You are buying a base, not a carpet
Homeowners shop turf by the blade. They compare pile height, color, how soft it feels in a showroom. Installers know the product is the easy part. What decides whether a turf lawn still looks right in ten years is the several inches of crushed base under it, how well it was compacted, and whether water can get through it and away.
That is doubly true on our clay, which does not drain on its own. Turf laid over unprepared North Texas soil becomes a shallow bathtub, and the first heavy spring rain tells you so.
Artificial turf pricing in DFW
| Project | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Installed, small area under 500 sq ft | Around $20 per sq ft |
| Installed, 1,000 sq ft and up | Around $12 to $16 per sq ft |
| 250 sq ft, dog run or side yard | $1,000 to $2,000 |
| 750 sq ft, typical backyard | $3,000 to $6,000 |
| 1,500 sq ft, larger lawn | $6,000 to $12,000 |
| Grass removal | $0.88 to $1.84 per sq ft |
Typical installed ranges for the Dallas and Fort Worth market. Note that price per square foot drops as the area grows, because mobilization and site prep spread across more ground. Small side yards and dog runs are the most expensive turf you can buy per foot.
Where the money goes
- Site preparation. Stripping the existing lawn, grading, and compacting the base is the largest labor line and the one that decides how long the job lasts.
- Drainage. On clay, the base has to move water sideways and out. If the yard already holds water, fix that first. See why your yard holds water.
- Edges and transitions. Curves, borders against a patio, and perimeter detail add roughly $2 to $11.50 per linear foot. A yard with a complicated outline costs more than its square footage suggests.
- Access. A narrow gate means base material and turf rolls come through by hand. Turf rolls are heavy and awkward, and that shows up in labor.
- Turf quality. Heavier face weight and better backing cost more and hold up longer under traffic. Worth spending on where people actually walk.
- Infill type. Standard silica for a lawn, pet rated infill where dogs go. The wrong infill is how a turf lawn starts to smell.
Ask any bid how deep the base goes and how it drains. Preparation matters more than the product, and it is the line a cheap bid quietly removes.