Everything You Need to Know About Grass Parking

Grass parking lots aren’t all that common, but if appropriately structured, they can serve you just as well as other types of parking lots like asphalt and concrete. Thousands of buildings and commercial properties could benefit from implementing a grass parking lot.

Of course, grass without any support structure won’t last long if used for parking, but with the right paver system, grass can thrive beneath your parking space, affording you various benefits that asphalt and concrete parking lots won’t. If you’re looking for alternative car parking solutions and want to be fully informed, keep reading for my review of the benefits of grass pavers for your lawn.

Grass Is Cheaper

One of the most apparent benefits of using a grass parking lot is the cost savings compared to paved surfaces. Rather than tearing up land for asphalt or concrete, grass parking works with the natural landscape and allows stormwater infiltration.

Installing a paved lot has high up-front expenses for grading, drainage, materials, and labor, as well as ongoing costs for repairs, seal coating, lighting, snow removal, and more. On the other hand, grass parking integrates drainage, needs little initial site prep, and has minimal long-term maintenance requirements.

Manufacturers build the drainage system into the grids, as seen with products like TRUEGRID’s permeable pavers and other alternative grass pavers. This design eliminates the need for separate drainage infrastructure, saving you money on installing more drainage systems. Likewise, maintenance costs primarily involve standard lawn care to keep the surface healthy and green. The pavers don’t interfere with mowing, watering, aerating, or fertilizing the grass.

In addition to base construction savings, the longevity of grass parking lots exceeds impervious surfaces. Exposure and traffic wear down asphalt and concrete over time, but grass parking built on a stable base can last for decades with little deterioration.

Grass Pavers Enable Customization

Beyond cost, grass parking offers configuration options that rigid surfaces can’t match. You have to pour concrete and asphalt in specific forms without obstruction, but grass pavers can contour around land features, trees, and obstacles by simply cutting sections to fit.

You can use grass pavers for your yard, driveway, boat storage, fire lanes, sports fields, golf cart paths, and overflow lots. The modularity of the pavers supports creativity in shaping functional spaces.

Additionally, you can choose between natural grass, sod, or synthetic turf fill for the pavers. For a natural grass surface, simply install the TRUEGRID PRO-LITE onto existing grass. For a seamless look, fill PRO-LITE or PRO PLUS cells with soil and seed or lay pre-grown sod. If you prefer minimal maintenance, you can install synthetic turf.

Grass Parking Provides Heavy Load Support

Well-built grass parking with a quality paver system matches and even exceeds the durability of poured surfaces. The pavers incorporate subsurface stabilization and surface reinforcement for stronger durability.

TRUEGRID makes its pavers from 100% post-consumer recycled polyolefin plastic that can withstand decades of vehicle loads without failure. Its interlocking and pinned grid sections further bolster its strength. The open pavers cell design allows natural grass integration and growth rather than compacted soil.

A compacted base layer of gravel or crushed stone can help support the grid system and panels better than natural dirt. This firm foundation stabilizes the structure while facilitating rainwater drainage. The combined design resists deformation from repetitive traffic stress.

Grass Parking Delivers Environmental Benefits

Typical urban and suburban buildings have harsh, gray expanses of concrete or asphalt surrounding them. However, grass parking provides a soft, natural landscape that improves aesthetic appeal and enhances environmental health.

Grass absorbs air pollution, filters water, and adds oxygen through photosynthesis. The organic surfaces also reduce heat islands caused by solid paving near structures, which can lessen the reflected heat in your yard. For environmentally-conscious buyers, grass parking integrates harmoniously with the larger native ecosystem.

Rather than directly sending rain runoff overloaded with oils, metals, and debris into waterways, permeable grass parking allows filtration and gradual groundwater recharging. Additionally, since TRUEGRID pavers contain upcycled post-consumer plastics, even the pavers themselves are environmentally sustainable.

So, Is Grass Parking Right for You?

Installing grass pavers makes environmental and economic sense for many property owners. Their cost savings and customization flexibility provide compelling incentives for grass pavers over conventional options like concrete and asphalt. Before buying, you should carefully assess your specific location conditions, vehicle loads, and design requirements when evaluating grass paver systems. 

Grass paver systems’ long-term durability, low maintenance, and sustainability stack up well against paved lots. With my years of home improvement experience, I recommend grass pavers to environmentally-conscious homeowners who want a more natural parking solution that will last for years.