Feasible landscape renovation for new property? (Phoenix, Glendale: rentals, appliances, how much)

[newtoasu]

Moving this summer to Phoenix from the northeast. I'll be working at ASU West, so we're looking in the Glendale /Peoria areas right now. Our number one priority is to find a place in a neighborhood we feel comfortable in. Our second would be the yard.

Many, many homes we like have gravel or all paver backyards. Can someone offer any guidance as to what it might cost for a homeowner to convert something like that into a grass lawn? Is there any chance we can find a home that's under budget and fix up the yard or is that not feasible? Are we talking 3-5k or 10k+ for lots about 6k-10k sq ft?

Also, what kind of $$ upkeep are we talking? I get the labor upkeep, but I have no concept of water upkeep and saw someone mention "changing out the grass seasonally." Is that optional or necessary?

Just to be clear I'm not expecting or desiring a lush green carpet. In fact our current lawn is mostly moss, weeds, and leaves. I just want something to play fetch with my dog and not tear up his paws. This is all very foreign to me. I welcome suggestions!

[Bates419]

Leave the landscaping as close to natural as possible and walk your dog to the nearest park for fetch on the City's grass. Let the whole neighborhood share in the enormous water cost of keeping grass in the desert rather than doing it yourself.

[RenW]

This might be one of those situations similar to a pool. If you would like a pool it is much cheaper and easier to buy a property with one. We still saw a decent amount of local properties with grass or dirt back yards. Hopefully you will find one yourself and this will be a non-issue!

It felt silly to water grass in our back yard so we stopped. I'd rather spend any of that extra water we use on an urban garden.

[ajonesaz]

Grass takes very little water once established, a swimming pool would use more due to evaporation.

Most grass in the valley is bermuda. It is green in the summer but goes dormant in Novemberish with the first freeze and stays brown until spring. If you want a green winter lawn you will have to overseed every year with a rye grass which will require more water use and additional labor.

Artificial grass has come a long way and a lot most looks pretty authentic, however it can be hot on paws in direct sun.

If planting real grass it is highly recommended you install a sprinkler system. You will probably need to buy sod as well as opposed to starting from seed for best results.

[ScottsdaleMark]

It's been a while since I did new landscaping but I think between 5K and 10K could be enough to find someone to come in, get all the rock up, lay down irrigation lines and sod and maybe put down a border in a small backyard. It all depends on square footage and what you're wanting and so forth though and I haven't had it done in a while so maybe it costs more than it used to. You'd have to own a property and get a couple estimates...different guys can come in with significantly different estimates based on how busy they are, what their time is worth to them, etc.

It's probably a lot cheaper just to buy a house with a grass lawn already since you're not paying any premium really to get grass vs. dirt since people's preferences cut both ways.

For water for a small backyard, depending on how much grass you put in, it could be anything really from 50 extra bucks a month in the summer or 100-150 a month extra in the summer depending on aggressively you want to water the grass. If you want to just have the summer grass and aren't trying to keep it super green on that small lot size, and let it go dormant in the winter, that's a pretty cheap way to go and you might not even really notice the water bills too much. If you want to have a pretty green lawn year round with winter rye and everything else, then that can cost a lot more.

But, every home is different and who knows. I just know what I've paid where I live for grass and/or pool water usages. So please don't be mad if your experience is a lot cheaper or more expensive than mine.

[JGMotorsport64]

I own a grassy property in Tempe that has 4 trees. Water/Trash/Sewer bills run between 50-90/month depending on the time of year and it's a rather large lot with very old infrastructure (as in i'm sure there are some leaks in the irrigation system).

Water alone can be as low as 20 and as high as 45.

It's not too outrageous. Winter grass requires decidedly less water because it's not quite as hot outside.

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleMark

For water for a small backyard, depending on how much grass you put in, it could be anything really from 50 extra bucks a month in the summer or 100-150 a month extra in the summer depending on aggressively you want to water the grass.

I have grass front and back and my TOTAL bill has never been over 65 - and we are a family of 4. I don't think you can rack up $100 on your grass in just water unless you own acres of grass?

[ScottsdaleMark]

Maybe I'm inflating the prices because I'm thinking of the water/trash/sewer bill as a whole and not just the "water" component. I also wanted to make sure I didn't underestimate because I don't know how much different cities charge. I guess I'll check some of my bills tonight and get back on this.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

I have grass front and back and my TOTAL bill has never been over 65 - and we are a family of 4. I don't think you can rack up $100 on your grass in just water unless you own acres of grass?

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.

[ScottsdaleMark]

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.

Such a good post. Irrigation leaks are a big X factor. White PVC pipe ain't perfect and it doesn't last forever in this heat, and it's hard to know for sure if you have small leaks here and there.

Yard work can be pricy especially to have it done nicely. One thing I've learned as a homeowner is that caring for my landscaping and trees costs more than I ever imagined it would back before I became a homeowner. I understand why many people go bare/minimal with their landscaping, but I love plants and trees and green things so it's something I'm willing to put up with / pay for. That said, I don't blame those people who just have some rock and cactus and a few desert plants and call it a day. It's definitely easier/cheaper than maintaining a more complex landscape.