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Lawn under threat - any advice please?

Posted by Eugene Baston on March 13, 2013 at 8:00pm

Hi Everyone

I have a client who has just called with a bit of a crisis and I'm hoping for some very quick suggestions and ideas since the crisis will commence tomorrow from 9 ish.

The scenario is this: I laid a new front lawn in December and tomorrow morning the chimney guys arrive to work on the chimney breasts! They have been dissuaded from using a cherry picker to access the stack (result!) but because of gravity will use ladders instead. Oh oh!

I will be there when they arrive, I have an assortment of firm boards (unlike the plywood they intend to use) and a variety of other timbers, some that can cross the area to support boards if necessary.

Is this all I can do, i.e lay sufficient boards for working area? Cross timbers? Cloth sheets beneath? Plus at 8am tomorrow the sward will still be frozen......

Any suggestions really, really welcome please. The front garden turf looks fantastic and I want it to stay that way!

Thanks, Eugene

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  • PRO
    Gary RK March 13, 2013 at 8:10pm

    I would say you are on the right track, but use the largest & thickest (ie 25mm +) board you can - like sheets of 8*4 blockboard or something (WBP Ply would be best / reusable but expensive).

    You need to spread the weight over the largest possible area to ensure no indentations. The sward will compress but should pick up quickly (esp with growth due).

    Biggest concern will be if the sward is still frozen. This will damage the grass in short to medium term.

    Can you delay until the ears has had Sun for a least a few hours ?

  • Kieran Ray March 13, 2013 at 8:13pm
    Just board it out with 18mm ply. Unfortunaletly there is nothing you can do about the grass being frozen, but it will recover. 18mm ply protects grass etc even if you run vehicles etc. Over it!
  • Eugene Baston March 13, 2013 at 8:31pm

    Thanks Gary & Kieran

    Gary - I'm in the chimney guy's hands and while the client has told them no cherry picker (and probably reduced the quote at the same time!) I can't put off what's happening tomorrow.

    Kieran - I've got the boards, around 5 sqm available, what more do they need, other than foot access boards? Nothing in my mind to do a good job on the chimeny and be out of the garden pronto!

    But is there any value in soft linen sheets beneath the boards perhaps? Or something else to alleviate the frost effect?

    Cheers, Eugene

  • Thermo March 13, 2013 at 9:35pm

    boards should be more than enough

  • CJ March 13, 2013 at 11:37pm

    why not use ply with runner boards underneath so the weight is only directed to to the runner boards instead of lying flat on entire lawn surface.

  • Colin Hunt March 14, 2013 at 6:31am

    8 x 4's will spread the load and be fine as long as they are not there too long. If you cant cover the whole lawn, then tape off the rest - you know what builders are like!

  • Sean Busby March 14, 2013 at 8:22am
    Get your blower out and de frost the lawn as thoroughly as you can before they turn up, then board it out as others have suggested.
  • Eugene Baston March 14, 2013 at 8:35am
    Sean...just what I've finished doing! Thanks. The sun has got to work quite well actually and the sward looks greener rather than whiter over 80% of the turf.
    Now a waiting game until they turn up - laggards!!
    Cheers, Eugene
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