This is absolutely easy,if you take up the brick paving and they have been laid in sand which is highly likely, you could literally roll turf directly on to the sand surface. This is how the bases of bowling greens are laid. Use a good fertilizer until turf has rooted. Regards thebuilderssw.com Check out our website
Hi Rich, It depends what is underneath. It could be sand with aggregates(compacted stones) or mortar with aggregates. Both scenarios involve the removing of many materials. Then you need to replace with top-soil. For turfing you need ideally 100mm depth of topsoil. For borders you will need more topsoil, depending on what you want to plant. Hope that helps. Valentinos Antoniou Landscape Architect
Hi Rich No you won't need a specialist to do this, Under the block paving is a mixture of sharp sand and cement, its very easy to remove, remove as much as you can and put plenty of top soil down, raking flat and add your turf, my advice is go for a good quality turf, remember this is all dependant on what you find under the blocks Kind regards Jason
Hi Rich, first you will need to lift the blocks. Then remove a layer of sand 20/40mm deep next dig out approx 250/300mm of hardcore,rubble. You can hire a mini digger and skips, be prepared to move many tonnes of material, when you have reached bare earth you will need to bring in fresh topsoil to finish. Alternatively you can ask for a quote from a landscape gardener on rated people, hope this helps Harvey
Hi Rich, Obviously you have had a good response to your enquiry with mixed results. It is my opinion that all the commets are correect which gives you two options. Option one: Remove all blocks which is very easy as they are just layed on sand (However sore on the back). Dig out 50mm of firm sharp sand over the entire area Dig out up to 150mm of hardcore down to soil level Add 250mm - 265mm of top soil (whacker plate every 75mm) to bring the level back up Add top layer top soil mixed with sharp sand to make it easier to rake level and turf to root. Lay your turf Option two: Remove all blocks which is very easy as they are just layed on sand (However sore on the back). Remove the kiln dried sand that has fallen from block joints using a float Add 20mm top soil mixed with sharp sand to bring the level up slightly Lay your turf Option two is the one I would go for as it provides great drainage from the hard core and a lovely level surface from the sharp sand which is very firm from the process of laying the block. The level needs to be raised as it is set for the block not turf so if this is done with topsoil mixed with sharp sand it will be easy to rake and new turf to take root. This will provide you with the perfect base for laying and maitaining turf. As stated by Dominic Green this is how bowling greens are made. Option two is also the fastest and cheaper and give you a better result in the short and long term.
Hi there, it will take a lot of work to remove blocks, sand and type one base layer, you will need to go down to soil level then put down new soil, hope this helps
Dear Rich , Yes its reletivley easy to convert back to lawn and borders but quite labour intensive . Turf and top soil readly available . Best Regards Nick Avbase Building Services
remove paving and hard core below..and then fill with top soil and put turf..and its done..
Once the blocks have been removed there will be a 50-70mm of sand and under that at least 4" of compacted stone so there will be tonnes of materials to be removed. This then needs replacing with soil and top soil etc. Look for landscape gardeners within this site.
Good Afternoon Rich, Regarding the front garden the best thing to do is to check theirs no electrics or water pipes running under the block paving. When confirmed its safe, you can then remove manually with hands or hire a breaker depending on how loose. A skip must be hired to remove the blocks followed by a couple of tonnes of topsoil. Hope It helps.
Nick shares his story of finding local tradespeople in his new area.
