Lucozade Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have recently move into a property which we are doing up. It has a large plot of land behind the house which is tarmac / concrete. Im wanting a lawn, hopefully before the summer. Im I right in thinking that I need to break the hard stuff and take it away, then lay topsoil, then I can seed it. It is quite a big area, roughly around 400m2 Is it going to be that simple, or am I deluding myself. Any advice would be gratefully received Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy_guy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 the short answer - hire it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucozade Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Short answer? Thats not even an answer. What do you mean "hire it out"? I take it you mean, get someone in to do it. I didnt ask, "Does anyone know some that can fix my garden?" Anyone else help me please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy_guy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yes, hire it out as in get someone else to do it... unless you have the tools and equipment to break out the concrete and the truck to haul it away and bring in new soil. And you'll not only want soil but the proper amendments and a nice big tiller to prepare the seed bed. You said the area is presently covered in concrete. Is it all in concrete or just part of it? Because if it's all concrete, then you're looking at a substantial amount of material to haul away and replace. Are you up to the task of breaking it all out? Will you be using a jackhammer or a good old fashioned sledge hammer? Will you be using a wheelbarrow to haul the material out of the back yard or renting a machine? Do you have a truck capable of hauling the material or will you need to rent one? These are all factors - and expensive ones at that - that you'll need to take into account before you decide whether or not to take the job on yourself. Hence my suggestion to hire it out. In many instances it's quicker, easier and cheaper to let a professional do the work. If you're still not discouraged and want to do the job yourself, then I'd be more than happy to give you instructions on how to proceed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucozade Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Fair enough. I thought you were being funny at first, but clearly not the case. I was thinking of hiring a mini digger and a large skip. May keep some of the hardcore for a future project at the house. I assuming topsoil would be delivered by the truck load? I know it would be a big job for me to tackle, im under no illusions of that. Perhaps Id be best getting a few quotes and seeing if the cost of doing it myself or contracting it out is a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpy_guy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Well, I am a smart-ass by nature, so it's not always easy to tell. Getting quotes would be a good first step. Having it all done for you might not cost a lot more than what you'd spend on rental and disposal fees. Not to mention the sore back you'd avoid. Another option is you might have someone else do the tear-out and hauling and leave the seeding for you. Good idea on saving some of the old material though - always good to recycle where possible and would save you money in hauling/disposal fees. And yes - you should be able to get topsoil delivered by the truck load. And if possible, you might want to have a look at what you're buying before having it delivered so you know you're getting decent material and not just something scraped off an old building site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 hi , dont want to be a killjoy but you will not be able to grow a good lawn from seed by this summer i would advise any one to just buy turf its much quicker and looks much nicer. In your situation i would take a look at fake turf, its instant,it looks good and best of all no maintainence. Keeping grass looking good takes a lot more time an effort than you would think, plus save yourself the cost of removing the concrete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namman Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 How about artificial grass? Go on the website and have a look, some really good natural looking grass. I'm wanting to turf my front garden but having seen these I'm going to price it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferno Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 How about artificial grass? Go on the website and have a look, some really good natural looking grass. I'm wanting to turf my front garden but having seen these I'm going to price it up. I reckon after three years he's sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namman Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 lmao oops maybe i should have checked that lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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