1. Costs will vary depending on the quality of the artificial turf and whether or not it has any special characteristics. I've seen prices as low as $2/square foot to as high as $20+/square foot. And then there are installation costs involved as well.

2. Weeds will not grow through artificial turf of reasonable quality. But unless cleaned or hosed off regularly, dirt and debris can blow in and get caught in the turf blades and become a growing medium for weed seeds. Regular maintenance and cleaning will prevent this.

3. I have no answer for this.

4. Artificial turf can become very hot when exposed to the sun....perhaps too hot for kids to run barefoot or play comfortably.

There’s also the environmental question of disposal at the end of its useful life.

Agree with the heat factor. Synthetic turf will get 40-70 degrees hotter than ambient air temperatures on a clear, sunny day, so depending on where you are - you're talking shoe-melting hot. I'd also question its durability against UV damage over time. It might hold up, but not look very good in the long run.

My artificial turf which we put down only in our backyard still looks great 4 years later. We are in SW Florida. We put it in because grass where we are requires too much chemical maintenance and still winds up being mostly weeds. And of course ants and other bugs.

1. I dont remember what we paid but ours is a very good quality that at first glance fools people.

2. Weeds do not grow through. We do have an annual contract wherethey do come, powerrake and put more stuff down which keeps it slightlycooler.

3. Nope Nope, no ants!

4. As mentioned it can get hot. Before the dogs go out on it in hot weather, we hose it down, which helps cool it down.

No ants on ours. We got hydra turf infill which keeps it cooler, we also run sprinklers to keep it cool, clean off dog messes. We also blow off all the leaves with a blower once a week. We love it and so does our pup.