Xeriscaping & Turf Conversion
The math on grass in Albuquerque stopped working a long time ago: it drinks all summer, it needs mowing all season, and the Water Authority will literally pay you $3.00 per square foot to replace it. Xeriscape done well isn't a gravel parking lot — it's native plants, decorative rock, shade, and color that looks better in July than a half-dead lawn ever did.
What a conversion includes
Turf removal and haul-off · commercial-grade weed barrier · decorative gravel or rock in the color and size you pick · desert-adapted plants from the Water Authority's approved list · conversion of spray heads to drip or bubblers · mulched beds · clean edges against walks and walls. Design matters: the rebate requires 50% plant coverage at maturity, so the plan has to be drawn around real plant sizes, not vibes.
What it costs — and what comes back
Most full conversions run $2.50–$6.00 per square foot depending on plant density, rock choice, and irrigation scope. Against that, ABCWUA customers can earn $3.00/sq ft back on qualifying turf area — on many projects the rebate covers a third to half of the job. Rio Rancho homes aren't in the ABCWUA program but have the city's own outdoor rebate program with separate rules. Either way, we run the numbers in your written quote so you see cost, rebate, and water savings side by side.
The one rule people break: the rebate requires pre-approval and an initial inspection before a single piece of turf comes out. Rip the grass out first and the money is gone forever. We sequence every rebate project around the Water Authority's process — it's the whole reason to use a contractor who's done it.
Estimate your rebate
Full program rules in our rebate guide.
Get a conversion quote with the rebate math included.
CALL / TEXT (505) 221-6452 Request an estimate online