The short answer
AJ Turf stages payments 30/35/35: 30% to schedule, 35% on the first day on site, and 35% on completion after the walkthrough — and deposits are always non-refundable, stated up front. Protection is paperwork: exact written price after an onsite measurement, the product and both warranties in writing, and never most of the money up front.
The short version
| Stage | Share | When it's due |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | 30% | To schedule the job |
| Start payment | 35% | First day on site |
| Final payment | 35% | On completion, after the walkthrough |
Deposits are always non-refundable. Most installs run $9–$15 per square foot; the exact price comes only from the free onsite estimate, as one exact written price — not a range that moves later.
Why the money is staged this way
A staged schedule does two jobs at once. The deposit reserves your slot, your materials, and your crew dates — turf is ordered in 15-foot roll widths cut for your yard, so scheduling a job commits real money before anyone digs. The middle payment lands when the work is visibly underway: the crew is on site and the yard is open. And the final 35% — the largest single check alongside the deposit — doesn't move until the job is complete and you've walked it.
That last stage is your leverage, and it's deliberate. You judge the finished install before final payment: seams closed and invisible, surface flat with no lumps or ripples, turf bonded to the concrete border along its whole length, infill spread evenly with no white spots or dead spots, fibers brushed up and standing. If something on that list isn't right, the walkthrough is where it gets raised — while the final payment is still in your hand.
The non-refundable part, said plainly
AJ Turf's deposits are always non-refundable, and that term is stated before you sign, not discovered after. We won't dress it up: if you cancel, the deposit doesn't come back. What you get in exchange for that term is everything else on this page — a staged schedule where 70% of the money is still unpaid when work starts, an exact written price from an onsite measurement, and a job that, in practice, is typically scheduled within about two weeks and built at about two days per 1,000 square feet. Fast, communicated starts are the honest counterpart to a non-refundable deposit: your money should never sit on a job that isn't moving.
How to protect yourself — with any installer, including us
Get the price from a measurement, not a phone call. A price quoted without seeing the yard is a red flag. The exact price should follow an in-person measurement and be written as one number.
Get the product named, with both weights. The quote should say exactly which turf is being installed — and quote both its face weight and its total weight. Face weight is the honest density comparator; a quote showing only the bigger total number is hiding the comparison, and the industry bait-and-switch — sold a premium face weight, installed a lighter one — starts exactly there. Verify the product on the truck against the quote.
Get both warranties in writing. The turf carries the manufacturer's warranty for the product you choose — 8, 16, or 25 years depending on the product — covering UV stability and strength only, prorated, and non-transferable. Installation is covered separately by the installer's labor warranty; AJ Turf's is one year. One warning that comes with that: the manufacturer's warranty excludes faulty installation and damage from an inadequate sub-base, so a cheap install can cost you the warranty claim path itself. Ask who holds the turf warranty and ask to see the document.
Never pay most of the money up front. A schedule where the majority is due before work begins is a listed red flag in any buying guide — including ours. Staged payments tied to visible milestones are the protection.
Verify the insurance posture — and expect a straight answer. Here is AJ Turf's, exactly: AJ Turf carries no GL policy of its own; installs are performed under its subcontractors' policies with COIs on file. That's the arrangement, stated in writing, and Jereme will walk you through the documentation. Whatever installer you hire, ask the question and judge whether the answer is that specific — or a wave of the hand.
Florida note
Florida law gives residential customers a backstop worth knowing about. Under Fla. Stat. §489.126, a contractor who takes an initial payment over 10% of the contract price for residential work has deadlines attached — permits applied for within 30 days where permits are required, and work started within 90 days after permits issue, unless you agreed in writing to a longer period. AJ Turf's 30% deposit is over that 10% line, and its normal pace — installs typically scheduled within about two weeks — runs well inside those outer limits. Two habits protect you on any Florida job: get the agreed install window in the written contract, and never let a paid job sit unstarted and uncommunicated — silence after a deposit is the pattern behind nearly every deposit horror story.
The honest downside Non-refundable means non-refundable. If your plans change after you schedule, the 30% is gone — that's the term, and you'd be right to weigh it before signing rather than after. Staged payments also mean you are the project's quality control at the end: the walkthrough only protects you if you actually walk the yard, look at the seams and edges and infill, and say what isn't right before the final 35% moves. And no payment structure protects against the one thing paperwork can't fix — an installer who disappears. The verification steps above are how you lower that risk before any money moves; they can't erase it.
The gotcha The deposit horror stories in this industry follow one script: most of the money collected up front, a start date that keeps sliding, and a phone that stops being answered. Process failures — deposits taken with work stalled, quoted price not matching the final price, no-shows — dominate the complaint record in turf, ahead of product failures. A 30/35/35 schedule is specifically built so that script can't run: the deposit alone is never most of your money, and the biggest remaining chunk is tied to a walkthrough you control. If a quote asks for 50%, 70%, or everything up front, the schedule itself is the answer to give: no.
How AJ Turf handles this
AJ Turf's terms are the ones on this page, with nothing in fine print: 30% to schedule, 35% on the first day on site, 35% on completion after the walkthrough; deposits always non-refundable; installs from 1,000 square feet; repairs with a free onsite assessment and no minimum. The price is one exact written price from the free onsite estimate — most installs run $9–$15 per square foot depending on the turf and the site. The warranty is stated the same way every time: the manufacturer's warranty for your product (8, 16, or 25 years; UV stability and strength only; prorated; non-transferable) plus AJ Turf's 1-year labor warranty — and never any manufacturer labor coverage promised on top of it. AJ Turf also prepares and submits your HOA application on your behalf, as part of the job.
Questions people ask.
Why is the deposit non-refundable?
Because scheduling commits real costs: your install slot, your crew dates, and turf ordered and cut to your yard's measurements from 15-foot rolls. The term is stated up front, before you sign — and the staged schedule means the deposit is the only money at risk before work visibly starts.
When exactly is the final 35% due?
On completion, after the walkthrough. You walk the finished yard first — seams, edges, infill, brush-up — and the final payment is tied to that completed walkthrough, not to the crew packing up.
Can I get an exact price before paying anything?
Yes — that's the model. The free onsite estimate produces one exact written price. Most installs fall in the $9–$15 per square foot range, but your price is the measured number, and it comes before any deposit.
What paperwork should I have before I pay a deposit?
A written quote with the exact price, the exact product named with its face weight and total weight, both warranties stated (the manufacturer's product warranty and the installer's labor warranty), the payment stages, and the agreed install window. If any of those are missing or vague, that's the conversation to finish before money moves.
What if my HOA hasn't approved the turf yet?
Ask before you schedule. AJ Turf prepares and submits the HOA application on the homeowner's behalf — getting the approval path started early is part of protecting your deposit timeline.
Updated 2026-10-13
