Ground Grid, Dynogrid etc etc - anyone used this?

Thanks, we're really pleased with it!!! Thanks for your help and advice along the way, it's really been invaluable!!!

By far the worst part was the digging out and if I was going to do anything like it again I would definitely hire either a digger or a man and a digger as it would probably only take a morning to get it all dug out rather than the huge amout of time it took to do it manually - partially due to the soil be so hard and compacted from the previous owners having parked cars on it.

The framing wasn't too bad, the aggregate spreading and compacting was actuallly good fun (the scalpings had a stange but quite pleasant smell to it which was nice after the horrible dirt and cat poo smells we had been working with previously!! :)

Laying the grid was actually really simple and apart from a couple of bits at the very edge where we hadn't managed to get the aggregate compacted quite so well it laid nicely as the base was nice and flat.

This was by far the biggest diy type job I have ever undertaken and to have completed it and have it looking pretty good is very satisfying. I can't wait for the grass to grow and to get the borders dug and planted up.

The soil has settled in the grid a bit but I'm happy with that as it means the main base of the grass will be below the surface of the grid so mowing shouldn't damage it.
 
Will do re the closer shot, I'll try to do it this evening if I get a chance. In the mean time, here is one of the above pics with te location of the drain cover roughly marked:

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I'd suggest having a dig about to see just how deep the cover is and have a measure to see what sort of height you have from the top of the bricks it is sat on to the level of the lawn.

You could do the same as I have done and set in a new recessed drain cover, with one of those in place you could fill it with soil and grow grass so it matches in with the lawn but maintains the access.

You might have to do as I did and alter the mounting height by removing/adding a coarse of bricks but it really is simple!!! :)
 
Nightglow said:
Recessed cover perfect solution, as I suggested drill a few holes in it for drainage & line it with a piece of geotextile before adding the soil.
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Yep, that's exactly what I did, as you suggested, and all seems well thus far! :)

Little_Crow said:
Our lawn is as pockmarked as a teenagers face, I'd guess there is a good 2 inches height difference in places so it's going to take a lot of work over the autumn\winter to sort.
I followed your thread before the latest pics interested in how you were going to deal with the manhole cover conundrum, and the latest pictures have convinced me how good our lawn could look.

Once upon a time I was excited by plastic vehicles that turned into robots, now I get keyed up by man hole covers, damn I've got old (To be fair though, Transformers are still awesome).
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I have to say I'm really pleased with how the manhole cover went. I wasn't sure what to do with it until the chap next door who works for a construction firm suggested dripping it a bit and resetting the cover. Initially I thought it would be really difficult but actually it just took some research, lots of question asking (Nightglow has helped me hugely with this project!) and some patience andit turned out to be pretty simple and very effective.

I know what you mean not too long ago I was excited by putting together a new pc purely for BF3, now I'm reading up on alll sorts of power tools, researching how different diy projects can be tackled and putting together a christmas list which mainly involves power tools and diy kit....

That said I'm on the brink of ordering BF4 as well so there is still some hope for me!!! ;)
 
I've been reading all about the Ryobi one + system and all the different tools you can get and I have to say Im' really tempted. Even tempted by the hedge trimmer and we don't have any hedges anywhere!!! :)

Also looking at what tools I'll need when it comes to building some decking which is going to be a long, long way off as it's going to cost an awful lot and no way can I afford it for quite some time!!!
 
As promised here's a pic of the drain cover.

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We were initially going to put grid right up to the edge of it but it would have taken a lot of work to cut it to match the flanged mortar holding the cover in place, and then the grid would have been very shallow and nor very strong so we figured it would be better to fill with soil which we will gradually fill and refill as it compacts down and the grass is growing.
 
A few weeks have passed now, and after a slow start whereby it looked like none of the grass was growing, we finally saw a single blade of grass. Since then the weather has been basically perfect for growing grass, I have literally been able to see the difference every morning when I've woken up and everyday when I've got home from work!!!

Anyway, this is how it is now looking:

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Although the front edge of grass area nearest the camera looks like it's not doing very well infact it's doing just as well as the rest but the angle I've taken the photo from is pretty much the same angle the grass is growing at as the evening sun comes from that direction, so the blades are pointing right at the camera, thus making it look bare...

We still need to get out and tidy up and dig over the borders but we've been so busy of late we haven't had a minute to do it at the weekends and with the evenings drawing in there's not really an opportunity during the week by the time the little boy has gone to sleep.
 
Thanks, it is very satisfying to know we did all the work ourselves and it's looking good. When I get home from work and reverse up the drive, it's really nice to now see a lovely neat green area in my mirror where is used to be messy with horrible paving slabs sunk into to it, then it became just a muddy area for a couple of months.

At present there aren't really any bald patches, with the exception of one single square of grid which so far is not showing any signs of growth. I will take a pic from the reverse angle this eening if I get a chance as it show better how it is doing.

I really need to get out and dig the borders but the weather is not looking very good at the mo so it's not a thrilling prospect at the moment. I have however used some wilkos own brand glyphosate which has been pretty effective in killing most of the plants off so I will get the digging done soon and leave the dying plants in the soil to break down. I'll also give it a bit of treatment with gromore or something to make sure it's got good amounts of nutrients for the plants we eventually put in there.

I'm contemplating covering the borders with black plastic over the winter in an attempt to kill off/prevent any potential weeds etc so come the spring the beds are nice for planting up...


The only disappointing part of the project is that we just can't afford to get the fencing done that we'd like at the moment as that would really finish it off nicely!!
 
A few weeks on and on Sunday I gave the grass its first cut.

I'm really pleased with the it, looks like a beautiful lawn!

I've also put plastic down over the borders to help kill off any weeds etc then in the spring I'll fertilise it and plant it up and it should look lovely.

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Thanks really pleased with it, as you say the manhole cover is completely hidden but there if we need it.

The neighbours can ask but they'll definitely get a "no" in response!!! :) lol
 
Here you go, a pic taken in September.

To be honest it got a little neglected since it was finished as personal circumstances have left me not really feeling like wanting to do any work on the place but every now and then I've managed to do a little but here and there. This was taken just after putting membrane and gravel down on the beds by the house and by the pavement.

The lawn is looking a bit patchy as it also got a bit neglected in the hot weather (the drain cover in particular suffered as there is not much soil in there but in the spring I will over seed and feed and it won't take long before it's looking nice again.

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(the white in the corner by the drain is the end of the membrane I've put down, I ran out of gravel...lol. It has since been covered and looks much better...lol)
 
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It's great! Saturday I had my parents over to help build a side gate. Friday it was raining all afternoon and over night, and it was fine to park both my car and my parents car on the grass without any damage to the lawn which left the driveway clear to put up a gazebo to work under to keep out of the rain! :)
 
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