Should I try recover lawn, or get fresh turf?

[Northerndandy]

I'm looking for some advice on what to do with my troublesome lawn. Should I try repair what I have or start again and re-turf? I'm new to the turf game so learning as I go.

Context:
I moved into our first home last November. The previous owners laid fresh turf to sell the house but they done a terrible job, it was left to dry out, resulting in patchy, uneven lawn. Over the course of the growing season in summer I tried my best to rescue what was left, I added top soil, and a layer of premium turf sand mix as well as a feeding and watering on the regular. It seems there's a variety of grass types growing. Some doing better in winter than others.

Due to the nature of the garden, sections of the lawn don't receive much sun due to a shed and bushes. You can see this in the pictures. I'm wondering If I should seed a more shade resilient grass in these sections, or start again completely with a better suited grass?
I understand it's not currently best growing season in Melbourne, but I need to make a call in preparation for spring. Also, I realise there's a load of weeds in there at the moment. I've been awway for 5 weeks so there hasn't been much care happening. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Northerndandy,

Since the existing grass appears to be Kikuyu, which is a sun-loving grass that tends to struggle in shaded areas, replacement might be the better long-term solution. 

While Kikuyu is hardy and fast-growing in full sun, it often thins out or dies off in low-light spots, leading to an uneven, patchy lawn. Restoration is still an option and may yield some improvement with regular care, but it’s likely to be an ongoing challenge in the shadier parts of your yard. 

Replacing the lawn with a more shade-tolerant variety such as Sir Walter Buffalo would give you a more consistent, low-maintenance result.  If it were my lawn, this would be my choice, but it's really up to you.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @mich1972 and @Adam_W to see what they think.

If you'd like to go with this approach, unfortunately, Sir Walter can't be grown from seed, so you would have to remove the existing lawn and lay down slabs.

Have a look at How to remove existing lawn and lay new lawn for some guidance on removing the existing lawn.

You can then use How To Lay Turf for some guidance on installing the new stuff.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Jacob

[Northerndandy]

Thank you for the prompt reply @JacobZ . I thought this might be the best direction, replacing completely, glad to validate it. I'll start planning my next steps!

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @Northerndandy 

You have had about a years worth of sun moving about on your yard, So you probarlly have a fair idea of teh areas that get some sun to lots of sun. Maybe install sme paved areas or mulched garden beds with shade tollerant bushes in the areas that only have shade most of the time. That way you dont need to redo all the yard?

It is interesting watching the sun move around the yard and also where it is most intense during peak summer.

Dave