This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Husqvarna. All opinions are 100% mine.
This post is sponsored by Husqvarna. They recently sent us an Automower product to review.
My husband and I used to mow our own lawn. It's one of our least favorite chores, especially with the Texas heat and humidity. Our first house together was almost an acre. We quickly learned that we did not like maintaining a large yard. When we had the opportunity to relocate for new jobs, we purchased a home on a smaller lot with .25 acres. We later realized that we would prefer an even smaller yard and we moved yet again to a villa where front yard maintenance is included in our HOA fee and we only have to maintain our small backyard that is hidden by fences. The space is approximately 1,000 square feet. We've mowed it for several years, but we finally decided that we have had enough and began researching alternatives such as artificial grass, hiring someone to help, or a robotic lawnmower.
Several of our neighbors have artificial lawns. Some of them got together in small groups to negotiate a bulk discount, but it was still very expensive. An example of a neighbor's yard is shown below. It looks nice, but it was outside of the budget that we wanted to put toward our yard. Plus, with young children, we didn't want to worry about the cost of replacement down the road.
Only recently did we come across the Husqvarna Automower as an option to help mow our lawn. I wish that we would have known about it sooner. We looked into it and ran the numbers to figure out whether it could make sense for us. Specifically, we looked into the Husqvarna 115H Automower that is priced at $1,599.99 with installation. At this price, we felt like it was a cost effective solution to mowing our lawn that is cheaper than hiring landscapers to mow. I searched for reviews and people seemed happy, so I reached out to the company to ask if it would be possible to collaborate and to send us review a unit. They agreed! This was a highlight of my blogging year, especially if you consider the temperatures in Texas right now and how much we dread yard work. Of course, we were excited because the perks of this robotic lawn mower are amazing, but I also felt like it was a special opportunity to gain and share an experience that people are curious to know more about.
The process for ordering the Husqvarna Automower was nice because they ship the Automower in a package that arrives on your doorstep. They then connect you with an installation expert who sets everything up for you. For instance, check out the photo below that shows my package on our front porch. I took the photo from a distance so that you could notice that it's a large package, but still a reasonable size for me to carry on my own.
Here is a closer view of the package.
We were so excited about our new best friend that we couldn't help but to peek into the package to see it before the installation company arrived. The package was comprehensive and included everything that I needed to get started.
The day before the installation company arrived, we mowed our lawn to the desired height. This is something that you will want to do before your installation as part of the customization process.
Lambert's Landscape Company installed the boundary wire and charging station. In the Dallas area, we are very lucky because the pros at Lambert's know the ins and outs of the Husqvarna Automower. The Director of Fleet Services and Facilities installed our Automower. He manages a fleet of them and even runs two Automowers in his own yard. He is knowledgable about landscaping and Automowers. He was really nice about answering our questions and giving advice. The installation for our yard went by quickly. He installed the boundary wire with a machine that buries it rather seamlessly. I was relieved to know that the boundary wires would be buried so nicely, especially since I have energetic children who aren't even able to see the buried wires. Here is a photo of him installing the boundary wire.
I also made a video and encourage you to watch it because you'll get a better idea of how quick and seamless it was for him to install the boundary wire.
After he installed the boundary wires, he finished setting up the charging station and updated the software. This is the home for our new best friend, the Automower! He also helped us to get the app which helps us to monitor the status of our Husqvarna Automower. For instance, here is a photo from when we set it up.
Here is another photo of the app which shows statistics about the number of hours that it has spent on our lawn.
The Husqvarna Automower is smart and able to adapt to many variables such as different yard sizes, slopes, grass types, and more. Personally, our yard is around 1,000 sq. ft. and relatively flat with only slight sloping around our French drains. We have Bermuda grass which is a southern grass that grows in warm climates. It has a narrow leaf blade which I think is aesthetically pleasing. It grows quickly and is also quite resilient. You'll find it at many golf courses and athletic fields since it's relatively good for high traffic areas. Our yard is a breeze for the Husqvarna Automower that quietly works its magic on our lawn.
The Husqvarna Automower spent the first couple of days exploring our yard. My family enjoyed watching our curious little friend move around to learn the lay of the land!
After the initial exploration, the Automower used its advanced technology to mow our lawn on a more scheduled basis. The technology is actually more interesting than we initially expected. Not only does this little robot mow our lawn, but it also improves the health of our lawn. That was an unexpected bonus for us! We just wanted a break from yard work, so it was even cooler to realize that the Automower could further improve the health of our lawn too. The way that it works is different than our old process. We used to go through with a loud electric lawn mower. The Husqvarna Automower is more advanced. It uses several blades to finely mulch the grass. Instead of rushing through like we used to do with a lawn mower, the Automower takes slower and more frequent passes which provides a noticeable difference to the health of our lawn.
Another big difference between our old mower and the Automower is the noise level. Our old mower was loud. Our Automower is pretty quiet. I tease my husband that it has such good manners with how quiet it is. It even runs past my bedroom at night while I am sleeping without me noticing. I also appreciate that it has safety features to stop if it bumps into something unexpected. For instance, my youngest son dropped his teddy bear outside. The Automower skillfully avoided it which is an important feature that we appreciate since our children play in the yard and don't always clean up after themselves.
The Automower may be scheduled to run at any time. We prefer an evening schedule so that our children aren't outside. I would actually be okay with my boys around it since it has safety features, but my children sometimes play soccer or have water balloon battles, so I figured that evening runs were better. Plus, as I mentioned earlier the Automower is quiet enough that I don't even notice it when it goes by my bedroom windows in the evening.
Security is an important feature to me. There is one loud thing about the Automower. That's the alarm. If someone doesn't know the pin number and then picks it up and tries to run off with it, the Automower has a very loud alarm. You need to enter your pin number to turn it off. Depending on the model, you may also have GPS tracking.
We've used our Automower for a few months now. Let me share a quick list of questions that people have asked us with our personal answers.
Now that we have used the Husqvarna Automower for a while, we are very happy and wish that we would have adopted it sooner. The time savings has been amazing. We no longer have to mow. We only have to do the edging. My husband has approximately 5 extra hours to spend with us every month. If you multiple this by 7.5 months, he has saved approximately 37.5 hours/year. That's almost an entire workweek out of the year for him! We have a small backyard that is under 1,000 square feet. I imagine that the time savings increases for Texans with bigger yards.
During the Coronavirus shutdown, the Automower was also a life saver because it mulches the grass into fine pieces and we do not have to bag and dispose debris. Our garbage collection company temporarily stopped the collection of lawn clippings. Prior to the arrival of our Automower, we had garbage bags full of lawn clippings for weeks until they finally announced a special day when collection of lawn debris resumed. I'm glad that we don't have to dispose of lawn debris after the Automower. The mulching process is eco-friendly and convenient!
In summary, the Husqvarna Automower is an amazing application of technology that has improved the quality of our lives. The experience has given us a healthier lawn, but more importantly, the gift of time. As busy parents, the ability to cross mowing the lawn off of our chore list was amazing! I know that we could have hired landscapers to mow weekly or invested in artificial grass, but those solutions were very expensive. The Husqvarna Automower is more cost effective for our situation. The Husqvarna design team deserves credit for the meticulous attention to detail that they put into the Automower!
My husband and I used to mow our own lawn. It's one of our least favorite chores, especially with the Texas heat and humidity. Our first house together was almost an acre. We quickly learned that we did not like maintaining a large yard. When we had the opportunity to relocate for new jobs, we purchased a home on a smaller lot with .25 acres. We later realized that we would prefer an even smaller yard and we moved yet again to a villa where front yard maintenance is included in our HOA fee and we only have to maintain our small backyard that is hidden by fences. The space is approximately 1,000 square feet. We've mowed it for several years, but we finally decided that we have had enough and began researching alternatives such as artificial grass, hiring someone to help, or a robotic lawnmower.
Many of our neighbors feel the same way about yard work. As I mentioned, we live in a villa where the HOA maintains our front yards and then we are responsible for our small backyards. The majority of our neighbors hire landscapers. This is nice, but it's expensive and we don't like the idea of giving landscapers a key to our yard. The typical cost of weekly mowing for our small backyard is $75 to $100/week. We mow our lawn for approximately 7.5 months per year, so it's not trivial to spend over $3,000/year to hire landscapers to mow our backyard. As a Mom and an Engineer, I can't help but calculate the cost for multiple years and notice how quickly the expense accumulates. After five years, the cost adds up to around $15,000.
Several of our neighbors have artificial lawns. Some of them got together in small groups to negotiate a bulk discount, but it was still very expensive. An example of a neighbor's yard is shown below. It looks nice, but it was outside of the budget that we wanted to put toward our yard. Plus, with young children, we didn't want to worry about the cost of replacement down the road.
Only recently did we come across the Husqvarna Automower as an option to help mow our lawn. I wish that we would have known about it sooner. We looked into it and ran the numbers to figure out whether it could make sense for us. Specifically, we looked into the Husqvarna 115H Automower that is priced at $1,599.99 with installation. At this price, we felt like it was a cost effective solution to mowing our lawn that is cheaper than hiring landscapers to mow. I searched for reviews and people seemed happy, so I reached out to the company to ask if it would be possible to collaborate and to send us review a unit. They agreed! This was a highlight of my blogging year, especially if you consider the temperatures in Texas right now and how much we dread yard work. Of course, we were excited because the perks of this robotic lawn mower are amazing, but I also felt like it was a special opportunity to gain and share an experience that people are curious to know more about.
The process for ordering the Husqvarna Automower was nice because they ship the Automower in a package that arrives on your doorstep. They then connect you with an installation expert who sets everything up for you. For instance, check out the photo below that shows my package on our front porch. I took the photo from a distance so that you could notice that it's a large package, but still a reasonable size for me to carry on my own.
Here is a closer view of the package.
We were so excited about our new best friend that we couldn't help but to peek into the package to see it before the installation company arrived. The package was comprehensive and included everything that I needed to get started.
The day before the installation company arrived, we mowed our lawn to the desired height. This is something that you will want to do before your installation as part of the customization process.
Lambert's Landscape Company installed the boundary wire and charging station. In the Dallas area, we are very lucky because the pros at Lambert's know the ins and outs of the Husqvarna Automower. The Director of Fleet Services and Facilities installed our Automower. He manages a fleet of them and even runs two Automowers in his own yard. He is knowledgable about landscaping and Automowers. He was really nice about answering our questions and giving advice. The installation for our yard went by quickly. He installed the boundary wire with a machine that buries it rather seamlessly. I was relieved to know that the boundary wires would be buried so nicely, especially since I have energetic children who aren't even able to see the buried wires. Here is a photo of him installing the boundary wire.
I also made a video and encourage you to watch it because you'll get a better idea of how quick and seamless it was for him to install the boundary wire.
After he installed the boundary wires, he finished setting up the charging station and updated the software. This is the home for our new best friend, the Automower! He also helped us to get the app which helps us to monitor the status of our Husqvarna Automower. For instance, here is a photo from when we set it up.
Here is another photo of the app which shows statistics about the number of hours that it has spent on our lawn.
The Husqvarna Automower is smart and able to adapt to many variables such as different yard sizes, slopes, grass types, and more. Personally, our yard is around 1,000 sq. ft. and relatively flat with only slight sloping around our French drains. We have Bermuda grass which is a southern grass that grows in warm climates. It has a narrow leaf blade which I think is aesthetically pleasing. It grows quickly and is also quite resilient. You'll find it at many golf courses and athletic fields since it's relatively good for high traffic areas. Our yard is a breeze for the Husqvarna Automower that quietly works its magic on our lawn.
The Husqvarna Automower spent the first couple of days exploring our yard. My family enjoyed watching our curious little friend move around to learn the lay of the land!
Another big difference between our old mower and the Automower is the noise level. Our old mower was loud. Our Automower is pretty quiet. I tease my husband that it has such good manners with how quiet it is. It even runs past my bedroom at night while I am sleeping without me noticing. I also appreciate that it has safety features to stop if it bumps into something unexpected. For instance, my youngest son dropped his teddy bear outside. The Automower skillfully avoided it which is an important feature that we appreciate since our children play in the yard and don't always clean up after themselves.
The Automower may be scheduled to run at any time. We prefer an evening schedule so that our children aren't outside. I would actually be okay with my boys around it since it has safety features, but my children sometimes play soccer or have water balloon battles, so I figured that evening runs were better. Plus, as I mentioned earlier the Automower is quiet enough that I don't even notice it when it goes by my bedroom windows in the evening.
Security is an important feature to me. There is one loud thing about the Automower. That's the alarm. If someone doesn't know the pin number and then picks it up and tries to run off with it, the Automower has a very loud alarm. You need to enter your pin number to turn it off. Depending on the model, you may also have GPS tracking.
We've used our Automower for a few months now. Let me share a quick list of questions that people have asked us with our personal answers.
- Is it as loud as a traditional lawn mower? Answer: It is MUCH quieter than our old traditional lawn mower. In fact, we run it in the evening and it mows outside of my bedroom window without waking me.
- Does it break if it rains? Answer: We have left our Automower out during several rainstorms without any issues. I just wipe it down with a cloth after the rain. (For reference, I also wipe down our patio furniture and grill after rain.) We moved the Automower to our patio for one storm because there were severe weather warnings. During that particular storm, you wouldn't have even wanted to leave your car outside.
- What if children leave toys in the yard? Answer: My children have stress tested this feature. They have a bad habit of leaving toys in the yard. Fortunately, the Automower is quite advanced and has avoided every toy left in our yard over the past few months. One of them was my youngest son's teddy bear, so I was grateful for the Automower's technology to avoid their toys.
- Could someone pick it up and walk off with it? Answer: Yes, but there is an alarm system. It makes an obnoxiously loud noise that would make it hard for someone to casually pick it up in our yard and walk off with it. We are able to hear the alarm noise in our house. We have a pin number to turn the alarm off. Some models also have a GPS security feature.
- Do you like it? Answer: We absolutely love it! If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to stop wasting time on mowing the lawn and to let an Automower take over the chore. Seriously, the combination of Texas heat and humidity is the worst. The Automower is a total game changer that allows us to spend less time on chores and more time enjoying life.
Now that we have used the Husqvarna Automower for a while, we are very happy and wish that we would have adopted it sooner. The time savings has been amazing. We no longer have to mow. We only have to do the edging. My husband has approximately 5 extra hours to spend with us every month. If you multiple this by 7.5 months, he has saved approximately 37.5 hours/year. That's almost an entire workweek out of the year for him! We have a small backyard that is under 1,000 square feet. I imagine that the time savings increases for Texans with bigger yards.
In summary, the Husqvarna Automower is an amazing application of technology that has improved the quality of our lives. The experience has given us a healthier lawn, but more importantly, the gift of time. As busy parents, the ability to cross mowing the lawn off of our chore list was amazing! I know that we could have hired landscapers to mow weekly or invested in artificial grass, but those solutions were very expensive. The Husqvarna Automower is more cost effective for our situation. The Husqvarna design team deserves credit for the meticulous attention to detail that they put into the Automower!
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