Ideally yes, as when we had it, it looks nice against the decking and our house, but if the repair bill is to much then we’d have to rethink. That’s why I posted on here as there’s no doubt a lot of experienced gardeners and landscapers that could give us the best options of what to do and ideally get our lawn back, which I’m up for the challenge to do b
You need to have a little dig around and see what the soil / sub-soil is like Dean. Grass doesn't need a great deal to grow but poor soil conditions will always exaggerate the situation when challenging climatic conditions prevail such as the drought of last summer. Most lawns struggled and one with seemingly poor topsoil such as yours (assuming that is the case) suffered even more. You might find that the addition of some decent topsoil with a powered rotavator will suffice or you may find you need to remove material before adding new soil and possible drainage. You are treating the leatherjackets you have identified but will need to treat them again in the autumn. Worth checking they are definitely leatherjackets and not chafer grubs for example as they require different nematodes. You can probably hand dig out most of the weeds, ensuring you get the tap roots out of the dandylions etc. Then re-seed or turf. You can do both now but best be quick, especially if you chose turf as an option.
Thank you Dave, that's a great help. Due to the speed of the grass disappearing we were told it was leather jackets. To be honest I haven't checked so would need to find some pictures of both to identify what we have, then use the correct nematodes in the autumn.
As for the soil, I'm sure you are right in that we have a mixture of soils, so I need to establish whether I hire a rotavator and try to get some good topsoil in the ground to help with the drainage side of things, then get some decent strong grass seed down as soon as possible to try and have some sort of lawn come the warmer summer months. Obviously if we have heat like last year, no doubt the grass will suffer again, so it will depend on the elements. If I'm doing things the wrong way around, guidance would be gratefully received.
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I've never seen leatherjackets cause damage anything like on that scale.
As for the soil, I'm sure you are right in that we have a mixture of soils, so I need to establish whether I hire a rotavator and try to get some good topsoil in the ground to help with the drainage side of things, then get some decent strong grass seed down as soon as possible to try and have some sort of lawn come the warmer summer months. Obviously if we have heat like last year, no doubt the grass will suffer again, so it will depend on the elements. If I'm doing things the wrong way around, guidance would be gratefully received.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/how-to-prepare-the-ground-for-laying-turf/
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/maintain-the-garden/how-to-prepare-ground-for-a-new-lawn/
as well as websites such as lawnsmith.co.uk
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/topic/creating-new-lawn