My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

"backy" wrote in message
om...
My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

Without any drainage from the patio i suspect you would have a muddy pit in
the winter and if you are contemplating bringing in the amount of topsiol to
cover 1ft deep that could be just as grim as digging up some of the patio

"backy" wrote in message
om...
My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

You would need a good depth of soil to turf it and as someone has already
said, that is a 'transport through the house' problem.

I am not a 'plant' gardener, but two ideas come to mind, one a very simple
one. (Depending on the area) Lay a covering of gravel, not pea gravel or it
will be the neighbourhood's cat's toilet. This can be purchased/delivered in
bags which can be walked through the house, then place planters or pots for
plants and colour.

The second idea is a lot more labour intensive and that is to lay a good
thickness of sand, tamp it down and slab over with attractive slabs. You
still have a patio which is attractive and hard wearing. AND the cat won't
use it. This idea I used in part of our back garden last year, but I was
able to get rid of the rough concrete which was there. I had to retain the
original height because of the new patio doors which were fitted.

Mike

--
H.M.S.Collingwood Ass. Llandudno 20 - 23 May Trip to Portmeirion
National Service (RAF) Ass. Cosford 24 - 27 June Lanc Bomber Fly Past
H.M.S.Impregnable Ass. Sussex 1 - 3 July Visit to Int. Fest of the Sea
British Pacific Fleet. Derby 2 - 5 Sept. Visit to Denby Pottery

"nambucca" wrote in message
...

"backy" wrote in message
om...
My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

Without any drainage from the patio i suspect you would have a muddy pit
in
the winter and if you are contemplating bringing in the amount of topsiol
to
cover 1ft deep that could be just as grim as digging up some of the patio


Having no grass can be an advantage! how about taking up some slabs and
setting them edgeways in to make some raised beds, planting them up. with a
bit of planning it could look quite good and no grass to cut.
To answer your original question I would think turf over slabs would be
unlikely to succeed but maybe someone else knows otherwise :~)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

"backy" wrote in message
om...
My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas?

Not really. You are likely to end up with a bog.

(I hear
decking is out of fashion?!)

For which we are truly thankful.

There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

I laid paving stones over the concrete path along the rear wall of our
house. It works just fine.

Franz

"backy" wrote in message
om...
My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

How about that fake grass you can get? Astroturf kind? Just because green is
better than grey so it might be more pleasant to look at.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Mike wrote:
"backy" wrote in message
om...

My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!


You would need a good depth of soil to turf it and as someone has already
said, that is a 'transport through the house' problem.

I am not a 'plant' gardener, but two ideas come to mind, one a very simple
one. (Depending on the area) Lay a covering of gravel, not pea gravel or it
will be the neighbourhood's cat's toilet. This can be purchased/delivered in
bags which can be walked through the house, then place planters or pots for
plants and colour.

The second idea is a lot more labour intensive and that is to lay a good
thickness of sand, tamp it down and slab over with attractive slabs. You
still have a patio which is attractive and hard wearing. AND the cat won't
use it. This idea I used in part of our back garden last year, but I was
able to get rid of the rough concrete which was there. I had to retain the
original height because of the new patio doors which were fitted.

Mike

--
H.M.S.Collingwood Ass. Llandudno 20 - 23 May Trip to Portmeirion
National Service (RAF) Ass. Cosford 24 - 27 June Lanc Bomber Fly Past
H.M.S.Impregnable Ass. Sussex 1 - 3 July Visit to Int. Fest of the Sea
British Pacific Fleet. Derby 2 - 5 Sept. Visit to Denby Pottery



We have a large paving slab patio in out back garden (20x 12), and we
have put lots of varying sized pots/plants around the edges and in
corners to give colour, and reduce the mass of grey area.
Then when we get the barby out in the summer? and tables and chairs, you
can hardly see the grey floor.

--
Bob H
Leeds UK

On 11/12/04 2:39, in article
, "backy"
wrote:

My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house with
no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I hear
decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back door to the
patio so I have about a foot to play with.
Thank you!

How about paving some of it in an attractive pattern and using large pebbles
on other areas, with some tubs for plants here and there? If you're lucky
enough to find large pieces of driftwood or uprooted bits of tree, they'd
look good, too. Just think - attractive, stylish, up to date and no
mowing!
And yes, decking is on its way out.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 11/12/04 15:20, in article ,
" wrote:

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:19:35 +0000, Sacha
wrote:
snip
And yes, decking is on its way out.

perhaps the increase in driftwood has something to do with decking
being on it's way out on the ebb tide?

I'm trying to imagine roughing up decking to look like interesting bits of
driftwood and all I come up with is an imagination full of splinters....

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

wrote:
On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:27:06 +0000, Sacha
wrote:


On 11/12/04 15:20, in article ,
" wrote:


On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:19:35 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

snip

And yes, decking is on its way out.

perhaps the increase in driftwood has something to do with decking
being on it's way out on the ebb tide?

I'm trying to imagine roughing up decking to look like interesting bits of
driftwood and all I come up with is an imagination full of splinters....


me too :-)

I visualised somebody in Leeds looking for driftwood in the gutter

Hey, it wasn't me you visualised was it?


--
Bob H
Leeds UK

Sand Blast it. The grit takes out the soft wood and leaves a very attractive
pattern in sympathy with the grain

--
H.M.S.Collingwood Ass. Llandudno 20 - 23 May Trip to Portmeirion
National Service (RAF) Ass. Cosford 24 - 27 June Lanc Bomber Fly Past
H.M.S.Impregnable Ass. Sussex 1 - 3 July Visit to Int. Fest of the Sea
British Pacific Fleet. Derby 2 - 5 Sept. Visit to Denby Pottery
"Sacha" wrote in message
k...
On 11/12/04 15:20, in article ,
" wrote:

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:19:35 +0000, Sacha
wrote:
snip
And yes, decking is on its way out.

perhaps the increase in driftwood has something to do with decking
being on it's way out on the ebb tide?

I'm trying to imagine roughing up decking to look like interesting bits of
driftwood and all I come up with is an imagination full of splinters....

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

I visualised somebody in Leeds looking for driftwood in the gutter
--

?
Global Warming?

wrote in message
...
On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 10:07:34 -0000, "Tumbleweed"
wrote:

How about that fake grass you can get? Astroturf kind? Just because green
is
better than grey so it might be more pleasant to look at.

and use a vacuum cleaner NOT a lawn mower.

Well you can use a lawn mower.....but only once

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

backy wrote:
:: My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house
:: with no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
:: feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I
:: hear decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back
:: door to the patio so I have about a foot to play with.
:: Thank you!

Yes, it's perfectly feasable to turf over concrete and I have done it
sucessfully numerous times, all you need to do is provide drainage...hire a
breaker or employ a young person with a sledgehammer and break up the
concrete all over, you want a cracked ice effect if possible or a rubble
effect better still, you don't need to lift the concrete out, cover with an
inch of sand and a few inches of soil and lay turf as normal...it may dry
out quite easily in summer, use a sprinkler or leave a hosepipe running
overnight.

In message , Phil L
writes
backy wrote:
:: My garden looks like a pub car park. I live in a terraced house
:: with no rear access so removing the huge patio would be grim. Is it
:: feasable to turf concrete or does anyone have any other ideas? (I
:: hear decking is out of fashion?!) There is a drop from the back
:: door to the patio so I have about a foot to play with.
:: Thank you!

Yes, it's perfectly feasable to turf over concrete and I have done it
sucessfully numerous times, all you need to do is provide drainage...hire a
breaker or employ a young person with a sledgehammer and break up the
concrete all over, you want a cracked ice effect if possible or a rubble
effect better still, you don't need to lift the concrete out, cover with an
inch of sand and a few inches of soil and lay turf as normal...it may dry
out quite easily in summer, use a sprinkler or leave a hosepipe running
overnight.


Before you start adding top soil check the position of your damp course.
That foot drop may be there for a good reason.
--
hugh
Reply to address is valid at the time of posting