Returf Prep work getting worse

[Matt42]

Hi,

I want to returf this area at the top of my garden so I have ripped out the decking and started digging over but found this 'thing' in the way, is it old foundations? A roman building? Anyway, it's almost the same level as the grass in the rest of the garden so I can't turf over it, do I need a man with a pneumatic drill now? I thought this would be a 10 min job to dig over.

Thanks

 

[Mursal]

Or knock the top off it with a sledge hammer, a few stepping stones/flags over to that pot would cover a multitude.
And jeep in mind, grass doesn't need much topsoil to grow.

Its the journey, not the destination ..........

 

[Matt42]

2 more questions then, would a sledgehammer definitely do that as will pop out now to buy, my mate says i need a sds drill with hammer action, whatever that is and secondly, more importantly as well, our lawn is not so level after the previous returf 5 years ago and dips in places. Would these dips be caused by more concrete 'things' under the lawn, i remember the rotavator guy saying he hit concrete in a few places. So what i am getting to albeit slowly is if i just bash it down a bit would the new grass sink or rise a bit where this thing lies underneath? Does that make sense?

 

[Mursal]

Not "to bash it down" but break a bit off the top, if you can. But don't go buying a hammer especially, get a lend or hire one in. A drill will make life easier as your mate says. A bit of Health and Safety might be good, so use hard footwear and eye protection and Weetabix for energy!!

Probably will settle to different levels, just pack all the topsoil down well, before reseeding. But, there isn't much you can do, is there?

 

[Matt42]

Sorry my 'bash it down' comment mean't taking the top layer off but if it means the turf settling at different levels then I'll take the lot out with SDS drill I reckon, there's a travis perkins in town.

I wondered if the concrete is in various places under the lawn like this block causing distortions in the level of the grass, would it do that?

 

[b3taman]

Not too clear from the pics, but are you sure that this isn't a layer of protective concrete laid over a soil pipe ?

 

[Matt42]

Dont say that. I had convinced myself it's a old rockery boundary... Its very circular so suggests a old pattern thing going on in the garden. I'll dig away all the earth before I start smashing it up..

 

[Matt42]

Or do you mean inside that concrete, getting worried now... but it seems circular so wouldn't be a pipe inside that concrete would there?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wondered if the concrete is in various places under the lawn like this block causing distortions in the level of the grass, would it do that?

Ever seen those historical/archeological programmes on TV where from the air they can spot the outlines of buildings and fields etc several hundred years old when the sun is low?

 

[Matt42]

20 quid sledgerhammer from Wickes. Smashed it to bits in half hour, nothing but an ornamental thing. Some jobs give you unecessary worry