Artificial Grass vs Paving a Small Garden

In most small gardens artificial grass costs less per square metre installed than quality paving, because the sub-base is similar but there is no mortar bed, jointing or cutting of heavy slabs. Supplied and fitted in Essex, our artificial grass typically runs £55 to £110 per square metre depending on turf grade, dig depth and access.

Paving can close the gap or come in cheaper with basic concrete slabs, and it rises well above grass with porcelain or premium stone. Over the years, paving needs little more than a clean, while artificial grass needs brushing and eventually replacing, so the cheaper option on the day is not always the cheaper option overall.

Artificial grass keeps a green, soft surface for children and pets, and it visually softens what would otherwise be a hard courtyard.

Paving takes furniture, planters and a barbecue without concern, drains predictably and looks crisp against modern extensions.

Dark paving stores heat and radiates it back in a small enclosed garden. Light porcelain reflects glare.

Artificial grass warms in direct sun too, but a small shaded courtyard rarely gets hot enough for it to matter, and a rinse cools it.

Both need somewhere for water to go. Permeable build-ups under either avoid loading the drains, which matters in dense terraced streets.

Retaining even a narrow planted border around the edge makes a small garden feel much larger than an edge-to-edge hard surface.