Home Turf: Faux Grass Delivers the Green Without the Fuss
Homeowners are shelling out thousands of dollars for artificial landscaping, but fake plants and synthetic turf can save big on water and upkeep in the long run
Sean Ryan, 13, practicing lacrosse with his dog, Blaze. Parents Hillary and Andrew Ryan chose artificial turf for their home in part because it could withstand the sports activities of their four sons.
Photo: Jason Henry for The Wall Street Journal
By Alina Dizik
July 18, 2019 11:30 am ET
For nearly $100,000, Matthew and Nina Christensen got exactly the landscaping they wanted. The 2,029-square-foot area around their home in Newport Beach, Calif., has several shades of green, gentle slopes and altering lengths of bluntly cut grass that make it look freshly mowed no matter the season. Three lush living walls cover an exterior concrete wall. What's more, it is basically maintenance-free.
"Our neighbors on both sides are in contact with our landscaper," says Mr. Christensen, 39 years old, a commercial real-estate developer.
If it sounds too good to be true, it is. The greenery is almost all artificial.
The Christensens' landscaping includes about $23,000 worth of faux elements, including synthetic grass around the pool, on a putting green, along a dog run and covering the home's second-floor terrace. The couple tested the living walls by hanging them outdoors during their home's three-year construction phase. In all, they bought 20 artificial green-wall panels through U.K.-based Vistagreen and installed them in three custom frames, for a total $10,000.
"We now have a lively, energetic green surface that's much more welcoming," adds Mr. Christensen. The 5,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home was designed by architect Christopher Brandon, of Brandon Architects in Costa Mesa, who also planned the outdoor space. Although the couple declined to give the cost of their new construction, a slightly bigger new build by the same architect in a nearby neighborhood recently sold for $9.75 million.
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