Houstonian’s have a lot of pride in their lawns and yards. For most property owners, commercial or residential, a well-laid turf is indeed a thing of joy to behold. However, YouTube-inspired DIY Houston turf installation projects have led to a lot of lost time, money, and effort. What “handy guides” and “DIY gurus” make look simple to do, takes a lot of real-world knowledge, experience and talent to accomplish.
Read on to learn what might go wrong, and why a professional Houston landscaping company is your best bet if you wish to do it right the first time!
House Proud but Turf Ashamed
Ask any Houston area realtor, and they’ll agree that the turf on your front lawn or backyard is one of the most significant features of a property. Unfortunately, while many property owners focus on the interior, they don’t give due attention to turf as a curb-appealing factor. Worse still, DIY ambitions – either to save money or indulge in a whim – often leads to disastrous turf installations.
So, while re-carpeting, painting, and roof replacements might make you house proud, a sorry-looking turf can detract potential buyers from considering an offer for your property. Professional turf installation in Houston can not only add value to for sale properties; but for owners intending to stay put, rent, or sub-lease their homes or buildings, it can let you and your guests/tenants enjoy the beauty of the property. A well-designed and installed turf can make your both house and turf proud!
DIY Turf Installation Traps and Pitfalls
DIY turf installers should think twice before taking on a project to lay turf themselves. Without professional help and advice, here are just three things that can – and often do! – go wrong:
- Improper measurements: Unlike a slightly long piece of wood for a deck, or a short-measured curtain or drape, there are serious repercussions to incorrectly measuring your turf. Because turf is typically produced in batches, if you run short in your measurements, it’s likely that you’ll never get an identically-matching piece to plug the gap. And that can lead to an unsightly turf install!
- Poor excavation: Houston turf installation experts have years of experience in digging and excavating the property for a perfect turf fit. One challenge that DIY installers face is when excavating around landscaping elements, or structures on the property. Excess depth, or too shallow excavations, can both result in poor turf installations.
- Omitting weed membranes: Many DIY installers don’t realize that the turf is often the top layer of the install. Underneath, there’s a weed membrane that suppresses natural weeds from growing and penetrating the top layer of turf. Omitting that membrane, or incorrect installation of the membrane, may defeat the purpose of installing artificial turf on your property.
Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to professional turf installation in Houston. The evenness of the laying course, proper edge restraint considerations, not allowing the turf to acclimate prior to installation, and ignoring the pile direction when laying each patch – these are tips, tricks and techniques that only veteran turf installers know. Make sure your property doesn’t fall victim to a DIY turf installation disaster!
