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Guides · Where turf goes: yards, slopes, shade and edges

Where turf goes: slopes, shade, side yards and the edges between

Slopes, shade, side yards, trees, pools and borders: where turf works and how it meets the rest of the yard.

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Yard design · the guides

14 questions, each answered up front.

Each short answer is right here. Open a guide for the full explanation and its sources.

  1. Guide

    Artificial Turf Around a Hot Tub or Pool

    Is artificial turf a good idea around a pool or hot tub?

    Around one, yes; under one, no. A hot tub needs a level, reinforced pad built for its weight and Northern Colorado’s swelling clay, and the turf starts at the pad’s edge. Grade it so splash drains away from the tub and the house, rinse pool water off it, and plan where the spa gets drained: not across the turf.

    Inside

    1. Can a hot tub sit on artificial turf?
    2. Is turf a good winter path to the hot tub?
    3. Where can hot tub and pool water be drained in Northern Colorado?
    4. Where should splash and rain around the tub or pool go?
    5. What do pool chemicals and summer sun do to turf beside a pool?
    6. 1 more section

  2. Guide

    Artificial Turf Around Trees Without Hurting Them

    Can I put artificial turf around my trees without hurting them?

    Yes, if the turf stops well short of the trunk. No research documents what turf does to roots growing under it; the known harm comes from the install: digging, a compacted base, buried roots. On Northern Colorado clay most roots sit in the top 12 inches, where the base goes, so leave a mulched ring open around each tree.

    Inside

    1. Does artificial turf kill trees?
    2. Where are a tree’s roots in a Northern Colorado yard?
    3. What do the dig and the base do to those roots?
    4. How big should the turf-free ring be?
    5. Can the turf be built up over the roots instead of dug in?
    6. 2 more sections

  3. Guide

    Artificial Turf for a Shady or North-Facing Yard

    Is artificial turf a good fix for a shady or north-facing yard where grass won’t grow?

    Often, yes. Turf needs no sun, and shade keeps it far cooler than turf in full sun. The trade-offs: a north-side strip holds snow and ice longest and dries slowest, and trees drop leaves, needles and sticky honeydew on it. Plan the drainage, downspouts and cleanup. In light shade, fine fescue is the grass worth trying first.

    Inside

    1. Why won’t grass grow on the north side or under my tree?
    2. Is there a grass that will grow there instead?
    3. What does shade do to artificial turf in summer?
    4. What happens to turf on the north side in winter?
    5. What do the trees overhead drop on the turf?
    6. 2 more sections

  4. Guide

    Artificial Turf in a Side Yard or Along the House

    Is artificial turf a good idea for a narrow side yard?

    Often, yes: a strip too narrow to water evenly suits turf. But on many Northern Colorado lots the side yard carries the drainage swale beside a foundation on clay. Turf works when the ground under it still falls away from the house and along the swale, it stays below the siding, and your town and HOA allow it.

    Inside

    1. Is a narrow side yard a good place for artificial turf?
    2. What is the builder’s swale, and how does turf keep it working?
    3. How close can turf come to the foundation and siding?
    4. What about window wells, downspouts and the air conditioner?
    5. Do town rules and HOAs allow turf in a side yard?
    6. 2 more sections

  5. Guide

    Artificial Turf on Acreage Lots in Larimer and Weld

    Does artificial turf make sense on an acreage or estate lot in unincorporated Larimer or Weld County, and where should it go?

    Often, in a defined area near the house. Many Colorado well permits on lots under 35 acres allow no outdoor water use, and a domestic well may water one acre at most. Put turf where people and dogs use the yard, beyond the house’s first 5 feet and off the septic field; leave the rest native grass.

    Inside

    1. Why is a green lawn so hard to keep on an acreage lot?
    2. Where on the property does turf belong?
    3. What do wildfire rules say about the ground next to the house?
    4. What about the septic field and the well?
    5. How do wind and wildlife change turf on open ground?
    6. 2 more sections

  6. Guide

    Artificial Turf on Slopes, Hillsides and Terraces

    Can artificial turf go on a slope or hillside, or do I need a retaining wall?

    Yes, within limits. Turf can follow a moderate slope if the base is locked in at the toe, the turf is anchored closely, and water from uphill is caught before it crosses. Firestone bars turf on slopes steeper than 5:1. Steeper ground gets geogrid or terraces, and a retaining wall over 4 feet usually needs a permit.

    Inside

    1. How steep is too steep for artificial turf?
    2. What holds turf and its base in place on a grade?
    3. Where does the water go when a storm hits a turf slope?
    4. What if the slope falls toward the house?
    5. When does a slope need a retaining wall, and when does the wall need a permit?
    6. 2 more sections

  7. Guide

    Backyard Sports Area on Artificial Turf: What It Needs

    What does a backyard sports area on artificial turf need: a kids' soccer field, bocce court, pickleball or a batting cage?

    Match the surface to the game, build a level base that holds on clay, and set posts for frost and wind. Soccer suits a short, resilient pile with goals anchored or weighted. Bocce needs a flat, short-pile or sand-filled court. Pickleball needs a hard court, with turf around it. A batting cage needs cage turf, a plate mat and sleeved posts.

    Inside

    1. How much room does each game need?
    2. Which turf suits soccer, bocce, pickleball and a batting cage?
    3. How do you keep a court level on clay or a sloping lot?
    4. How deep do goal, net and cage posts go in Northern Colorado?
    5. What does Front Range wind do to nets, goals and cages?
    6. 2 more sections

  8. Guide

    Front Yard Artificial Turf Ideas for Northern Colorado

    How do I design a front yard with artificial turf that looks right and meets my town’s planting rules?

    Check the town and HOA first. Greeley doesn’t allow turf in house front yards today, many HOAs and metro districts keep it out, and Wellington, Firestone, Frederick and Milliken set live-plant minimums. Where turf is allowed, use one framed panel with planted beds along the house, walk and street, and leave the parkway strip to the town’s rules.

    Inside

    1. Can a Northern Colorado front yard have artificial turf at all?
    2. How much of a front yard has to stay living plants?
    3. Which front-yard layouts meet a live-plant rule and still look designed?
    4. Can the strip between the sidewalk and the street be turf?
    5. What else at the front of the lot changes the plan?
    6. 1 more section

  9. Guide

    Outdoor Living Around Turf: Layout and Build Order

    How do you plan a backyard around artificial turf with a patio, fire feature, outdoor kitchen or pergola, and in what order does everything go in?

    Lay out the rooms first: patio under dining, cooking, fire and heavy furniture; turf for open lounging, play and putting. Then build from the ground up: grading and drainage, gas, power and irrigation lines with spare sleeves, footings and hardscape, planted beds, turf last. Get HOA or metro-district approval for the whole plan, then the town’s permits.

    Inside

    1. How do you divide a backyard into rooms around the turf?
    2. In what order does everything go in?
    3. Which parts need a town permit?
    4. How deep do the footings go?
    5. How do the HOA or metro district and the town fit together?
    6. 2 more sections

  10. Guide

    Swing Set or Trampoline on Artificial Turf: Anchoring

    Can you put a swing set on artificial turf, and how do you anchor it?

    Yes, but the turf holds nothing down. Anchor the swing set or trampoline into the ground beneath: auger anchors through small cuts in the turf backing, or concrete footings set before the base goes in, following the maker’s manual. Larimer and Weld counties design footings for a 30-inch frost depth, and Front Range gusts can tip light equipment.

    Inside

    1. Can a swing set or trampoline sit on artificial turf?
    2. How do you anchor a swing set through artificial turf?
    3. Does frost depth matter for swing set anchors in Northern Colorado?
    4. Will Northern Colorado wind tip over a playset or trampoline?
    5. Will a trampoline ruin artificial turf?
    6. 2 more sections

  11. Guide

    Turf in a New-Build Dirt Backyard: Grading and Rules

    We just bought a new build with a dirt backyard. Can turf go straight in, and what about the builder’s grading?

    Yes, but not straight onto the dirt. Bare dirt isn’t a base, and the builder graded it to a drainage plan: the fall away from the house and the swales along lot lines must keep working under turf. Read the soils report summary and grading plan first, then check your town’s rules and your HOA’s landscaping deadline.

    Inside

    1. What should I read before anyone digs?
    2. Why does the builder’s grading matter once turf is down?
    3. Will the dirt along the house settle after the turf goes in?
    4. Which town and subdivision rules apply to a new lot?
    5. When does the HOA or metro district want the yard finished?
    6. 1 more section

  12. Guide

    Turf Over a Concrete Patio: Keep the Slab or Pull It?

    Can artificial turf go over a concrete patio or slab, or should the concrete come out?

    Sometimes it can stay. Turf can be glued or edge-fastened onto a sound slab that sheds water away from the house. On Northern Colorado clay, a slab that has heaved, keeps cracking or tilts toward the house usually should come out, because turf hides the movement and water left under it freezes. Firestone’s code also expects an aggregate base.

    Inside

    1. Which concrete slabs can stay under turf?
    2. Where does water go when turf sits on concrete?
    3. Should turf be glued to the slab or fastened at the edges?
    4. Does turf on a slab run hotter?
    5. What if the slab has already heaved or cracked?
    6. 2 more sections

  13. Guide

    Turf Strips Between Pavers and Flagstone

    How do you put artificial turf strips between pavers or flagstone?

    Set the stones first on a compacted, sloped base. Fill each joint with compacted turf base to within half an inch of the stone’s top, lay large pieces of turf over the stones and cut them out rather than piecing strips, and fasten every edge. On Northern Colorado clay, drain the joints, or frost lifts stone and turf unevenly.

    Inside

    1. Which layouts combine turf with pavers or flagstone?
    2. Why do the stones and the turf need one base at one grade?
    3. What does a Northern Colorado winter do to stones and turf side by side?
    4. How do you shovel a walk with turf joints?
    5. How are narrow strips cut and fastened?
    6. 2 more sections

  14. Guide

    Turf, Rock and Plant Beds: How to Split a Backyard

    How much of my backyard should be turf, and where should rock or plant beds go instead?

    Size the turf to its uses (a play lawn, a dog’s route, a putting green) and keep it one simple shape. Keep the first 5 feet around the house in rock or pavers, start planted beds beyond it and along fences, and use rock in awkward corners. Firestone and some neighborhood rules hold backyard turf to half or less.

    Inside

    1. How much of the backyard should be turf?
    2. What goes in the first 5 feet around the house?
    3. Where do planted beds work better than turf?
    4. Where does rock earn its place?
    5. What limits do Firestone and neighborhood rules set?
    6. 2 more sections

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