Monoblocking over a garden... who would do it and how the hell do you get rid of it and re-instate the lawn?!

[LeSingeEstDansLarbre]

house we're looking at, i can't believe the council lets people do that... strangely enough they've not had an offer in a year.

What is monoblocking? Have they just paved the whole garden? We had a rented house where it was paved and shingled - great and very low maintenance, can imagine it wouldn't look good in a large garden though.

monoblocking is that weirdy cobbled effect, i have no idea how they do it.

Isn't it like patterned concrete? Would be good for a drive but the whole garden?

I suspect you would need to pay someone to remove it and lay new soil etc.

THE WHOLE GARDEN. it's unbelievable, front and back. quite upsetting, actually, if i was their neighbour i'd have been livid.

I imagine they did it so they didn't have to mow it all the time?

Still, bizarre.

I think its just like having to remove concrete. Hardwork. I would think you would have to pay someone with pheumatic tools to do that job.

it's an absolute disgrace, tbh, a hundred year old garden wiped out. people and their bloody cars, more important than grass i guess.

i'm just curious if anyone has an idea of how to restore it, though. i think there's a lot of sand underneath.

I would imagine you get a man with a digger and he digs the whole lot out, sticks a few tonnes of soil in the gaping holes left and then puts turf on top, which you then put a sprinkler on loads for the next 2-3 weeks. I think it's a question of whether you can get the digger into the space and additionally whether you can lay your hands on the required amount of cash.

I've been vaguely looking into this as we want to get rid of a former cow yard or something, and I agree with yellowcircle. Apparently it should be around a day's work for someone with a digger.

Don't forget that you have to arrange for the concrete to be disposed of as well.

On the other hand, I'm now thinking of keeping some of our concrete, putting a greenhouse on some of it, and paving over some of the rest with something more attractive. Is it worth keeping some of yours, even if just for a greenhouse / shed etc?

how much does it cost, do you think, to get the guy with the digger?

Monoblocks should be able to be taken up individually and you could probably sell them on. They are expensive to buy.

Normally would be a bed of sand underneath and possibly hardcore beneath that. Dig down under a couple to see.

You could keep some to use as pathways in your garden etc - they can be relaid quite easily.

You may get someone to remove them and take them in payment?

ooooooh, really? do you mind me asking how you know all this stuff?