Ok, so we are finally getting ready to put in a yard at our recently constructed house. We have two areas that we would like to put a lawn-like substance in. Big lawns are nice to play on but are time and resource hogs so I'm looking for an alternative.
The total area is about 16,000 sf. Full to moderate sun. Very gentle to flat slope. Area is western Washington State. Summers are bone dry for about 3 months, rainy and cool the rest of the year, moderate freezing during the winter. Needs to withstand sunday afternoon wiffle-ball games, occasional frisbee, soccer, etc. by one or two active families.
The goal is a low maintenance surface that is fairly uniform in appearance and texture, nice to look at, nice to play on, has sufficient durability, doesn't require mowing often, doesn't require watering often, keeps weeds in check, controls erosion.
Alternatives I've looked at are:
Artificial turf. Expensive, like $30,000+ and a 15 year lifespan, then the disposal landfill donations and replacement headaches and cost.
Perennial rye. Cheap and persistent but gets dry and crunchy in summer and not barefoot friendly when dry. Grows on any soil and apparently improves soil over time. Already have some in other areas to prevent erosion.
Ecolawn groundcover mix: These look promising. Here is a link to one source, other suggestions are welcome.
Wildflower Farm. Apparently surface preparation can be minimal and watering and mowing are 2-3X per year.
So does anyone have any experience with ecolawn mixes or other alternatives?