We have just moved to a new rented house and the yard is a complete mess. Letting agency were useless and we were delayed moving in by 4 weeks, so asking them yet again to clear the garden before we moved in was pointless. Anyway it was filled with anything and everything, like a dumping ground really, and a heap of soil in one corner. We have cleared it out and are stuck for what to do with it. Its very uneven with bare patches of mud here and ther some stone flags, some tarmac! concrete and plaster in certain places. With the terrible weather and winter drawing in soon my house is a mess, I simply cannot keep the floors clean and the mud splatters are everywhere. Its exrtremely cheap crappy laminate that attracts the slightest mark and im at my wits end.

I need an inexpensive way of covering this 5x4metre yard. the grate is in one corner and i want the water to drain into here, when i hose down the poo and wee, or hose the muddy dogs. My best idea is concreting the whole thing with a channel round the edges sloping towards the drain. How much would this cost and would i have to pick axe the uneven surface (i have a bad back) or could it just be poored on top?

Thankyou

Honestly the letting agents should not expect you to do it!! I would slope it as flat as I could towards the Drain (Grate? or gate?) then like I said before grab some old carpets from the dump lay then pile side down cover with a few bags of gravel or scalp's and thats that. Have you used freecycle? you join up and get rid of what you dont want and grab what others offerred it all free, you may be able to get some paving slabs, bricks, pots and plants and get sorted really cheaply. just transport to pick the stuff up.

Or go to a local builder they often have damp course membrane rolls of it cheap use that in stead of carpet, cut holes for some big plants and it stops all weeds. We often have OAP's calling in here for a bit of wood some screws ect.. (Im not saying your an OAP but it usually the older people that hve the balls to come in and ask, were happy saves dumping it all in a skip) Take back a cake a day or so later you will be in for life!!

Skips are about £160 a time anyone else in your area want to shift any rubbish - then send all receipts to your agent and tell them that you want a refund out of your deposit!!