Help with lawn

Good Morning all,
A while since posted. Current house I have a lawn problem and from my posts in 2019 you can see a huge difference to the lawn which has happened this winter. In the middle the soil is compacted, clay, and water logs heavily as do most of neighbours. Some much worse than mine. This winter particularly has seen a big problem. Lawn Care say they cannot get an Aeriator down the steep steps but it won’t help as I need a soak away. Problem been there is no place to put one that won’t drain into others gardens. It’s a new build so the topsoil or prep is not brilliant ( very Rocky) shallow topsoil. Attached some pictures and by the fence the grass would grow very very well in summer but even that’s died now.
Any suggestions or help .

 

Lift the whole lot and put drainage in at depth with a subsoil content that’s chosen to help drainage, expensive to do sadly.
Lift turf, remove a good 200 to 250mm of soil which is rubbish and replace with a soil content that contains sand, soil and shingle to allow better drainage, cheaper option.
Keep off the grass, promote a yearly feed program to help the grass plant with maybe a hand tine and to dress lightly with a soil/sand mix noting this will raise the height over time but is the cheapest option to keep the turf looking better and is the cheapest option.
Last option, sadly but maybe the way to go is to think about Artificial grass and maybe altering the layout of the garden i.e. the design.

 

Many thanks for the reply. Expensive and a sad outcome after buying a new home. Leaves a sour taste. Yes probably better to just get rid and artificial grass or just pave the lot and move to a house with a garden !

 

The above ideas are beyond my capabilities so would this be a landscape gardener or lawn care company ?

Also had masses of crane fly in summer and birds feeding heavy on larvae over winter

 

My advice is find a good landscape company that can look first hand to double check your findings and can offer ideas.
The only landerscapers I recommend are Marshall installers Marshall Landscapes, Marshalls Accredited UK Garden & Driveway Installers | Marshalls

they might not be the cheapest but the work is guaranteed and is of a high standard not only what you can see but what you can’t see.

my suggestions come from your first post but it could be that the situation or findings can change with an on site view so it’s worth getting a second or third opinion.

 

If you want to control the crane fly larvae then consider this:Nemasys Leatherjacket Killer 100 sqm - Green Gardener
They offer a number of options for this product.
I haven't used it as I don't mind crane flies or birds/badgers digging the larvae up, but then I have more of tussocky rough grass patch than a lawn.

 

Hi, just an observation. I live in a Warwickshire village and many of the lawns on our estate have been suffering from chafer grub infestations. A couple of the photos you've posted look similar to my neighbours lawn that I have been helping him with to deal with them. The lawns appearance is made worse from the attention of the local jackdaws and a few magpies pecking away at the grass to get at the grubs. When we raked back some of the affected turf we found hundreds (no exaggeration) of the grubs just below the surface. So if you do get a specialist in to look at your problems perhaps bear this in mind also.

Blackstart

 

Unfortunately no one accredited in my area but appreciate the link

 

There's a lot of videos on YouTube that might help you with what you need to do to landscape it.

 

I've used nematodes in the past. They certainly worked - the crane flies weren't around in anything like the same numbers the year after.