Dig up concrete drive or cover with artificial lawn

[ohjonsnow]

We are about to renovate our garden. It is medium sized and we don't have a very big budget. We need to sort landscaping and planting. Have a large area of redundant driveway that we want to use as garden. We don't have a huge budget and worried that digging up and re-laying lawn will cost most of budget. Artificial lawn has been suggested but I hate things that look fake so would need to go for one the of the really good ones. Anyone got any experience with costs to dig up a driveway (per sqm) or with artificial lawn installation/use? Thanks

[Possumfish]

I'd personally dig it up. And I'm yet to see an artificial lawn that actually looks real. They look nice, but you can tell they are fake! Also digging it up is much better for nature etc. We dug up a section of concrete on our previous home and hired/borrowed the tools and did it ourselves rather than pay someone to do it, worked out much cheaper!

[whiskyowl]

Do it yourself! I've removed 4 x 8 tonne skips of concrete from my garden, using nothing more than a mattock - and some of it was a foot thick. If you tackle a bit a day in the summer after work, you can get through it. Make sure you get rid of all the sub-base as well as the concrete, then get a huge bulk order of compost and topsoil and dig it in.

[whiskyowl]

Oh, and I second what possum says - real plants are infinitely nicer than artificial turf.

[ohjonsnow]

can't diy I'm afraid as I have back issues - wouldn't even get a few hours in without being laid up, hence need an idea of cost.

[SadClown]

Could you lay paving sand on the top and use it as a patio? Or just do that to part of it to cut costs/work.

[Geneticsbunny]

The cost depends on where in the country you are and how big the drive is.