Indian Real Estate

Ever dreamt of lush, green lawns, but then opted for tiles because of the high maintenance and water shortage? Live in a flat, but long for a patch of green to liven up your living space? With gardens soon becoming a distant dream, artificial grass has made its way into several homes in the country. Right from the residences of ministers to music director Mani Sharma’s house, artificial grass is extensively being used to green the area.

Sreevani, Mani Sharma’s wife says, “I got it installed last year and unlike natural grass it requires very little maintenance and still looks fresh and green. I have many dogs and in spite of rough use it has not lost its beauty. It was worth the investment.” Artificial lawn, unlike the natural one can take a lot of wear and tear and the best part about it is that it’s washable. It’s being increasingly used by corporates to give the sometimes dull corporate environment a green break. Some of the firms have also used it to create mini-golf course on their campuses.

It is popular because of the lower cost of maintenance and the fact that it can be used even on rooftops and balconies makes it even more user-friendly. “With lack of open space, the trend is to use rooftops and balconies as a social area to entertain guests, have parties, for kids to play or even to relax. Hence, the concept of artificial lawns is catching up. It works out to be cheaper in the long run, because if one was to plant natural grass, especially rooftop and balconies, there is the extra cost of reinforced concrete cement, special waterproofing, sowing, mowing, weeding etc,” says interior designer Vasanthi Narayanan.

You can walk barefoot on it and not realise that it is artificial, says Mithali Chandra, a stockbroker, who’s just converted the backyard of her house into a beautiful sit out. “We always wanted to make that space into a lawn, but it wasn’t possible to plant real grass because we couldn’t break the concrete and put soil. Drainage was a problem. Artificial grass is expensive, but it’s worth it,” she said. Prices range between Rs 175 to Rs 400 per sq foot (depending on the texture and softness).

# posted by mashup @ 10:22 PM