Grass over concrete

snnl

Afternoon all, need some advice on laying grass down over concrete... (i can already hear the gasps)

We are doing up our small garden, but on a tight budget. One part of the garden is a 15x15ft blocked paved area that we want to put some grass down on for the kids to play on. They guy doing our garden has suggested we can lay turn down over the concrete. He has said he will put a mixture down first to build it up and then some decent top soil and it will be fine.

Will it? I don't want to question him but i no nothing about gardening. Im worried it will die as the grass will either get waterlogged in wet wether or dry out in hot weather (like we are having now!)
I don't think we can afford to have the ground broken up - can they drill holes?

Astro-turf was our first idea but its too expensive. I just dont want a mud pit in 3 months time!

Many Thanks

Grenage

Unless it's a relatively thick layer of topsoil, I can't see it working. I would remove it myself, dispose of all the sub-base and slabs, and seed the soil after improving.


The cost of the work will be only your time (or maybe a ground-breaker rental if there's loads of concrete beneath), and the cost of disposal. You can get topsoil for free on freecycle/gumtree, and seed is cheap. I'd wait until autumn to sow, though.

Mojisola

snnl wrote: »

We are doing up our small garden, but on a tight budget. One part of the garden is a 15x15ft blocked paved area that we want to put some grass down on for the kids to play on.

They guy doing our garden has suggested we can lay turf down over the concrete. He has said he will put a mixture down first to build it up and then some decent top soil and it will be fine.

And you're paying this cowboy for his 'expertise'?

Lorian

Gasp.

It will look ok until you've paid and he's left - but not much longer than that. don't do it.

moneyistooshorttomention

Mojisola wrote: »

And you're paying this cowboy for his 'expertise'?

My thoughts precisely....:cool:

Debbie_Savard

Get him to tarmac the drive and replace the lead flashing on the roof while he's there...

tacpot12

You would be able to break the concrete up and use is a hardcore. This would ensure that the new lawn can drain properly and would save on removal costs.

glasgowdan

Is it block paved or concrete? You say it's both. Neither is likely to require a breaker, just a mattock/pick/sledgehammer unless the concrete is a thick slab.

peter_the_piper

Apart from the problem of no drainage over concrete I would not advise trying to lay turf when we are in the middle of the hottest heatwave for over 20 years.

snnl

All good replies, and yes we are paying him - very little by any standards, so what he has done for us (aside from the grass) has been great. There is no way we could have done what he's done in a day!

As for the subject, the area is/was block paving. He's taken that all up and there is a base layer of concrete underneath that is slightly cracked and broken and he has said this will be fine to drain when it rains. There will be about 8-10in of soil laid down. Would grass be 'ok' on this or is it still a strict no?

As for doing all this in the hottest weather not being ideal - i know! However it was a last minute, bargain price to have a small jungle removed and a garden returned in just two days! I'm just going to have to water it day and night if we do go with grass.

Thanks

LadyDee

snnl wrote: »

As for doing all this in the hottest weather not being ideal - i know! However it was a last minute, bargain price to have a small jungle removed and a garden returned in just two days! I'm just going to have to water it day and night if we do go with grass.

Thanks

Please don't waste precious water on a patch of grass. Why not put one of those thick rubber play mats down for the children to play on. The interlocking play mats are currently on offer in B&Q.