How can I fix this back yard lawn? Need your suggestions please

ppp

Attaching current state of the garden. 
I did not maintain well and everywhere weeds and I think it is easy to start fresh garden now( remove everything and start from zero) with seeds or beds. 
I tried to search through articles but confused where to start & how.

I just want to make it a simple garden with less maintainance. Please guide me where can I start and what tools I need to hire?

Thanks

EricL

Hello @ppp 

Thanks for sharing your question about repairing your lawn. I suggest having a look at this guide - How to detect lawn problems by @Adam_W. The guide should help you with identifying what's going on in your lawn.

You have three options available to you. 

First, you do a repair and rescue, this involves removing all the weeds in the lawn and revitalizing the soil and lawn for regrowth. I suggest having a look at this discussion - Lawn renovation by @homeinmelbourne. It is one of the best comprehensive turf repair and rescue projects I've seen. 

Second, remove everything and start from scratch. This will require you to remove both weed and lawn manually. This serves as the perfect opportunity to remove deep seated weeds and remove any stones or rocks in the soil. Once the area is prepared, you can put in the necessary fertilizers to enrich the soil.

Here is a handy step-by-step-guide: How to lay turf

Third, remove everything and put on some artificial turf. Among the three this would be the one with the lowest maintenance. However, low maintenance does not equate to no maintenance, it will still be necessary to top up the sand cover and periodically disinfect the artificial grass. I also suggest having a quick look at this discussion - Side yard revamp with artificial grass by @homeinmelbourne.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to lay synthetic turf

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric