1. When I realized how extreme the water conditions in or our state have become.......
2. When I got tired of the fertilizers and weed killers and watering, I decided to do a little research on the web and found an amazing likeness to this lawn of my dreams. And it was synthetic! Can synthetic turf look that good and be durable enough to withstand years of wear and tear? From what I'm reading in reviews on the web, AGL Grass can and is truly the next generation of artificial grass.
Eco-friendly and pet friendly it suits itself to both commercial and residential applications. Made of 100% recyclable material, this strong, long lasting, polyethylene grass will provide years of enjoyment will save you big bucks in the long run. Nix the stinky gasoline lawn mower, the harmful pesticides, the lawn care chemicals, the allergies, and turn that sprinkler off too, cuz guess what ? No more wasting water either. AGL artificial grass is made from environment-friendly polyethylene blades and a woven fiberglass backing for durability and drainage. The blades are soft and the backing has multiple layers to prevent stretching, tearing or premature breakdown. All of these materials are 100 % recyclable, and it’s UV-protected so it won’t fade. Oh and did I mention AGL has been featured on such TV shows as Living with Ed, Real Life and Design Spaces? Now I'm impressed!
3. Installing artificial turf was not meant to upset the HOA, it was a kind of wake-up call....a way of showing what can be done to help reduce our need for water, chemicals and fuel . Instead of looking at the benefits, the HOA would only look at the covenants and respond...... that these covenants say that only " Fescue Grass" may be used.
4. Well, the truth is that the conditions that we are living with and the availability of products like this artifial turf did not exist when the covenants were written. (If the Covenants are broken - outdated- they should be fixed - revised.)
Posts
14 comments:
I think that you have a GREAT IDEA here! Seems like a perfectly reasonable and logical attempt at doing all of the things you have set out to do with your lawn, as long as it is not somehow "offensive" to the other homeowners in your neighborhood (but how could it be, right?)Obviously, homeowners associations should consider revamping covenants every few years to reflect changes in style, social/environmental responsibility, etc. BUT YOU DO HAVE A PROBLEM, which leads me to be of the opinion that the HOA has issued you a reasonable request to re-sow the fescue. You don't break a rule (or law for that matter) knowing that it is on the books and HOPE that, in the name of the "environment" that the ruling body will look the other way or instantly repeal the rule just because now it's "PC." Don't get me wrong....I really like your idea but lobby for a rule change, make your point to the HOA BEFOREHAND instead of now being made an example of.
HOA's should be banned. Most are run by idiots with no common sense.
You have the perfect solution to saving water.
Forget about appealing to reason - HOA board's are typically run by the Nazi's in the community and they care far less about the outcome than that you follow ze rules. So, mein fuhrer, you must convince them that you have always been an equally zealous member of the party, dedicated to the preservation of the father... (sorry I got carried away) dedicated to the preservation of the neighborhood and that you have followed ze rules to the letter.
My suggestion - ready your HOA covenants VERY carefully. Does it say LIVE fescue, or just fescue. My bet is that the attornies didn't think to differentiate when they wrote this up. If not, then just tell the HOA board that you have installed artificial fescue - which meets all of the requirements of the covenants. This will drive them NUTS!
You should probably also verify that ordinary landscaping doesn't require HOA pre-approval. You probably don't need approval to replant your fescue - so you didn't violate any rules by planting artificial fescue without pre-approval.
Good luck!
Leave the grass down. I am thinking of doing the same thing or turning my entire front yard into a natural area...drought resistant plants/bushes. I have also thought about the same grass you had installed. I will look at my HOA rules carefully.. Just like Wombat said, it could be a play on words.. HOA's are run by neighbors that want to control everyone else. Please keep all of us informed to what happens you could be an example for everyone. I hope this goes full course and you win , so I can install the same grass....
All you need to do is to find a written description that says the lawn material is "synthetic tall fescue" or "artificial tall fescue". As wombat pointed out, the HOA restrictions require "tall fescue" and it does not say "live tall fescue". This is a much better approach because it takes unanimous or nearly unanimous agreement of all homeowners to change restrictive covenants. (The reason is that they are considered to have an impact on housing values in the neighborhood, so changing them could theoretically affect the value of all homeowners' properties.)
Your lawn will look better all the time, save water, and reduce fertilizer and chemical runoff (protecting the watershed).
Can you share information on manufacturer and installer for those of us interested in pursuing this terrific option?
I was the President of my Condo Association and I must say that if something like this was presented to me I would see no problem in revising that covenants. It really is not that hard for the association to do that and since the lawn will alway look lush and green I would think this would bring value to the homeowners in your neighborhood as a whole. This makes things look aesthetically pleasing and for sale purposes could make the neighborhood more saleable in the future therefore increasing the value in those homes. From what I see of the picture it looks nice, doesn't hurt the environment or the grounds on the property so what is the big deal in revising something so harmless and overall good for the environment and water conservation efforts? I hope you win this ridiculous battle; good luck!
Stacy
A Former Association President
One last thing..The association can set standards into the covenant to set a standard of material, quality, and even build in that material is reviewed on a case by case basis and will require a percentage of neighbors and homeowners in the community's approval. Simple and still protects them from having someone install grass that is tacky and not aesthetically pleasing.
Again, Good Luck and I wish you the best!
I think your solution is awesome! I also agree with Wombat's idea. Sometimes words can be your best friends; if you can show this is fescue and they don't specify alive, I doubt any judge would rule against you, since you are taking steps to conserve water and beautify your neighborhood.
I will keep my fingers crossed for you! Good luck!
That's just freakin' awesome. (No, I don't have any constructive criticism :p)
Les,
My name is Robert Hodichak sales manager from AGLgrass, I just recently found out about your issue. I did some research about fescue which may help you out.
Check out this website http://www.fescue.com/
The Fescues: The fescues are cool season grasses that are adapted to the transition zone and into Canada. The fescue species are easily seeded and include the sub species of tall bunching grasses named tall fescue and fine shorter fescues named creeping red, hard, chewings and sheep fescue.
All of the fescues share the same variety characteristics with the three dominant ones being shade tolerance, staying green all year, and having very good drought resistance. Fine Fescues are more cold and shade tolerant than Tall Fescue, but both are used though-out much of the Central to Northern USA states.
AGLgrass Saratoga is very similar to a fescue in appearance. The benefit is that it doesn’t require water, chemicals and the use of a lawnmower.
Compare for yourself.
I do have pictures of both grasses and they have all the same characteristics. email me at solutions@aglgrass.com
I am a SYNLawn Dealer in Massachusetts, but we are all in the same boat. I have never run into this problem, but it sounds like a case of the spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law. The spirit always should prevail.
The HOA wants attractive, uniform lawns. That is exactly what you have provided. Just because it is not what they envisioned, it conforms with the spirit of the law.
I would go to the local government and as them to pass something that would not penalize water conservation, pollution prevention, whatershed protection, and looks great. In the meantime, I would appeal the appeal.
We install thousands of square feet of synthetic turf every year and sometimes, it is the only solution. No one wants to go through the expense you did, but sometimes lack of water, dense shade, heavy traffic, poor drainage, and soil conditions make it the only solution.
We had one customer tell us, "Natural grass is an inferior ground cover." Those are his words, not ours after he had a beautiful front yard of natural grass destroyed by fungus in days.
Good luck.
Bob Cruise
09/08/2008
Do you ever think that individuals who join their HOAs are the same people that got picked on in grade school and never got over it?
Synthetic grass is a solution to an ever increasing water shortage, just as hybrid cars are a solution to our gas issues.
Here is a fact to throw at your HOA... one lawnmower running for one hour pollutes the air as much as 100 cars sitting at one red light. This does not take into account the oil and gasoline that is spilled into the soil which makes it into the groundwater. The same groundwater which you use to mix your baby formula or boil your pasta.
If ANY research had been done by your HOA, they would be supporting you 100%.
Good Luck!
http://www.grassisalwaysgreen.co.uk/
It's pleasing and are great for the environment.
Shademaster Soft Leaf
Post a Comment