Am I deluded?!

[TwinklyGoldReader]

So we have recently purchased a new home, but the garden has been looooong neglected.

The entire thing is slabbed/paved and across two levels. Are we deluded in thinking we can just dig up the paving and knock down the wall then buy a load of soil to level it out?

Will there just be gravel/sand/soil beneath the paving or are we going to be faced with solid concrete?

Please take pity on someone who is will out of their depth and advise 😂

There should be at least sand and a sort of fine rubble aggregate under the paving, or possibly concrete. Hard to know without lifting. Don't give up! We put a man on the moon! You can restore your garden.

I’d live with it for a few months and concentrate on inside jobs, gardens always look their worst in the winter . It needs a good tidy, prune the bushes and a jet wash . Once you know how you are going to use the Garden start designing it . I love the Houzz app and used someone’s garden as a template to design my own . It’s fabulous and so pleased with it , if it had been left up to me it would have just been a muddy mess .

You can certainly lift the slabs/walls. I'd fully expect to find soil under the raised level. You could find concrete under the slabs but that can be lifted so you can start afresh.

Thank you so much, there's a glimmer of hope then 😂

Ooo I'll check that out for inspiration!

I'd leave the wall and higher area for a table and chairs and pullup the slabs.

This would have been ideal, but the walled area is quite large (around two thirds of the garden) and we'd prefer a bigger lawn for DS :(

I’d leave the area closer to the house as a patio and then lift the slabs n the other area. Keep the wall to define the areas.

Having just see your update keep the smaller area as a patio and grass the other area.

Ditto, lift a couple of slabs and see what's underneath.
Having a raised area in a garden adds interest - if you were thinking of having a pond or rivulet you'd have a ready made bit of height for a gentle waterfall.

The slabs look very straight and in good order so look as if they have been properly laid. You won't know until you lift one. It might be your best bet to get in someone with a mini digger if there is a lot of hard stuff to get rid of.

Like PPs I would keep the raised bit and reuse the pots that are there.

Gosh, don't destroy that brick raised area.

The brick area is lovely, what a shame to remove all or even any of it. However it is your garden to be used as you see fit!
Do wait till next autumn to see how the sun hits the garden. You probably will not be sunning on the lower section though; the pavement is covered in moss so you will never get grass to grow there. Take your time and plan carefully!

definitely keep the brick area. It would be expensive to install something like that and it's nice. You could maybe remove a few rows of bricks from along the walled edge to create a border for planting. Then remove the slabs for a lawned section. I really wouldn't knock out a whole raised patio for a DC who will actually play just as happily on a patio as on lawn (in many cases its better given how much rain (=mud) we get)

If you’ve just moved in then this year I would just give it all a good clean and tidy. I’d see what plants came up if there are any borders. I would put lots of pots and colourful flowers out there this year. As others have said, see how much sun the garden gets and where. The raised area may be the sunny spot where you’d like a table or sunbed. Children generally like different levels for playing with their cars and dinosaurs etc. Depending on your child’s age a mud kitchen can work well on slabs as it is easier to sweep and clean.

I would be keeping that raised area.

Are they a toddler or older, I would have a table and chairs and if they are small a covered sandpit on that area.

Don't get rid of the wall/raised area, that'll be there for a reason! If you take it down you could end up with a slope or issues with flooding.

I'd leave it for now and then reevaluate in a few months.

Thank you everyone for your advice! I was hoping removing the raised area wouldn't be an issue as it's not a significant height, but now I'm not sure.

We would definitely like a larger lawn though, fingers crossed we can find a landscaper to give us more insight!

Other than the child playing, is there another reason you want a larger lawn? They are so eco-unfriendly.

Are there nearby parks or greens? Could you put a covered sandpit on the flagstone as a temp play area?

As well as patio furniture you could put a raised bed on the brick area which would be a lovely thing for teaching a little one about growing food and flowers. They love it.