Patio drainage - Patio drainage

[cleavenjo]

I have just complete laying a kerb stone retaining wall in my garden. this is because i have created 3 different levels of lawn due to the fact that the lawn slope towards the house. i am about to lay my patio but am concerned about drainage. i obviousy can't have the patio drain away from the house as it would just pool against the retaining wall. can anyone help me and advise the best way forward please

cleave

[Mark B]

best idea if its possible would be to have a linear drain channel along the retaining wall and have the patio running towards the wall, the linear drain channel would need to be connected into the storm water run or similar

[Ted]

Agree with the above poster. Slope towards the retaining walll and incorporate drainage.

Don't make the patio slope towards the house. If you are going to go to all the effort of installing a new patio do it right. If/when you come to sell, you don't want a surveyor highlighting that the patio's drainage is a (potential) problem. You will do all that work and the buyer may say the garden needs to be redone completely 'cos of this and they may try and get the price down. Youu don't know what the market will be like when you come to sell.

It is only a bit more work and you will curse yourself if you choose the easy option and it comes back to haunt you later.

[cleavenjo]

Thank you for your advice. is it possible to have the patio slope towards the house and install the linear drain at the house end. this would make it really easy to run into the house storm drain and you do not see an unsitely drain on the patio

[Mark B]

it is possible to have it along the house wall see:

http://www.pavingexpert.com/drain06.htm

shows some detail into laying and with them being against the wall.

[dougr]

Hi. I've got a similar problem to the original poster, but unfortunately it's inherited.

We've got a house where the patio has been laid right up to the house. It's at the same level as the damp course (might even be above it slightly) and there is only about 5mm gap between the top of the patio and the vent bricks. The house is about 3.5m wide and there is a rain water drain at one end that provides the patio drainage. The patio has a slight fall towards the house.

(There's a picture here: http://www.redclock.net/tmp/DSC00040.JPG )

The question is, what can I do about this? Do I go to the trouble and cost of channelling or do I just cut the patio back from the house and and fill it with pea gravel? If the gravel, should I put some sort of drainage pipe underneath it?

[lutonlagerlout]

your slabs look to me to be 1 course beneath dpc,airbricks are noramlly on the course immediately beneath dpc,on older houses somethimes there is 2 dpcs,1 beneath the joists and 1 at finished floor level.
have you actually got water ingression??
150mm is optimun but if it aint broke dont fix it
cheers tony

[dougr]

Cheers Tony.

There are some damp marks on the wall on the other side of that airbrick, and some efflorescence coming through on a wall in the kitchen. (These rooms are next to each other, so it's the same external wall.)

The house dates from the 30's. There's no obvious difference in any of the bricks so the dpc isn't immediately obvious.

[bobhughes]

You might like to read this article on rising damp and DPCs.

[lutonlagerlout]

bang on, bob.
every time i get calle dout to look at "rising damp" 9 times out of 10 its a leaking union in a gutter or a dripping over flow causing the problem
also people love to block up airbricks "to save the heat"
false economy
great article though
cheers LLL

[earthwagon]

I'd appreciate someone responding to my question on drainage which was posted on 4 August under the topic "Soakaways in clay soil"

[lutonlagerlout]

i replied but there is a glitch with the forum and you cannot reply to topics started in the forum you started it in,tools and plant i believe
try reposting in the craic
cheers LLL

[bobhughes]

Earthwagon
I believe that "Soakaways in clay soil" are aka swimming pools.