getting rid of a lawn?

[Jules001]

My mum is getting older and is finding it more and more of a struggle to carry on the upkeep of her lawn, mowing and disposing of the local cats' doings etc. We have suggested that it might be better to gravel over the lawn area and put some filled pots etc on top of the gravel. She is happy with this idea and the family are going to get together to carry out the work, but my question is should we dig up the lawn first, or can we just put some weed control membrane down and then put the gravel on top of that?

[heathfield]

Weed control membrane does not stop grass from growing. The points of the leaves are small enough and sharp enough to penetrate the fabric. You could use damp-proof membrane (DPM) as used by house builders.That woukd stop any plant growth, but you'd have to think about where any resulting rainwater runoff would go.

[chas2008]

how big is the lawn?..if its not major i would be using a top notch weedkiller or maybe pathclear on it first..

[Naomicorlett]

just a warning that friends of mine used gravel and then the local cats used it as a large litter tray!! They gave up and paved it in the end.

[sddsddean]

We did this at my Mother in laws a couple of years ago. It would be better to get rid of the turf if you can, but this doesn't have to be back breaking. You can hire turf cutters at your local hire shop. Admittedly, you then have to get rid of the turf as well...maybe hire a small skip?

[Jugglering]

I'd echo what the others have said above... the local cats would adore gravel - it would be their latest, newest, fabby litter tray !

Here's a suggestion instead - build up a few raised beds (say in brick and mortar, with a few gaps left in the mortar for weepholes), fill with the existing soil and plant up your mum's favourite plants in those. Hard landscape the rest of the garden (Tegula setts give an instant *old* look). Those raised beds could also contain a few of her favourite herbs or veg and be at just the right height in future years when she has a bit of trouble bending over.

[Jules001]

thanks everyone, I think we will dig up the existing lawn before going ahead. When I said gravel, I meant more stone chippings, reasonably big pieces rather than small pieces, so I hope this won't be as attractive to cats :)