Case study: Artificial grass for a young family in Hindley.
Defrim and his wife had just welcomed their first child. The rear garden -- inherited from the previous owner -- had been left to revert. By the time we surveyed it, the original turf had become a mound of rubble and weeds. Defrim wanted it turned into a safe, child-frien...
Project at a glance Verified Wolsten build
- Property type
- Family garden -- Hindley
- Time on site
- 3 days
- Pile height
- 20mm artificial turf
- Subbase
- MOT type-1, whacker-compacted
- Surrounds
- Treated timber perimeter
- Finish
- Kiln-dried sand top-dress
- Customer
- Defrim (repeat)
Why Defrim called us.
Defrim and his wife had just welcomed their first child. The rear garden -- inherited from the previous owner -- had been left to revert. By the time we surveyed it, the original turf had become a mound of rubble and weeds. Defrim wanted it turned into a safe, child-friendly lawn area the family could actually use.
Quoted for a 3-day job. We finished very late on the last day to make sure the family could start using it that weekend.
What we did.
Rescue-grade dig out before a standard install -- the most useful work happened on Day 1.
The build sequence:
- Levelled the entire garden using clean fill brought through from the front garden -- the rear was significantly lower than the surround
- Stripped the remaining rubble, weeds and broken turf
- Laid timber surrounds around the perimeter
- Laid MOT type-1 subbase, whacker-plate compacted
- Bedded with kiln-dried sand
- Rolled out the 20mm artificial grass
- Joined the pieces with jointing tape + adhesive
- Pinned, brushed, kiln-sand top-dressed
- Stayed late on Day 3 to finish the brushing so the family could use it from Day 4
Defrim went from a mound-of-rubble back garden to a level, vibrant, child-safe lawn in 3 days. He later came back to us for his Preston flagging job.
The whole project, in four shots.
Real photos from the actual Hindley job.
Mound of rubble. Garden left to revert by previous owner.
Day 1: levelled with clean fill from the front garden, ready for the subbase.
Day 2: MOT compacted with whacker plate, timber surrounds set, grass rolling out.
Finished at 9:28pm on Day 2. Child-safe lawn ready for the weekend.What Defrim said.
They worked so hard, and finished very late on the last day to get it all finished for me. I recommend them for all gardening works.
Defrim is one of our favourite kinds of customer -- a repeat. We later did his Preston flagging job and he's recommended us to friends and family since.
Every detail of the Hindley build.
The full set of photos taken throughout the project.
For the discerning homeowner.
What we actually built into this install.
Levelling with fill from the front garden -- the resourceful move
The rear garden was lower than the surround by enough that a standard install wouldn't have given a level finish. Instead of bringing in extra MOT (expensive), we used clean fill from the front garden -- which Defrim had asked us to flatten anyway -- to bring the rear up to the right datum. Same result, half the material cost.
Why we stayed late on the last day
Defrim had family arriving the next morning. We finished the kiln-sand top-dress and brush at dusk rather than telling him "come back tomorrow". Worth mentioning because it's the kind of finish-the-job detail that turns a one-off customer into a repeat -- which Defrim went on to be.
Repeat customers earn priority on our diary
Defrim later came back to us for a flagging job in Preston. Repeat customers like him are the strongest validation any builder gets. We always slot a repeat back in ahead of a cold quote.
Three founders, plus extended crew when the job calls for it.
Liam, Ryan and Paul on every job. Where the work needs more hands, we bring in trusted regulars.
Liam
Surveyed and quoted. Supervised the build on site.
Ryan
Time-served bricklayer and AG install lead.
Paul
Cut the timber surrounds and handled the finish detail.
Hindley
Hindley is well covered by our North West service area. We install artificial grass right across Wigan -- usually within 30 minutes drive of our Westhoughton base.
Questions homeowners ask about AG installs like this.
How long does an artificial grass install take?
This Hindley job took 3 days. Most North West AG installs run 2-4 days depending on garden size and ground conditions. Drainage rescues (like Lisa's Westhoughton job) can add a day for French drain installation.
Will the joins between rolls be visible?
Not if they're done right. We use proper jointing tape + adhesive and match the pile direction across the seam. From a metre away the joins are invisible.
What's the lifespan of a properly-installed artificial grass lawn?
8-12 years on a properly compacted MOT subbase. The variables are pile quality, subbase compaction, and whether the perimeter is properly bordered. Lawns where installers cheap out on subbase often need replacing within 3-4 years -- which is why we never cut that corner.
Do I need to do any maintenance on artificial grass?
Very little. Brush the pile occasionally to keep it standing upright, top up the kiln-dried sand every 2-3 years, and rinse it off after the dog. That's it. Compared to a real lawn (mowing, feeding, edging, reseeding), the time saving is huge.
Do I need planning permission for artificial grass?
Almost never for a rear garden. Front-garden non-permeable surfacing over 5m² CAN trigger planning, but rear gardens fall under permitted development.
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