Garage floor = Garden...

Hey all,

Just moved house and have a lovely space at the back which was a garage and small yard. The garage is no more apart from the concrete floor. So we'd really like to dig up the concrete and make a garden - some lawn and some borders probably.

I reckon the digging up of the concrete is do-able with rented equipment but I'm not sure how to even start with 'making' a garden after that. Can anyone offer any advice or point me to any websites/resources that I could refer to? Would I have to dig right down and remove all kinds of stuff, put drainage in and then reconstruct various layers of sub structure etc?? or can I just remove the concrete and refill with soil and then top soil and then turf?

I have a quote from a landscaper to do it all for £1100+VAT so am I barking mad to try and do it myself??

Thanks!
Matt

 

A word of caution..

There's "landscaping and landscaping." What my idea of landscaping might be different to another's, so I'd want a detailed plan and list of what is to be done. For example, a "Mediterranean garden" to me would not be the area covered in gravel with a few rocks planted here and there like a "dog's cemetery." I'm not saying that's what you want, but I've seen such things happen.
It depends how big is the area. A neighbour with a garden admittedly as big as mine, had the garage removed and the base covered with block pavers in a nice pattern; they use this area as a patio with garden furniture with several large pots with acers etc., which makes the area look very attractive, which might be a much cheaper option.

As has been said, removing the base can be a really tough job. It might need more than something like a Kango hammer to break it up. I've used one on a far smaller area and it ain't easy.

 

Thanks for both replies... not sure the exact dimensions I'll measure it at some point but it was a comfortable size double garage. We already have a paved area which was the yard so I definitely want rid of the concrete to have a small lawn and planting area - that was the whole point of taking the garage down. I think we might end up living with it this year so are going down the container route for the moment to brighten it up.

In terms of skip(s) - is there a rough rule of thumb way to estimate likely usage? I'm wondering if one approach might be to hire a breaker one weekend (HSS have a vibration damped breaker for only £40 a weekend) and break up one section. That way I could at least find out how deep the concrete is and what's underneath.

The landscaper who's quoted me has done some work for me already so I'm happy he'll do a reasonable job. But yes good advice I think to get it absolutely nailed down what he's going to do. But the quote is basically just to break up & remove the concrete floor and whatever's underneath, and refill with soil, top soil and lawn turf with a border left round the edge with deeper top soil. My intention was always really to get him in to do a basic job and then worry about doing prettier stuff like shaping the edges of the lawn area etc. Although I think he would probably be ok with helping me come up with a rough design and implement that if it was reasonably simple. One big advantage with him doing it is it is quoted as a fixed price so he is accepting the risk of not knowing what's under there or how deep the concrete is. On the other hand, if it's thinner / better under there than he was expecting I might be able to get his quote down...

One question though is do you need to put any drainage underneath on something this size or will just refilling the big hole with soil be good enough?

Here's a photo. The area extends just about another foot to the right where the garage door finishes.



Thanks!
Matt

 

From what I can see the price doesn't seem too bad, it might need more than a couple of skips to remove the concrete which could equate to half the price.
As for drainage, where would you drain it to? As long as your garden doesn't end up lower then either neighbours, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

I'd willingly pay the £1100 plus VAT.

Sounds like a bargain price.

 

i feel your pain regarding the concrete, my and my girlfriend have just bought our first house and im keen to get stuck into garerning, only problem is the previous owner had a liking for concrete...

so i hired a kango (spelling) from HSS for £40 for the weekend an broke the concrete up, only big problem now is all of the debris in the soil

my plan is to scoop/ spade it out with any soil into a wheel barrow then have one of those trucks with the scoops on a boom come along an take all the rubble away.

the concrete breaking wasnt as bad as what i thought to be honest, the hardest part is the debris afterwards.......get stuck in!!

 

Kango also make an electic hammer of a similar size to the "business end" shown, which doesn't require a compressor.