Grass yard vs Rocks? (Phoenix, Yuma: sales, house, landscaping)

[Foreverking]

Personally I have been fighting broken sprinkler lines, mowing when it freaken hotter than FIRE outside, and of course a higher water bill. I am considering ripping it all out (Someone else ripping it out) and just putting in Rocks, some river stone and a few larger rocks. Can anyone tell me why this is a bad idea? Do homes with lawns have a greater sales value? Kind of thinking it would be nice to take the lawn mower to Good Will. Opinions? Is it expensive to do this? Can it make your home hotter having no cool grass to absorb the heat?

[gemstone1]

"Can it make your home hotter having no cool grass to absorb the heat?"...
I'd have to say yes. I recall riding my Harley in Yuma's summer months, riding county roads between green farm fields on both sides of the road felt significantly cooler than when traveling through barren fields immediately adjacent to the green fields. I had no way of monitoring the temperature change from one micro climate to the next, but the effect was very noticeable...like opening an oven door and sticking your face near the open door. I'm not sure that is a valid reason to have grass surrounding a home in a water challenged environment tho'.

Regards
Gemstone1

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

Personally I have been fighting broken sprinkler lines, mowing when it freaken hotter than FIRE outside, and of course a higher water bill. I am considering ripping it all out (Someone else ripping it out) and just putting in Rocks, some river stone and a few larger rocks. Can anyone tell me why this is a bad idea?

It's not a bad idea, but I personally wouldn't do it. It will definitely save on the water bills, and will avoid aggravation with sprinkler lines & equipment maintenance. Keep in mind that you'll still have some yard work with rocks ... as in: having to get out in the blast furnace heat & pull/spray weeds, or hire somebody to do it for you. Getting rid of weeds that grow in between the rocks is NO FUN!

Originally Posted by Foreverking

Do homes with lawns have a greater sales value?

It depends. The general rule is yes, but if a grass lawn is unkempt & has brown or bare patches, then it certainly subtracts from the aesthetic value of the property.

Originally Posted by Foreverking

Is it expensive to do this?

Any kind of landscaping work is not going to be cheap.

Originally Posted by Foreverking

Can it make your home hotter having no cool grass to absorb the heat?

Absolutely, and rock yards also contribute to the UHI. Otherwise, they are generally less attractive than a maintained grass lawn, but that's strictly my opinion. One thing I hate about rock landscape (besides what I already mentioned) is how the rocks can easily be strewn onto the sidewalks, into the streets, and even into other people's yards. This is not only messy, but dangerous to other people & vehicles.

[w7kkk]

You might also consider that AZ is taking a pretty good hit on reduction of water from the Colorado River.
You do have to water grass.

[agorski]

Originally Posted by Foreverking

mowing when it freaken hotter than FIRE outside

I feel your pain. When I lived in Houston I would mow the lawn at 8am on Saturday and it would be 90 with 90% humidity. You might as well get up early to do it, as the leaf blowers all through the neighborhood wouldn't let you sleep in anyway.

When I moved to Prescott and left the lawn mower in Houston it was one of the happiest days of my life.

At the newly-built house in Prescott, I put in xeriscape plantings. Watered them regularly for a couple of years, and haven't watered them at all in 15 years since. The plantings include a ground cover plant that eliminates weed problems over most of the front yard.

I agree with w7kkk. You're only going to be able to water landscaping a few more years before it's severely restricted or outlawed. So avoid the rush and switch on over.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by w7kkk

You might also consider that AZ is taking a pretty good hit on reduction of water from the Colorado River.
You do have to water grass.

Farmers are expected to take the brunt of the cutbacks, and for very good reason. Agriculture consumes 74% of Arizona's available water supply ... and this is taking into consideration that agriculture has been substantially reduced over the last few decades, especially in the Phoenix area. It used to be that agriculture consumed 90% of the available water. So looking at this, a person's grass lawn demands a very minuscule portion in comparison.

[Sno0909]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Farmers are expected to take the brunt of the cutbacks, and for very good reason. Agriculture consumes 74% of Arizona's available water supply ... and this is taking into consideration that agriculture has been substantially reduced over the last few decades, especially in the Phoenix area. It used to be that agriculture consumed 90% of the available water. So looking at this, a person's grass lawn demands a very minuscule portion in comparison.

Yeah, well plastic straws aren't really that big of a deal, and probably contribute a very small percentage of the plastic waste in this country. Yet, many places are outlawing them - leaving us with those sad paper straws.

What's my point? It doesn't matter who is actually using the most water. They will come after the individual homeowner because....it's just another way to control the populace. More laws. More policing. You know the drill.

[parts_10000]

I would recommend rocks and gravel but with desert plants like mesquite, creosote bush, and some decorative cacti. Have enough plants so that there are living things out there, but choose desert kinds that you will only need to water every week or two weeks. No politics here. Just creativity and landscape design. You can be really creative with desert plants! Put paving edgers around the yard so the rocks and gravel don't get out into the street.

[Zippyman]

Well, I’ve ripped out lots of bad landscaping and rocks before myself- a fairly small lot likely has probably 30-40 tons of scrap material to be hauled away - there’s a major difference in cost to haul away anything even slightly green - it costs more. I had it done with a bobcat years ago, and just the disposal was several thousand bucks.. probably much more money nw, due to the labor market.

I’d still do it again, but be aware, “just rocks” doesn’t equal “zero maintenance” - if you’re not on top of weeds with pre-emergent weed killer, you’ll have an unholy unmanageable mess in just a few months.

[North Beach Person]

I thought desert areas had imposed xeriscaping requirements over the last couple decades.