Turfing or artificial turf on new estate bad drainage

Hello,Been asked to quote to turf on a brand new housing estate customer moved in last Friday it's built on an old open mine. Here's where it goes down hill recently had a lot of torrential showers over last three days. I walked to the back of the garden and sank a good half a foot my foot got stuck. So I dug down 1 and half foot and hit what seems like tailings from slate that has become like sludge and hard no water is deaining through it. Any suggestions would be great to help drainage and which would be better to use grass or artificial customer would like artificial as they have dogs.[IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/beasty2/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpshql6txpp.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/beasty2/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpshql6txpp.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/beasty2/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsypwjx0pt.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/beasty2/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsgtbram9z.jpg[/IMG]

Mitchel, artificial grass has some maintenance advantages over the real stuff but it does not have magical properties. It will not prevent pooling if the subsurface is as described.

A couple of things you cold possibly try:

See if you can get through the compacted slate with a crowbar (these days it seems it is called a wrecking bar, I'm talking about a straight one, 4, 5 or 6 ft long with a point on one end). If you can do that and make a hole a few inches round in four or five spots across the garden, problem solved.

See if you can get three or four feet down in just one spot. If so, google "soakaway". Easy to construct, again problem solved.

Real or artificial grass? The dogs will dig it up whichever and artificial is comparatively expensive both to lay and to repair. The best way is to train them to use a specific part of the garden and leave them to that part. Turf or seed the rest. With drainage sorted and dogs trained they can have a nice, real, lawn.

This is work, Mitchel. Don't do it for nothing. Do not underprice. Call for help if needed.

Replies

Freshscaped August 28, 2015 at 9:24pm

Mitchel, artificial grass has some maintenance advantages over the real stuff but it does not have magical properties. It will not prevent pooling if the subsurface is as described.

A couple of things you cold possibly try:

See if you can get through the compacted slate with a crowbar (these days it seems it is called a wrecking bar, I'm talking about a straight one, 4, 5 or 6 ft long with a point on one end). If you can do that and make a hole a few inches round in four or five spots across the garden, problem solved.

See if you can get three or four feet down in just one spot. If so, google "soakaway". Easy to construct, again problem solved.

Real or artificial grass? The dogs will dig it up whichever and artificial is comparatively expensive both to lay and to repair. The best way is to train them to use a specific part of the garden and leave them to that part. Turf or seed the rest. With drainage sorted and dogs trained they can have a nice, real, lawn.

This is work, Mitchel. Don't do it for nothing. Do not underprice. Call for help if needed.
- Mitchel ingham > Freshscaped August 28, 2015 at 10:15pm
  
  After doing research have found the site was open cast in the last 10 years nice. Check out the below info on the area I'm sure it's gonna be easy to grow stuff round there
  
  In 1995, British Coal Opencast gained permission to restore the tip, which reputedly contained over 12 million tonnes of spoil, and make the land fit for rebuilding. This work included the recovery of coal, from the tip and sub-surface, by opencasting. On 30 November 2005, the last coal was removed from the Orgreave site, bringing an end to an era which began over 170 years before.
  
  The River Rother, dubbed one of the country’s most polluted, was re-routed over a stretch of almost ¾ mile and, in conjunction with the closure of the Coalite and Chemicals plant at Bolsover, cleaned – up. The area is now rich in wildlife.
  - Freshscaped > Mitchel ingham August 28, 2015 at 10:24pm
    
    it's gonna be easy to grow stuff round there
    
    Hmmm. Provided "stuff" doesn't drown. Sounds as though it should be easy enough to poke a few holes through the compacted slate though. Go for it.
    - Geoff Norfolk > Freshscaped August 30, 2015 at 11:46am
      
      Can't honestly see that working in the long-term....... the "holes" will very quickly become blocked. As Paul suggests..... go back to the developer though I can't imagine they'd be too interested in a waterlogged lawn unfortunately.
      - Paul McNulty > Geoff Norfolk August 30, 2015 at 12:06pm
        
        From memory the NHBC warranty does cover a certain area outside the propert but I can't remember the exact terms. Worth looking in to though.
        
        Mitchel ingham > Paul McNulty August 31, 2015 at 1:55pm
        
        It's 3 meters already found that out
Graeme @ BGS August 29, 2015 at 8:06pm

I wouldn't recommend using artificial grass unless you are 100% certain that all drainage issues had been correctly addressed. I don't care what anyone says, if you don't have free flowing drainage the dog pee will soon collect and smell!! At least with real grass, it will be more forgiving with you get the odd pocket that's dodgy and can be more simply addressed.
Paul McNulty August 29, 2015 at 9:50pm

New build? Back to the developers under NHBC and don't try to do anything until they've been given the chance to rectify it.

If it's affecting all the houses the owners should be grouping together.
- Freshscaped > Paul McNulty August 30, 2015 at 10:45am
  
  Full points for observation, Paul. You should at least mention this to your client, Mitchel.
Harvey Keates November 9, 2015 at 11:54am

You could try laying some CORE drainage cells in, which will create voids underneath the turf for water to run off?