Replace a lawn
Take out the grass, keep the rebate.
Size your project then pick a material on each shelf below. Your running total stays at the bottom of the screen and updates as you choose.
Lawn length and width in feet. Odd shape? Add the rectangles, or enter total square feet as length with width 1.
A lawn conversion that qualifies for California water rebates is drought-tolerant plants on drip, with a permeable ground cover between them. That ground cover is DG or small gravel at 2 inches. Size the lawn here, then check your rebate before you remove a blade of grass: most programs require approval first.
Ground cover
2 inches between plants. Not synthetic turf: most rebates exclude it.
Do not forget
How to build it
- Apply for your water rebate and wait for approval before removing grass.
- Remove the lawn and 2 inches of soil, or sheet mulch it with cardboard.
- Run drip lines and set plants at the spacing your program requires.
- Spread 2 inches of DG or gravel around the plants and submit completion photos.
Questions
Does rock alone qualify for a lawn replacement rebate?
Rarely. Programs pay for a living landscape and require plant coverage, often 3 plants per 100 square feet or a percentage at maturity. Rock is the ground cover between the plants.
How much DG for a lawn conversion?
At 2 inches, about one ton per 100 square feet. A 1,000 square foot lawn is roughly 10 tons.
Can I use artificial turf instead?
You can, but most California rebate programs exclude it. If the rebate matters, go with plants and DG or gravel.