Case study: Artificial grass installation in Westhoughton.
Lisa called us in for a rear garden transformation. The brief was simple: low-maintenance, hard-wearing and good-looking all year round. Her existing turf had been a recurring headache -- the garden was swampy and retained water during wet spells, so before we could even think ab...
Project at a glance Verified Wolsten build
- Property type
- Family garden -- Westhoughton
- Time on site
- 4 days
- Pile height
- 20mm artificial turf
- Subbase
- MOT type-1, whacker-compacted
- Surrounds
- Treated timber perimeter
- Finish
- Kiln-dried sand top-dress
- Customer
- Lisa
Why Lisa called us.
Lisa called us in for a rear garden transformation. The brief was simple: low-maintenance, hard-wearing and good-looking all year round. Her existing turf had been a recurring headache -- the garden was swampy and retained water during wet spells, so before we could even think about laying artificial grass we'd need to fix the underlying drainage.
Quoted for a 4-day job. Three of us on site -- Josh, Kieran and Bradley led the install with Liam supervising.
What we did.
Day-one priority was fixing the drainage problem before any turf went down.
The build sequence:
- Dug up and removed all of the old turf
- Laid 3" x 2" timber surrounds as the perimeter for the new artificial grass
- Removed several inches of soil because the ground was holding too much water
- Installed 3 French drains running across the lower half of the garden -- the swampy patch was where they were most needed
- Laid 9 tons of MOT type-1 -- substantially more than a standard install -- and 4 tons of sand as the bedding layer
- Whacker-plate compacted across the full footprint
- Rolled out the 20mm artificial turf, three pieces, and joined them invisibly
- Pinned the perimeter, brushed and kiln-dried sand top-dress
Result: a swampy mud-pit replaced with a vibrant, low-maintenance lawn that drains properly even in heavy rain. Four days, three crew.
The whole project, in four shots.
Real photos from the actual Westhoughton job.
The garden as found. Swampy, patchy turf, no usable lawn.
Day 1: stripped back to a flat sub-grade. French drains going in.
Days 2-3: 9 tons of MOT + 4 tons of sand whacker-compacted. Grass rolling out.
Day 4 finish: 20mm artificial turf, three pieces joined invisibly, kiln-dried sand brushed in.What Lisa said.
I'm amazed at what has been achieved. Josh, Kieran and Bradley just never stopped working. I have passed on Wolsten's details to friends and family.
Every detail of the Westhoughton build.
The full set of photos taken throughout the project.
For the discerning homeowner.
What we actually built into this install.
French drains -- the right call for a swampy garden
Standard AG installs use MOT subbase + sand bedding and rely on the porosity of those materials to handle rainwater. That doesn't work when the underlying ground is already saturated. For Lisa's garden we added 3 French drains -- perforated pipes set in gravel-filled trenches running across the lowest part of the footprint -- so surface water actually has somewhere to go before it hits the MOT. Without this the artificial grass would always feel boggy underfoot.
9 tons of MOT -- why the over-spec on the subbase
Standard AG subbase is around 4-6 tons of MOT for a garden this size. We doubled it for Lisa because the underlying ground was so wet. The extra depth gives the water more vertical room to filter through before reaching the saturated subsoil.
3" x 2" timber surrounds -- the perimeter that keeps the grass tight
Treated timber surrounds nailed and pinned around the perimeter give the grass something to be tensioned against. Without them, the edges of artificial turf gradually lift and curl over the first year. We treat the timber against rot and pin it deep so it lasts decades.
Joining three pieces invisibly
AG comes in rolls of fixed width. Most gardens need 2-3 pieces joined. The trick is matching the pile direction across the join and using proper jointing tape and adhesive. Done right, you literally can't see the joins from a metre away.
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.
On Lisa's Westhoughton install: Josh, Kieran and Bradley led the build alongside Liam. Wolsten brings extended crew alongside the three founders when the work calls for it.
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.
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is well covered by our North West service area. We install artificial grass right across Lancashire -- 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 Westhoughton job took 4 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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