Although groundcovers are great in the long run (often less maintenance, and
definitely more interesting than grass), they're not going to be cheaper
than bags of grass seed. If you're planning on leaving, I'd go with grass.
I've seen a couple of lawns which were as bad as your description, but were
successfully "conquered" by judicious overseeding and fertilizing through 2
seasons. I'd contact your cooperative extension service
(http://ext.wsu.edu/), confirm the absolute perfect time for starting grass
(probably soon) in your area, and jump all over the project quickly. Your
three biggest hinderances will be the existing weeds, birds (eating the
grass seed), and perhaps a lousy sprinkler that washes away the seed instead
of watering it gently.


"tenplay" wrote in message
...
Our large backyard has a large grassy area (approx. 110' X 70'), which
consists mostly of weeds and crabgrass. We want to upgrade it before we
sell the house in 3-4 years. Replacing it with a large lawn will take a
lot of work and expense. Is there a workable alternative that would be
attractive and inexpensive? A friend recommended planting groundcover,
but it's hard to envision such a large area of groundcover. We live in
Western Washington. Thanks for any suggestions/advice.