What to do with monoblock?

[Violet4528]

The previous owner of my house monoblocked the full back garden. It needs constant cleaning and I would love to put down turf instead. It will expensive to lift all the bricks and put down turf so I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what I could do in the meantime? All I can think of is more plants in pots. The small patch at the back is fake grass. Thanks in advance.

 

[DirtMechanic]

This will sound odd but those blocks will keep soil moist in dry times. You could use mortar and lift blocks for beds and use the lifted blocks for mortared curbs or edging in a raised bed way to ensure good drainage.

 

[Jewell]

Here’s the randomness of my thoughts.

I’d start with removing the fake grass and planting there first since you desire turf. You might find you can raise the bricks at the edges to slowly enlarge that area yourself making the project much less expensive. It would also let you know what kind of soil you will be dealing with, give time to consider uses for the bricks if you want to reuse, garden plans for the future. I can guarantee that turf will be a lot more work than cleaning the pavers if maintenance is your main concern.

I would also live with the brick patio and see how I use the area. If you barbecue and eat outside a lot having a solid surface is really nice. We enlarged our paver area to avoid muddy areas where turf just wasn’t practical because of heavy use. Depending on the micro environment of the space you will also learn if you will want a shade structure. We ended up putting a cover over our barbecue area for protection from rain as well as sun And included a fire pit.