or cooling turf | $16–$22+ |
| Pet turf system (adds $3–$5 per sq ft) | $15–$22 |
| Putting green | $20–$40 |
| Small areas under 400 sq ft | Often $20–$25+ |
| Drainage tie-in to yard system | About $90 per linear foot |
| Difficult access | Adds $500–$1,500+ |
These are typical Los Angeles budgeting estimates, not a price list or a quote. Your project can come in lower or higher depending on the house, the scope and the finishes; the only real number is a written proposal after a site visit.
Small jobs cost more per foot because the crew, the compactor and the haul-off truck cost the same whether the yard is 300 or 900 square feet. Worked examples for 300, 600 and 1,200 square feet are on our artificial turf cost page.
Frequently asked questions
Does artificial turf qualify for the LADWP turf replacement rebate?
No. LADWP’s residential rebate, applied for through SoCal WaterSmart, pays five dollars per square foot for replacing lawn with California Friendly plants, mulch and drip irrigation, and lists synthetic and artificial turf among the materials that do not qualify. The regional SoCal WaterSmart program that most other agencies in our service area use states the same. If a rebate matters to you, a drought-tolerant planting is the way to get one.
How hot does artificial turf get?
Hot enough that dark turf in full sun on a 95-degree afternoon is uncomfortable for bare feet and a dog’s paws. Lighter colors, cooling infill and a quick hose-down all help, and shade helps most. We do not tell anyone turf stays cool. We tell them where to put it: where you look at it and cross it, not where the kids sit at 3 p.m. in August.
What base do you use under artificial turf?
Three to four inches of crushed rock, Class II road base or decomposed granite, placed in two lifts, wetted and compacted with a plate compactor until a heel leaves no mark. Base and compaction are the whole job. The turf on top is the same product whoever installs it; the difference between a lawn that is flat in five years and one that ripples in two is the base.
Is artificial turf good for dogs?
Yes, if it is built as a pet system: shorter pile, a fully permeable backing, a base that drains and antimicrobial or zeolite infill, with a hose bib nearby. The odor complaints you read about come from standard turf with a hole-punched backing over a base that holds urine. A pet system costs a few dollars more per square foot and is worth it in any yard with a dog.
How long does artificial turf last?
A mid- or heavy-weight turf on a properly compacted base lasts 15 to 20 years in Southern California. Manufacturer warranties on the yarn typically run 8 to 15 years depending on the tier. Edges and seams are the first things to go on a poor install; on a good one, the turf fades slowly and evenly and is replaced when it looks tired, not because it failed.
Do I need a permit to install artificial turf?
Not a building permit; turf at grade is landscaping, like pavers or flatwork. What you may need is HOA approval in Orange County and in many newer tracts inland, which usually means submitting the product sample, the color and the edge detail before the board meets. We handle that submittal, and we check the rules for your address before we order material.
If your lawn is brown, your water bill is not, or the dog has turned the yard into mud, ask for a free site visit. We will measure the yard, look at where the water goes, recommend the right tier for how you use the space, and send a written proposal within 48 hours.