Multi-family

Multi-family installs are usually three jobs in one — a courtyard, a dog run, and sometimes a rooftop deck — bid together by the property manager or HOA. The buyer wants the same three numbers from each install: cost, install duration, and annual maintenance hours.

A courtyard install at a 200-unit property usually runs 3,000 to 8,000 square feet. We install on the existing slab when there is one, or on a 4-inch base when we have to demo failed sod. Drainage is built into the slab grade or designed around it with a sub-pad system. Most courtyards finish in five working days.

Dog runs at multi-family properties take more turf engineering than residential pet installs because the dog load is unpredictable — twenty different dogs a day, no two breeds the same. We default to the heaviest anti-microbial backing and the heaviest zeolite infill, and we install rinse stations every 40 linear feet if the property is willing to plumb them.

Rooftop installs need a different conversation about building load. We coordinate with the structural engineer of record before we quote — if the roof can take the weight of an inch-and-a-half infill bed plus standing water during a storm, we install. If it can’t, we propose a lower-weight system or decline the job.