As a drought becomes a major concern in California, the idea of replacing old lawns with artificial grass becomes more and more attractive to home and business owners. In the interview with Ken Wayne, Fox News, San Francisco, Jim Luthi, the homeowner of Newark, confessed he has bit the bullet and replace the sod with artificial turf: "Thirty something years of having droughts on and off. "
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As every homeowner knows, a nice lawn takes a lot of work and water, and for some it doesn't worth it anymore.
"A few years ago I wouldn't have got this because I didn't like the artificial turf, but they've gotten so good now that I figured you know what, I'm going to do it. And I wanted to lessen the workload on myself a little too," Jim said.
Michael McGinnis, a landscaper, loaded his pick up with a giant roll of artificial turf at Global Syn-Turf's warehouse in Hayward, California. He says he is getting a lot more business installing turf.
"It's becoming extremely popular. People can't get enough of it I guess," he told KTVU.
The artificial grass industry is exploding. Global Syn-Turf, the largest artificial grass manufacturing company in America runs 45,000 square foot warehouse in Hayward. But that's only a small part of their business. They carry artificial turf products all around United States, including large metropolitan areas in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, New York and East Coast. Residents and landscaping businesses in Southern California pick up turf directly from GST's huge Los Angeles and San Diego warehouses. With increasing popularity of artificial turf in United States, most manufacturers run out of products quickly, but not Global Syn-Turf.
Dave Maronic, a company vice-president, told KTVU the business is booming. "We've doubled, tripled every month," he said. "Different engineered blades is the way of the world right now."
Global Syn-Turf produces more than 65 types of artificial grass of different colors, heights and weights. Engineered blades are designed for high performance, impeccable resilience, super-natural looking turf. It is not your old-fashioned, carpet looking Astroturf.
"It looks just like the real thing, feels like the real thing. It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic.
With the late concern about a crumb rubber linked to health issues and used by other artificial grass manufacturers, Dave Maronic made it clear that Global Syn-Turf has never been in favor with the use of old, used crumb tires, and always recommended natural infill solutions to their customers.
"It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic. "There's different padding to meet G-Max ratings for fields that you don't have to use that rubber. So it's not something we carry. Not something we sell," he said.
G-Max is the measurement of the shock attenuation of sports surfaces. The performance values of an artificial grass field can be understood as a reflection of the field's G-Max rating. With the G-Max below 120, the surface is too soft and may not provide enough energy return to the athlete, and leads to premature exhaustion. When G-Max rating is above 180, it creates an overly hard field, and will cause a performance hazard introducing the risk for severe injuries. The use of crumb rubber is not required to achieve perfect G-Max rating, and there are other ways to achieve a maximum level of protection to athletes.
This year, Global Syn-Turf installed a million square feet of turf at the Twin Creek Sports Complex in Sunnyvale, California.
You may think that installing artificial grass is a more expensive alternative to a natural sod, but in a long haul it pays for itself by reducing water bills and the maintenance costs. In California, major water agencies run rebate programs to help homeowners transition their lawns into the drought-tolerant landscape. According to professor of Earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz Lisa Sloan, who predicted a severe California drought back in 2004, "the actual situation in the next few decades could be even more dire that our study suggested." But even the scientists are wrong, for most homeowners swapping to artificial lawns makes more sense money and maintenance wise.
At least that's the thinking of Jim Luthi as he gazes at his pristine Newark yard. "I think it looks great. Looks fabulous. Looks like regular grass."
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Global Syn-Turf, Inc. today announced the release of new line of artificial grass developed with one-of-the-kind Double S shape technology designed to create super-realistic look and higher resilience of synthetic turf surfaces. With this latest release, Global Syn-Turf further satisfies the industry's demand for a proven and reliable outdoor solution which is inherently low-maintenance and zero-irrigation; a synthetic grass which provides greater resiliency, realistic appearance and lasting durability.
The latest enhancements with Double S shape blade allow wider than regular, texturized look to the end-product. This update nests neatly with core value of the synthetic grass - the capacity to withstand severe weather changes, intense and constant use in combination with a soft, plush touch.
The new Double S fiber technology features multi-color emerald green and olive green blades with double thatching in brown and green for additional elaborate feel. First releases of Double S Blade line of artificial grass is available for distribution country-wide. Double S-72's pile height is 1 7/8 inches with 3/8 inches turf gauge and the face weight 72 oz.Double S-61 comes with the pile height of 1 3/4 inches and face weight 61 oz. The sturdy backbone of the fibers makes the grass stand up for a longer time and give the surface a remarkable resilience. This unique fiber blade significantly reduces glare to create super-realistic appearance.
...Are you considering putting artificial grass for your next commercial or residential landscape project? Or have you been wondering how to turn your lawn into luxurious, water-saving, environmentally friendly paradise? GST's, unique technologies will turn your dream lawns into reality with its state-of-the-art products. Their lead-free synthetic grass is safe for humans, children, and pets.
Global Syn-Turf is a global leader in artificial turf manufacturing and has largest inventory of natural looking synthetic turf that stays cool in high temperatures. We provide a ten years warranty (turf only) with a projected life of 20 years under normal use. GST's products are eco-friendly and certified by independent laboratories.
Call us NOW at 877-SYN-TURF and get a FREE QUOTE.
...How to Save Money with Artificial Turf
It is not questionable and it is not surprising to know that the upfront cost of maintaining artificial grass is higher than when you choose to have a lawn that is made of real grass. But, in the long run, your investment will just come back to you as soon as you start to reap the benefits of installing artificial grass.
Just the same with most highly efficient "green" products, there could a bigger upfront cost which will eventually pay for itself. That will finally help you save thousands of dollars in the end. Hence, you should not be discouraged if you learn that you will be spending more when you choose to buy and install an artificial turf lawn since the ROI is real and is practically guaranteed to everybody.
The initial cost or expense would offset by the truth that synthetic grass and lawns could help you save cash over time. The most impressive thing that you should learn about investing in turf is that the money saving returns are 100% guaranteed. Turf is among the safest investments that you can ever have. This will spare you from the increasing costs of gas, electricity and water bills. As you combine all these lifetime savings with individual state rebates which are provided to all turf owners, you are assured to be paid back for your investment and then you will get to realize the future savings that you can obtain every month.
With Artificial Turf, There Is No More Expensive Water Bills and Need for Mowing
If you are from one of the cities in the United States, you possible have a busy kind of life and keeping your lawn well-maintained regularly is one of your least priorities. The common solution considered in this matter is to hire a professional that will maintain the lawn for you. That can save you time yet your grass still looks not at its best sometimes. When the summer season comes in, you may find your grass losing its lush green color.
Global Syn-Turf aids you to understand how artificial turf could not just keep the grass looking beautiful and attractive throughout the year but save you cash on your water bill as well. With synthetic grass, you can already help save in the conservation of water. Synthetic grass can actually help to save thousands of gallons of water every year. You can also eliminate the usual problems of under or over watering your lawn through switching to artificial grass.
Since you are saving water, you will also save on your lawn maintenance costs such as weed whackers, lawnmowers, lawn services and so on. Just imagine having a perfect-looking lawn without the need to hire a gardener or do the job on your own. Since synthetic grass does not require watering, mowing and fertilizing, it is the consumer-friendly product which saves you time and money. No watering will indicate that you will be having lower water bills every year.
In the past, home owners are restricted to some limited options when they are in search of the best alternatives for natural grass to be installed in their San Diego homes. Artificial grass and huge rock garden are the best options you can consider to be installed in your homes and office.
Some year's back just one variety of artificial grass is available which looks unreal. Things are getting better these days, there are quite pretty number of varieties available when it comes to installing artificial lawns with real and natural feel. This is motivating many people in San Diego to use artificial turf instead of real grass.
There is quite some number of advantages for San Diego people to install artificial turfs instead of using natural grass. These advantages can range from being able to save some money and time on its maintenance, to wide advantages it provides for the environment, here are some main benefits of having artificial grass installed in your San Diego home and Office.
Firstly, maintaining natural grass can be quite difficult. It requires a lot of maintenance; you need to hire some experts if you want your natural grass to look beautiful and fresh throughout the year, making you to pay more money as well. Artificial grass are much easier to manage, artificial turfs are usually clean and require lower cost on maintenance.
Another good thing about artificial grass is that, it is very environmental friendly. If you are having natural grass in your San Diego home and office garden, you tend to use more water which can lead to water shortage. Also, there will be some insects that might require chemicals to deal with and also having bad effect on wildlife environment at large. Moreover, artificial grass has solutions to these problems. Artificial turfs are not homes for insects and bugs; they won't love to live in fake grasses.
Since getting rid of bugs and insects is not necessary, there is no need for any chemical products. If more people could opt in to installing artificial grass in San Diego, there will be a sharp decrease in the use of chemical products, which is a good way to preserve our environments.
Artificial grass doesn't grow, water is not necessary. If you use artificial grass for long term, you would be saving a lot of money on water. Think of using a real grass for long time with maximum maintenance, water is certainly required to keep the grass nice and fresh; you would be spending a lot of money on water.
So, people with a natural grass allergy can now create a beautiful landscape for their San Diego home and office garden by installing artificial turf.
...Battling with one of the most damaging droughts on history and confronted by mandatory water cuts, many California state citizens are deciding to allow their rich, green lawns simply turn brown, and consequently dealing with financial penalties for it.
After hearing some reports that certain cities have fined their residents for letting their lawns turn to brown in the event of the drought , the California state Assembly passed a bill Thursday that prohibits fees and penalties for residents who decide to not water their lawn, the Los Angeles Times reports. "If California state is likely to administer its water resources resourcefully and sustainably, in that case we must not permit municipalities to penalize individuals for conserving water by not consistently watering their lawn ," assemblywoman Cheryl R . Brown ( D-Rialto ) said. A large number of California state cities possess maintenance ordinances indicating the condition wherein residential laws should be kept. As reported by the LA Times, financial penalties when dealing with these ordinances start out at about $100 a week to a flat fee of $500.
On April 1, Governor Jerry Brown declared the state's first-ever mandatory water cuts , needing the state to help reduce its water usage 25 % by February 2016, a move that probably would conserve some 500 billion gallons of water.
California's water resources are broke up among environmental uses, for example, water in protected rivers and streams, or water put aside for preserving habitat - and also agricultural and urban uses. Environmental necessitates require 50 % of the state's water, with cultivation accounting for 40 %. Urban utilization clocks in at only 10 %. Within that 10 %, outdoor residential water, the water utilized in swimming pools and landscape irrigation - is the primary important use, accounting for 34 % of the state's entire urban water utilization. As emphasized by the University of California, a lawn is "almost constantly the single largest user of water at home landscape", a 500-square-foot grassed area can use a lot more than 18, 000 gallons of water annually.
In April of 2014, Gov. Brown finalized an executive order mandating that homeowners' associations should not fine individuals for failing to water their lawns. But nevertheless particular homeowners' association guidelines can continue to make water conservation measures challenging for homeowners, something that a resident of Southern California, Greg Greenstein, states that have been happening to him.
As reported by KLTA5 News in Los Angeles, Greenstein changed his home's grass with artificial turf in January with a purpose to conserve water. Since that time, he claims to have accumulated over $4, 000 in penalties from his homeowners' association, which states the replacement was made without appropriate architectural authorization. When Greenstein declined to remove the turf, the homeowners' association started penalizing him $50 each and every day.
The homeowners' association argues that Greenstein wasn't fined for having turf, however for installing it without prior authorization. Greenstein's homeowners' association enacted a prohibit on artificial turf on front lawns in 2008 and declared that right now there wasn't enough interest to alter the rule when the association recently reconsidered it. The state Assembly's bill trying to prevent cities from leveraging penalties on inhabitants with brown lawns passed 74 to 0, and right now would go to the state Senate for a consideration.
Lawmakers are likewise thinking about a bill that probably would avoid homeowners' associations from prohibiting homeowners to put in place turf as a water conservation measure.
...Amazon.com, electronic commerce company, has expanded its services to include connecting homeowners with landscape contractors.
The site, Amazon Home Services, launched earlier this month and allows based businesses to sell their services through the website. It may be in the very near future when artificial grass installers, too, are connected to homeowners looking to save money and water on their lawn care through Amazon's new portal.
Amazon is already a seller of physical products, artificial grass being one of them, but now they're trying to make way into the services marketplace, competing with such companies like TaskRabbit, Angie's List and Uber.
For example, for roughly $120 you can have your lawn mowed by an Amazon-approved lawn maintenance contractor; and if you live in the appropriate service area, you can have your goat grazed it you so fancy. Amazon's revenue model is that it takes a percentage commission from all of the services sold through their site: 20 percent from the sale price of standard services, and 15 percent from custom services. Will Amazon become the go-to website for artificial grass installers to connect with potential clients? Perhaps.
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