Artificial grass installation in Hastings
Almost every artificial lawn that goes lumpy, holds water or lifts at the edges was laid straight onto the ground. The grass is the last hour of the job. Everything before it decides whether it still looks flat in five years.
Artificial grass
from £105/m²
On a permeable compacted sub-base.
A starting rate, not a ceiling. Put your own numbers in → · Why we're not the cheapest quote you'll get
The base is the job
Excavate
Down to a depth that leaves room for the whole build-up, not just the grass.
Compacted sub-base
Laid and compacted properly, and permeable — it has to take water down, not hold it.
Levelling layer
Sharp sand or granite dust, screeded, because every ripple in this layer shows through the grass.
Weed membrane
Over the levelling layer, so nothing comes up through the seams.
Grass, joined and pinned
Joins made with proper jointing tape and adhesive, edges pinned, and the pile brushed up on completion.
Drainage matters here as much as on a driveway. The grass is permeable, but only if what is under it is — so the water has to have somewhere to go before any of it is laid.
When it's the right call — and when it isn't
When it's the right choice
- The area is heavily used and a real lawn would be worn to mud by March.
- It's shaded enough that grass will never establish properly.
- Dogs, children, or a garden nobody has time to mow and water.
- A small courtyard or a roof-level terrace where a mower was never going to be practical.
When it isn't — say so and pick something else
- It gets full sun and you'll be sitting on it. It gets hot in direct sun — noticeably hotter than grass.
- You want the garden to support wildlife. It supports no soil life at all, and that is not a small thing.
- You expect zero maintenance. It still needs brushing and clearing, or it goes flat and grubby.
- You want a permanent answer. It has a life, and at the end of it, it is plastic that has to be disposed of.
- The ground is waterlogged. Fix the drainage first — artificial grass over standing water is a smell waiting to happen.
A fixed price before anyone starts digging
We measure, agree the build-up in writing and give you one price. It doesn't move. Not for hard ground, old concrete, rubble, roots or a soft spot — that's our risk and it's already in the number.
Zero deposit option for jobs that qualify — we confirm the terms with your fixed price.
Everyone else quotes "subject to survey" because they haven't checked the job properly. We do the survey first — measuring properly, checking levels and where the water goes, what planning rules apply, what has to come out, manholes, ducts, and access for digger and skip. So by the time we write the number down, we know what the job needs. That's why the price doesn't move, and why we can put it in writing before we start. If we ever do hit something, we stop, show you, and agree in writing what happens before we carry on. Ask your other quotes what they checked before they priced.
Manufacturer's warranty only on artificial grass
We give no company guarantee on artificial grass — not on the grass and not on the base under it. It carries the manufacturer's warranty on the product you choose, and we tell you in writing exactly what that is before you commit. Paving and groundworks in the same garden carry our ten years on the sub-base and ten on the surface.
To be plain about it: there is no Vale Company guarantee on artificial grass. What you get is the manufacturer's warranty on the product you choose, and we tell you in writing what that covers and for how long before you commit.
Common questions about artificial grass
What does artificial grass cost?
From £105/m², laid on a permeable compacted sub-base. Most of that figure is the ground, not the grass — the base is the job.
Does artificial grass drain?
The grass is permeable, but only if what is under it is. Laid straight onto soil or onto a base that holds water it puddles and smells, which is why the excavation, the sub-base and the levelling layer matter more than the pile you choose.
Does it need any maintenance?
Yes, less than a lawn but not none. It needs brushing up and clearing of leaves and debris, or it goes flat and grubby, and the pile lies over in the direction it gets walked.
How long does it last?
It has a life, and at the end of it there is a garden's worth of plastic to dispose of. That is a real part of the decision and we would rather say it now than after you have bought it.
Towns we cover
We cover Hastings and a 25-mile radius.
- Hastings
- St Leonards-on-Sea
- Bexhill-on-Sea
- Battle
- Rye
- Eastbourne
- Hailsham
- Robertsbridge
Worth reading
- Laying turf on clay: what has to happen first
Why turf laid straight onto clay dies, what the failure looks like at three weeks and at three months, and the preparation that actually works.
Includes: how to prepare clay ground and work out how much turf and topsoil you need
- Your new-build garden is waterlogged. Here's who's responsible.
Why gardens on new estates hold water, how to tell compaction from a drainage fault, and the order to escalate it in — developer first, warranty provider second.
Includes: how to run a percolation test and measure your topsoil depth