Green in August, green under the live oaks, green where the dogs run. The base underneath is most of the work and all of the reason the surface stays flat for years.
Landscape turf at 60oz, premium 80oz, pet turf with a drainage backing, or a short true pile for a putting surface. The ground work gets quoted separately from the turf, because that is where the money goes.
Artificial turf installation: you are paying for what sits under it.
Existing grass and soil excavated to depth rather than turfed over
Crushed stone sub-base laid and compacted so the surface does not move
Weed barrier fabric under the turf
Turf seamed, secured at the perimeter and brushed out
Infill worked in, which gives the blades body and takes heat out of the surface
Bender board edging wherever the perimeter needs holding to a line
By the base, not the blade
Excavation, crushed stone, weed barrier, infill and edging each appear as a separate line rather than buried inside one rate per square foot.
IIWhat it costs
Artificial turf cost in Charleston: the base decides it, not the blade.
Turf that fails in Charleston fails at the base and not at the blade. Water has to have somewhere to go, and a surface laid straight onto graded soil will hold it.
Landscape turf, 60ozThe everyday choiceFront yards, side strips and anywhere that gets looked at more often than it gets used.
Premium turf, 80ozDenser pileStands up longer under traffic and reads far more like grass from three feet away.
Pet turfDrainage backingPunched backing, so urine drains straight through the base instead of sitting in the infill.
Putting greenShort, true pileRolls fast and holds a line. The most expensive of the four, and the one people use daily.
Base and prepEach priced on its own lineExcavation, crushed stone, weed barrier, extra infill and bender board edging are quoted separately, because they are the part of the job worth understanding.
Turf costs more than sod on day one and nothing after it. No mowing, no water bill, no brown season and no reseeding the bare patch under the oak every spring.
The finish
Pl. IIAn oyster shell path beside a putting green of artificial turf
Pl. IIIA pool deck in travertine beside artificial turf and an outdoor kitchen
Pl. IVThe bullnose coping of a travertine pool deck at the water's edge
IIIBefore, and after
An artificial turf backyard, from a flat rectangle of grass.
BeforeAfter
Artificial turfA flat rectangle of grass, and nothing else.
Nothing out there but grass and a fence. Turf goes in on an excavated, crushed-stone base, here with travertine pavers set flush into the run and a kitchen, pergola and pool built around it. Green in August, and it drains in a Lowcountry downpour.
IVTurf in the Lowcountry
Water, shade, salt and HOAs: turf in Charleston yards
Water is the whole job here. Summer storms drop a lot of rain fast, and much of the Lowcountry sits on low ground with water close to the surface. Turf laid on graded soil holds that water and floats. That is why every install starts with digging out and a compacted crushed stone base, and why on low lots near the marsh on James Island or Johns Island we work out where the water leaves the yard before we price the turf.
Shade is where turf beats any grass. Under a live oak, St. Augustine is the only grass with a real chance, and it often loses. Turf needs no sun at all, so the bare patch under the canopy in West Ashley or old Mount Pleasant stays green all year. The trade is leaves and acorns, which come off with a leaf blower.
Salt air does not touch it. Close to the water, salt spray burns centipede on James Island, Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms. There is nothing living in synthetic turf to burn, so a yard that has killed two lawns stays green.
Check the HOA before anything is dug. Plenty of subdivisions in Mount Pleasant and on Daniel Island have rules about what a yard can look like, and some want to approve turf before it goes in. Send us the covenant and we will tell you what the product sheet needs to show.
Where we install turf
Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Daniel Island, James Island, Johns Island, West Ashley and Summerville.
VStraight answers
Artificial turf questions, before you cover a lawn for good.
Does it get hot?
In open summer sun, yes. Infill takes some of that out and shade takes the rest, so turf under a live oak behaves nothing like turf on an open south-facing lawn. We will tell you which one you have.
What about dogs?
Pet turf has a punched backing, so liquid drains through into the stone base instead of sitting in the infill. Rinse it down now and then and it stays fine.
Will it drain in a Lowcountry downpour?
That is what the crushed stone is for. Water goes through the turf, through the fabric, into the base and away. Turf laid with no base is a puddle waiting for August.
How long does it last?
Longer than the base under it, which is exactly why we spend the money there rather than on a heavier blade.
Can you lay it over an old patio?
Often, with the right underlay and a drainage path. Send a photo of the surface and we will tell you whether it is a candidate before anyone quotes it.
Is artificial grass the same as artificial turf?
Same product, two names. People searching for artificial grass and people searching for synthetic turf are looking for the thing we install. What matters is not the name but the base underneath it, which is where a cheap job and a lasting one differ.
Does artificial turf work in shade?
Better than any real grass. It needs no sun, so the bare ground under a live oak stays green all year. Leaves and acorns land on it the same as anywhere else, and a leaf blower takes them off.
Do you install artificial turf in Mount Pleasant and on the islands?
Yes. Most of our customers are in Mount Pleasant and on the islands, where salt spray, shade and HOA rules make real grass hard work. The stone base is the same everywhere. The drainage plan changes with how low the lot sits.
Get your number
Send the area, get a real figure.
Give us the address and roughly the size of the space. You get a price the same day, with the base work listed separately from the turf.
Before
After
