What should an artificial turf quote include?

Start with how the price was made

A quote can only be as specific as the visit behind it. Ours starts with a free visit to measure the space and check the ground. Then you get a custom layout to approve, turf options side by side, and a written price.

Whoever you get quotes from, the same test applies: can you tell from the paper exactly what you’re getting?

The FTC’s advice for any home improvement job sets the floor. A written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. The contract should add a start date, and put in writing any promises made about the scope of the work and the cost of labor and materials.

Turf adds lines of its own. Here’s what each should say.

The area and the layout

• Square footage, measured on site.
• A drawing: where the turf goes, where it stops, and what borders it, whether rock, pavers or concrete.
• Everything that isn’t turf: beds, paths, a gravel strip along the house.

You should approve that drawing before any work starts.

What comes out, and who calls 811

• What’s removed: grass and roots, rock, old turf, and how deep the dig goes.
• Haul-away: whether it’s included.
• The utility locate. All three of our states require a locate request before digging: at least two full business days ahead in Colorado, two full business days in Florida, and three full working days in South Carolina.
• Private lines. Utilities mark only the lines they own, so sprinkler lines and landscape lighting aren’t marked. The quote should say who finds, caps or reroutes them.

The base

This line should explain the preparation for the property rather than leaving it at two vague words. It should give:

• the material, such as crushed rock
• the depth
• how it’s compacted
• the slope, and which way the water runs

Where rules spell this out, they use specifics. Thornton’s rebate rules require at least 3 inches of compacted aggregate. Florida’s standard requires washed subgrade material, permeable layers all the way down, and no compacting the soil beneath to the point that water can’t soak in. North Carolina’s landscape licensing board writes it into its rules: a sub-grade compacted and pitched to drain. Our installer licensing guide makes the same point: ask for base depth and infill weight as numbers.

Drainage

Turf drains through its backing, but the ground has the final say. As New Jersey’s environment department puts it, a product that drains 10 inches an hour doesn’t make the soil under it drain that fast. The quote should say where the water goes, whether into the soil, into a stone layer or out to a drain, and how the ground was checked. For a dog run, look for flow-through backing over a free-draining base.

The turf and the infill

• The exact product: name, pile height, color and backing. If you saw options side by side, the quote should name the one you chose. Ours is premium American-made turf.
• Backing that drains. Thornton’s rules, for one, require at least 2 inches an hour.
• Infill type and amount. In Florida, single-family lots may use only clean silica sand, rock, shell or other natural material, with rubber allowed only under playground equipment. Our Florida infill guide covers the rule.

Seams and edges

• Seams: how they’re joined. Thornton’s rules require glued, not sewn, seams.
• Edges: how they’re held down. North Carolina’s standard calls for a perimeter attachment system, and Florida’s requires anchoring at all edges and seams.
• Direction: North Carolina’s standard also has the turf rolled out with the nap facing one way.
• Borders: what the turf meets at its edges, and who supplies it.

Cleanup and care

• Cleanup: leftover base, offcuts and packaging hauled away, and the site left clean.
• Care: a walkthrough of what the lawn needs. The UC Master Gardeners list the basics: cleaning, rinsing and brushing weekly or monthly, clearing leaves before they’re ground in, and topping up the infill over time.

Dates, payments and surprises

• Dates: a start date and a completion date.
• Payments: the FTC advises against paying in full up front, and against the final payment until the work is done and you’re satisfied.
• Surprises: ask what happens if the crew finds rock, roots or buried debris under the old lawn, and put the answer in writing.

Comparing two quotes

Put them side by side, line by line. If one leaves out the base depth or the infill amount, it isn’t comparable, whatever the total says. Ask for the missing numbers before you decide.

If you’re weighing doing it yourself instead, our piece on DIY against hiring an installer walks through the job.

The checklist

1. Area measured on site, with a drawing you approve
2. What comes out, how deep, and haul-away
3. The 811 locate, and who handles sprinkler and lighting lines
4. Base: material, depth, compaction and slope
5. Drainage: where the water goes
6. Turf: product, pile height and backing
7. Infill: type and amount
8. Seams, edges and borders
9. Cleanup
10. A care walkthrough
11. Dates and a payment schedule

Book the free visit for turf options, a custom layout and a written price. Use this checklist to ask what is included and resolve any open items before you approve the job.