Artificial Grass Installation - DIY

Rugger13

Hi all,

I'm looking to convert a 7x5m area of my garden with artificial as a base for my kids play center that will be installed at the end of August. I got a supply & fit quote of 2000 euros.

Im thinking this is a little on the high side and was wondering if any of you guys have fitted this product yourself?

Id have some DIY experience but id like to get you feedback / personal experiences on the matter...surely I couldnt mess it up that much?

Thanks in advance !

jmBuildExt

Im just in the process of doing my own (plus small paved patio and shed base)
I've laid a few roll out lawns and done bits of concreting in the past.

Out of the 3 things i've to do, I think the artificial grass will be the easiest... or should I say most forgiving...

re the price you got it depends on
1. the type of grass... I've had a few samples sent and they really only start looking realistic at about 30 euro per sqm.
2. What is there already and the access to it.... I assume you're putting it down where there was real grass already. Basically they have to remove about 125mm layer and replace it with hardcore and sharp sand, level it off and put down the grass. Also provide whatever edging if needed.

If it was decent grass in this price range (someone in the business will prob get it cheaper than you or I) I think the price is probably fair. How long did they say it would take?...I'd say it would take 2 guys 2 days to clear it out and then fit it.

Re DIY
I've seen varying guides on the web... but I always refer to www.pavingexpert.com
http://www.pavingexpert.com/grass_01.htm
Also see the separate sections on sub base and bedding.
If you can - i would plan to move the play centre around the grass from time to time.

Rugger13

Thanks for all the info jmBuildExt , much appreciated !

Your right...I think it may have been fair as I got another quote just now for 3800

banie01

I did a similar sized area and the quotes I received for supply and fit, particularly because the groundwork was already done were IMO ridiculous.

I eventually went with buying from www.cheapgrass.co.uk.
Got in touch with them and they forwarded me a few samples, picked the one I liked and straight forward ordering process.
Bought 8.5 X 4mtrs of grass for if memory serves @£;280stg including delivery to parcel motel.

Parcel motel delivery to their local to me depot as another €80, add on the adhesive and ground nails, and weed membrane I did the whole lot for less than €550.

I did have to order the grass in 2 MTR rolls as I couldn't find a courier to deliver 4mtr rolls to Ireland.
But other than that if you are prepared to do the ground work yourself there is a massive saving to be made buying from the UK.

Irish prices for artificial grass are astronomical, makes it seem like astro-turf really does come from space

Rugger13

Thanks a million banie01.

Ye exactly what I was thinking...Ive been checking out suppliers in the UK & they are so much cheaper....coupled with the fact that the groundwork doesnt seen too involved (Ive no curved edges etc) so I think im going to give it a lash !

Thanks for the URL also, I hadnt checked that one

banie01

You're very welcome, I got a few different samples from them in the the 25-35mm range and went with their "luxury" grass.
It is a great product IMO and the lads over were really helpful when I was trying to source a courier too.

I know it sounds like I'm shilling for them there are other suppliers and probably cheaper too.
But what swung me was their reviews on Amazon and trustpilot, their helpfulness when trying to sort an out of country delivery ( they could have just said no) along with a 10yr guarantee from a well established company.

I'll share some pics of mine later if you want?

Rugger13

That would be great thanks banie01. But if you dont have time thats totally fine , I can check their store for the luxury ones

Thanks again !

banie01

Here ya go, hope the images help you make a call on what way to go.

The full garden shot was taken the of the install and sanding.
The other 2 were taken today, included a close up so you can see what the pile is like.

Rugger13

Wow looks great, grass looks realistic and thick... you done a super job with it. Are you available to start next week? Haha

Thanks again for all your assistance and the trouble you went to upload the pics. You've been a great help.

Must get the wheels in motion now, wish me luck !

banie01 wrote: »

Here ya go, hope the images help you make a call on what way to go.

The full garden shot was taken the of the install and sanding.
The other 2 were taken today, included a close up so you can see what the pile is like.

banie01

Rugger13 wrote: »

Wow looks great, grass looks realistic and thick... you done a super job with it. Are you available to start next week? Haha

Thanks again for all your assistance and the trouble you went to upload the pics. You've been a great help.

Must get the wheels in motion now, wish me luck !

Thanks I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
The seam/join is the hardest part but it turned out ok, plenty of videos available on how to do it.
My main piece of advice for that part of the job, would be stay away from self adhesive tape.
Use broad joining strip and separate adhesive as it allows scope to butt up and minimise the join completely.

I'd help if I could but I'm currently incapacitated
On the bright side for me, that does mean I'm on copious amounts of opiods at the mo
So it's swings and roundabouts really :pac:

The grass looks really well, much more natural than I ever thought it would be.
The grass pile has multiple colours between brown and green to give a realistic look.

I actually have some of the grass I used left, if you want I could certainly stick a sample sized piece in the post to you?
If you want to PM me your address I'll send it on.
I only have the "luxury" as I binned the other samples when I chose. You can see the backing too, whatever supplier you go with the backing is vital.
The backing is IMO as important as the pile, it needs to combine strength, permeability and flexibility to make it work.

Best of luck with your garden!

Rugger13

Your very kind banie01 but I ordered a few samples from the site you recommended last night so im all good

Thanks again!

caddy16

Rugger13 wrote: »

Your very kind banie01 but I ordered a few samples from the site you recommended last night so im all good

Thanks again!

I'm jumping on this too!
I emailed them and they said the cost to courier to Ireland is excessive so they dont do it anymore, anyway around it? They were extremely helpful btw.

Rugger13

Hmmm im not too sure....to check the total price id be paying I added the rolls I needed to the shopping cart and processed right up until confirm payment within paypal. It was coming in at 468 euro. I didn't want to go ahead and order as I am still finalizing the exact area I need to cover, but wanted a general cost for the supply.

Maybe @banie01 might be able to assist....they are the expert here ! finger crossed there is some way around this.

Rugger13

Rugger13 wrote: »

Hmmm im not too sure....to check the total price id be paying I added the rolls I needed to the shopping cart and processed right up until confirm payment within paypal. It was coming in at 468 euro. I didn't want to go ahead and order as I am still finalizing the exact area I need to cover, but wanted a general cost for the supply.

Maybe @banie01 might be able to assist....they are the expert here ! finger crossed there is some way around this.

@banie01 any ideas on this? sorry for the double post I thought it would let me tag you.

banie01

Rugger13 wrote: »

@banie01 any ideas on this? sorry for the double post I thought it would let me tag you.

Was the €468 including delivery to Ireland?
Or to Parcel motel?

My total euro purchase from them was €327, with delivery to PM in Northern Ireland then another €80 in PM charges.
I purchased if memory serves @32Sq Mtrs

Rugger13

Thanks for the reply banie01 !

Yes, the €468 was to my address in Ireland.....I thought id go as far as I could on paypal barring actually clicking confirm payment to see if there was any hidden charges. But caddy16 mentioned speaking to the company and that they didnt courier to Ireland now.

banie01

Rugger13 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply banie01 !

Yes, the €468 was to my address in Ireland.....I thought id go as far as I could on paypal barring actually clicking confirm payment to see if there was any hidden charges. But caddy16 mentioned speaking to the company and that they didnt courier to Ireland now.

Their courier charges to Ireland are huge and thats why I went with Parcel Motel.
Delivery to the Scottish Highlands, NI and the Islands was an additional £20stg, and from their Parcel Motel delivered to me for the additional €80.

They had tried to source shipping and the quotes were all in the £300stg plus range, so a little tweaking with Parcel Motel and their outsized fee being far less than any other quote made my mind up on that.

A frien of mine also recently ordered from the UK and he used a different company. will see if I can chase up who they were and if they delivered direct.

Rugger13

Great thanks banie01.

I'm in Donegal so I could potentially get it sent to friends in Derry and collect it there myself by trailer if im stuck.

banie01

Rugger13 wrote: »

Great thanks banie01.

I'm in Donegal so I could potentially get it sent to friends in Derry and collect it there myself by trailer if im stuck.

Sounds like a plan
I'm still waiting to hear what that other company is, will post when I do.

Rugger13

banie01 wrote: »

Sounds like a plan
I'm still waiting to hear what that other company is, will post when I do.

Legend

banie01

The site my friend used is grass247.co.uk .
They did deliver to the ROI for £70stg.

He works in QS and cost management, so I'm going to assume hie got the best all in price for what he was after

Hope that helps.

Rugger13

Super thanks once more banie01! That should be me finished torturing your head now

banie01

Rugger13 wrote: »

Super thanks once more banie01! That should be me finished torturing your head now

He did have to email their sales team for Irish shipping tho

caddy16

banie01 wrote: »

The site my friend used is grass247.co.uk .
They did deliver to the ROI for £70stg.

He works in QS and cost management, so I'm going to assume hie got the best all in price for what he was after

Hope that helps.

Thanks will try them too!

banie01

caddy16 wrote: »

Thanks will try them too!

Hope they work out for you, disappointing that the guys I used don't do N.I deliveries anymore.

It really is astonishing though how much money can be saved on astroturf/artifical grass by buying in from the UK, even if you add huge delivery charges!

The Paddy tax is still in full effect for many things here unfortunately.

jmBuildExt

banie01 wrote: »

The site my friend used is grass247.co.uk .
They did deliver to the ROI for £70stg.

He works in QS and cost management, so I'm going to assume hie got the best all in price for what he was after

Hope that helps.

FYI - I'm only getting round to this now...
I rang them and the lady on the phone told me they don't deliver to Ireland at all, north or south. She said they used to offer that service, but stopped doing it.

I'm going with the original crowd, cheapgrass.co.uk - they deliver to NI (parcel motel) for 20GBP - then using parcel motel for onward delivery to dublin. Had to ring grass ppl in the uk to get dimensions/weight - very helpful as mentioned before.

Rugger13

I did the same jmBuildExt, ordered from cheapgrass & got the "Luxury" as recommended by banie01. I had it delivered to a friends house in Derry...im 20mins away in donegal so collected it there myself using a 12 ft trailer.

Really happy with the results. Took myself & brother in law about 6 hours to fit then one Saturday (including the removal of soil etc). There is such a saving to be made....the prices I was quoted for supply & install (ranged from 2200-3440 euro)....all my materials including the grass, sand (6 ton) , joining tape & adhesive, machine rental (turf cutter & whacker plate) cost me a total of 736 euro. I would definitely recommend going the DIY route on a job like this.

caddy16

jmBuildExt wrote: »

FYI - I'm only getting round to this now...
I rang them and the lady on the phone told me they don't deliver to Ireland at all, north or south. She said they used to offer that service, but stopped doing it.

I'm going with the original crowd, cheapgrass.co.uk - they deliver to NI (parcel motel) for 20GBP - then using parcel motel for onward delivery to dublin. Had to ring grass ppl in the uk to get dimensions/weight - very helpful as mentioned before.

Excuse the daft question but how does Parcel Motel work for items this large. I see from their website the extra charges but do they go to a collection depot instead of the lockers?

jmBuildExt

Yeah exactly...
They work out a price based on its size and weight.

caddy16

jmBuildExt wrote: »

Yeah exactly...
They work out a price based on its size and weight.

Great, thanks. How do you arrange onward delivery through PM?

jmBuildExt

Don't think you need to do anything - they will just leave it in the dublin depot and charge your account. Then they notify you. Then you collect.
Or... You can get it delivered to your house for a further 7.95 - for that, the faq said you do it through the account.

caddy16

jmBuildExt wrote: »

Don't think you need to do anything - they will just leave it in the dublin depot and charge your account. Then they notify you. Then you collect.
Or... You can get it delivered to your house for a further 7.95 - for that, the faq said you do it through the account.

Thanks again. Last question! Did you go with 2 or 4m rolls just wondering if 4m is a problem for PM?

jmBuildExt

caddy16 wrote: »

Thanks again. Last question! Did you go with 2 or 4m rolls just wondering if 4m is a problem for PM?

Well good question actually - Im finalising my order today. According to one of the guys above, the 2m rolls were necessary , I got the impression that was due to PM rules.
But... I see that the calculator doesnt show up any red flags when you put 4m in to it.

But I think ill still end up going with 2m rolls, as i will be picking up from the depot, and wont get 4m onto my car.

4m is an easier lay though, particularly if yo uhave square area to deal with.

CPS84

Got the samples today and quiet like the 'Melbourne' grass. Has anybody found a courier to get this delivered direct to an address in the ROI? Never used Parcel Motel before and it sounds like a lot of hassle getting it delivered to a depo etc.

jmBuildExt

I installed the melbourne 35 - happy with it! and its comparable to 30euro per sqm samples i got from companies here.
Cant help you with couriers, sorry.

iphone6

Hi anyone with any advice on the courier service from cheapgrass.co.uk to rol

caddy16

On installation lads - instead if a hardcore & sand base would a 5mm chip work out better for drainage and give a solid base. Cover it with membrane and grass on top. Any thoughts?

caddy16

caddy16 wrote: »

On installation lads - instead if a hardcore & sand base would a 5mm chip work out better for drainage and give a solid base. Cover it with membrane and grass on top. Any thoughts?

Anyone experience of putting in base?

jmBuildExt

caddy16 wrote: »

Anyone experience of putting in base?

Yep but used ~125mm hardcore below 25-30mm grit sand as per the guides in paving expert website.

Debub

Hi - our backyard is natural grass. We are thinking of replacing that with a mix of artificial grass (80%) and sandstone flags (20%). The problem is - whenever it rains for a bit the grass area basically becomes a very wet grassland - and the more you walk on it the wetter it becomes. No natural drainage or absorption. The soil is clay I believe and doesn't absorb water at all. Will we need to have a special drainage system installed beneath the artificial grass to take care of this or will the layers under (the stones and sand) it take care of it?

thanks

listermint

Debub wrote: »

Hi - our backyard is natural grass. We are thinking of replacing that with a mix of artificial grass (80%) and sandstone flags (20%). The problem is - whenever it rains for a bit the grass area basically becomes a very wet grassland - and the more you walk on it the wetter it becomes. No natural drainage or absorption. The soil is clay I believe and doesn't absorb water at all. Will we need to have a special drainage system installed beneath the artificial grass to take care of this or will the layers under (the stones and sand) it take care of it?

thanks

You'll need to install drainage. Holed pipes that lead into a single pipe which should go to mains or soak pit. Leaving as is same problem exists.

jem

Any thoughts about puting this down on tarmacadam yard? could it be put straight down?
j

jmBuildExt

I believe so, Im sure Ive seen it on suppliers websites.... Assuming the tarmac is sound and doesnt pool, it should be ok.
Id give it a good sweep first.
It will be very hard underneath. Might be worth putting down rubber mat underneath.

shakedown

Does anyone have a good supplier recommendation post brexit?

BryanF

shakedown wrote: »

Does anyone have a good supplier recommendation post brexit?

As per forum charter, recommendations by PM, thanks