Laying turf over an existing lawn

[Four Cofffee]

Can you do this?

I guess you have to kill off or heavily cut & rake the existig turf before adding a bit of top soil and laying new turf?

The existing lawn is full of patches which won't re-seed and mainly ryegrass.

[Engineer1]

You really need to prepare the soil surface for turfing as the turf needs to root into the soil below, so laying over existing grass will probably just result in dead turf.

[Simpo Two]

Either rotovate it into 'field mode', or slice off the old turf and either lay it upside down or dispose of it.

[Wacky Racer]

Can't see a problem, as long as the old grass is reasonably level.

Many builders of new builds lay directly on top of ash....and you can't get anything much more dead than that........

[Simpo Two]

Which is a very good reason not to copy it... builders do bricks and mortar, not green things

[Engineer1]

Wacky Racer said:

Can't see a problem, as long as the old grass is reasonably level.

Many builders of new builds lay directly on top of ash....and you can't get anything much more dead than that........

Just remember though that the builders just want green grass round the house if it dies after the buyer moves in then that's not their problem, you are better off preparing the soil levelling it etc as it makes lawn maintenance easier if the mower hasn't got to cope with dips and hollows.

[Four Cofffee]

Someone suggested that heavily scarifying the old lawn to break the surface, coupled with a few inches of new top soil might work?

Has anybody paid to have a lawn taken up and relaid and what was the rough cost per square meter?

[jeff m]

I did it once while regrading for run off/drainage.
It was convenient at the time as the sodded area was infront of somwhere I need access to. I then graded upto it and seeded that.(with the same seed)
Fescue if that makes a difference
Still good, many years later.

[Don]

I your lawn is patchy and a mess it's likely due to what is under it. We bought a new build and the absolute ste underneath the turf was unbelievable:

Rubble,
Broken roof tiles,
Huge flints, lumps of chalk,

all mixed up with minimum possible topsoil then turfed.

To fix it we had it dug out, decent quality topsoil laid to a reasonable depth, and returfed.

Then water it, water it, water it, water it. Feed it, water it, water it etc.

It did come up very nicely.

[Don]

Four Cofffee said:

Has anybody paid to have a lawn taken up and relaid and what was the rough cost per square meter?

Yes. Can't remember exactly I will ask the Mrs tonight. A few hundred quid for a 15x10 metre lawn IIRC. You could do it yourself reasonably cheaply, mind.

[dave_s13]

And don't let your dog pi$$ on it.

My new lawn is now fvcked, after only 12months.

House is sold now though

[Four Cofffee]

dave_s13 said:

And don't let your dog pi$$ on it.

My new lawn is now fvcked, after only 12months.

House is sold now though

I think that dog pee has been one of the issues. My daughter has two labs and has been having a gardener come in and mow it, although the reseeding he did never took due in part I think to the regular doggy urine showers and it has never looked good with the rye grass clumps.. It seems like the dogs pee in one place but insist on a grassy landing for it. It could well be they have to returf that urine infested square yard ever year. They did think about this pet friend;t astro turf but I fear if she sells to a family in future, having no grass at all and a 10 x 10 astroturf lawn may put them off.