@Taffeta we do get flooding here. we get more droughts here but we can also get heavy rain too. the rain tends to come all at once. i do worry about drainage with DIY projects. i know that was a big reason I read that astroturf grass (which some people have
) can cause drainage issues. i'm not interested in that at all. it also looks weird when the "grass" is bright green while everyone else's is brown.
i mainly want to get rid of grass because it didn't grow in well to begin with since it was put in right before we went into a drought. it's a lot like what you described, BC. mostly thin and prickly with lots of weeds. there are a lot of areas where the grass didn't take at all. the side yards get muddy when it rains and we track in a lot of dirt. i would like to create a shade garden with a bench. it might be our backyard project for next spring. changes will be slow because we're doing it ourselves