If you are comparing bids for artificial grass installation in Encino, ask every contractor the same three questions: how deep is the base, how does water leave the yard, and who is on site each day. Option 1 Builders answers all three in writing before demolition starts — our own crews do the work, and the lawn is backed by a 15-year warranty.
The cheaper number is not cheaper when one of those answers is missing. It is incomplete.
1. How deep is the base?
The number on a turf bid is not the pile height. It is the base. If the estimate does not name demolition, compaction, drainage, and edge restraint as separate lines, you are comparing a lawn to a rug.
We quote those lines separately. Compaction, edge restraints, and drainage decide whether pavers stay level and the turf surface stays flat in year five. That is where the labor goes. Pavers are set on a compacted base with bedding sand and edge restraints, which is what keeps them from shifting or sinking later.
Price still depends on square footage, how much demolition and grading the yard needs, the turf pile you choose, and drainage. We measure on site and give you a written number tied to a specific material and base spec instead of a per-foot guess over the phone.
2. How does water leave the yard?
On sloped Valley lots, drainage is usually the part that protects everything else you are paying for. We install and modify sprinkler and drip systems and build drainage that moves water away from the house and off the property.
Pet installations use a permeable base and drainage layer so urine passes through instead of pooling. Tell us at the walkthrough that you have dogs so the base is built for it from the start.
If old turf is coming out, we inspect the base underneath and correct drainage or compaction problems before the new lawn goes down. Reusing a failed base is the most common reason a second turf job goes wrong.
3. Who is on site each day?
The person who walks your property is the person who answers your calls during the build. No handoffs to a scheduler you have never met. Our own installers do the turf, the pavers, and the concrete. Nothing is handed to a rotating cast of subcontractors.
Materials, base depth, drainage, and price go in writing before anything is torn out, so the number at the end matches the number at the start. A front yard turf replacement is often a few days. A larger back yard or a lawn paired with pavers usually runs about one to two weeks. Your written proposal includes the expected timeline.
Bring the three questions to the walkthrough
Option 1 Builders is based at 16400 Ventura Blvd, Suite 319 in Encino and works throughout the San Fernando Valley. We are licensed, bonded, and insured under California license #1122918. The on-site walkthrough and the written scope are free. You are not charged to have us measure the yard or explain the base and drainage.
See artificial grass installation, more notes on the Encino landscaping blog, or request a written estimate. Call 818-297-2475 and ask us the three questions on your property.