Feasible landscape renovation for new property?

[DetroitN8V]

My water bill with grass and a pool has never been below $90. Typically around $110.

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

Never say never - every city has different rates for water & as far as irrigation systems go, many of those are weekend projects from past homeowners (who might have done a perfect job with layout, and might have just guesstimated about sprinkler layout & sizing). I've got a couple neighbors who have tiny green patches in front of their houses, but they also water the sidewalk & half the street + send water all the way down the block every morning.

One of our rentals had a broken service (main) water line & our only indication of a problem was a damp spot in the yard and a $250 water bill. The yard wasn't actually muddy, just damp on the surface. Now that we've rocked-in that portion of the yard, you wouldn't even see the wet spot if it happened again.

As to the o.p.'s questions - adding a grassy area to a rocked-in yard could be $2k or $20k - depending on who you hire - I've gotten wildly variable quotes for landscaping work from both licensed pros & Craigslist hacks (and the licensed dudes aren't automatically doing things the right way if you ask probing questions).

Just scraping off/hauling off the old rock/landscaping could be pricey - one of my rehabs had 3 layers of different /kinds/ of rock in the side yard, (over 2 feet deep in some areas) - hiring a bobcat & a dump truck to scrape it back to dirt so we could start fresh was most of $2k (and that was an incredible deal).

I'd add a vote to the "buy the yard" if you can find a nice one when you're looking at houses. If you don't get the yard you want, scraping off the old stuff & starting fresh will be a project of it's own & doing it properly with hired labor can add up very fast. I could honestly rehab a small kitchen with new cabinets, stainless appliances & a slab of granite for less than I could re-do a small yard for - which is probably why most flippers (and even builders) seem to give you a bare/dead yard.

Your right - I should add "IN GILBERT". I have friends in Mesa tell me the city should start providing lube with their water bill - it goes up every year and $200-250 is a reality (you are basically paying city property tax in your water bill)

[ElleTea]

Well I have the opposite problem, I have grass and I don't want it! Grass is overrated! Who wants to mow when it is 110? If I could give you all my grass in exchange for your gravel, I'd do it

[RenW]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

I'd add a vote to the "buy the yard" if you can find a nice one when you're looking at houses. If you don't get the yard you want, scraping off the old stuff & starting fresh will be a project of it's own & doing it properly with hired labor can add up very fast. I could honestly rehab a small kitchen with new cabinets, stainless appliances & a slab of granite for less than I could re-do a small yard for - which is probably why most flippers (and even builders) seem to give you a bare/dead yard.

I've been seeing houses for sale that looked like they were "flipped" but wondered why no one upgraded the yard. Now I know why!

[locolife]

I would highly suggest against trying to plant an entire front and rear yard in grass here. The summertime upkeep will be excessive and you will not be wanting mow all of that every weekend all through summer. Not to mention why? It's such a waste of a precious resource here, you're moving to the desert so look into the flora options that are natural or at least low water use here. Xeriscape options off much more colorful front yards and very little water use. If the dog needs a spot in your yard put a smaller patch of grass in or even checkout the artificial options. But trying to make the SW look like the northeast is a terrible idea.

Also keep in mind water rates vary a lot by city, someone in old Tempe or Mesa may have irrigation rights at their property which drastically reduces water costs. And water will not be getting cheaper anywhere here.

As for pools, someone mentioned they use more water then grass, that's not true and there are invisible pool covers you can use to virtually eliminate evaporation with pools.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Well I have the opposite problem, I have grass and I don't want it! Grass is overrated! Who wants to mow when it is 110? If I could give you all my grass in exchange for your gravel, I'd do it

Amen!!! I get having a little patch for the dog to use but 1,000s of as feet of grass?? No way