The Brew Cabin

My house is very old (its G2 listed) and is a few feet from and lower than the road. When wet aqualplanes from lorries come from the road and gather in a small paved area (maybe 5 ft wide between the house and the road). This floods and then the water comes into the house. The 20 year flooding event has been every other year!! So I need to do something!
Talking with people I like the idea of a soakaway and sump pump. I'd need to move the water some 100ft to discharge it onto some common ground that drains well. The land is pretty flat around me.

My questions are:
1. I understand that according to building regs the soakaway cannot be less than 5m from the house. So how do I get the water from the flooded area (approx 5 ft x 15 ft) between road and house to that soakaway.
2. Then I need to pump out the water from the soakaway tank. I've read some excellent stuff about design. Given the outflow is to level common land is it ok to dig a trench and have the outflow horizontal/level or does it need a fall if its going to be pumped.
3. Is this the right approach anyway - are them other ideas I should consider!? Like silicon spray protecting the area so the displaced gallons cannot get in - but I dont want to create wall breathing/damp problems.

Thank you!

Hi Philip,

taking your Q's one at a time....


1 - 5m is a recommendation, and a good one, but there can be exceptions. However, you can divert the surface water from the area of flooding to the proposed soakaway by means of pipework. Install a gully at the low point in the flooded area and pipe it up to the soakaway.

2 - pumping from a soakaway (which would be more of a sump than a soakaway in this situation) can be uphill or flat. It matters not. :)

3 - I can't advise on the use of silicone weatherproofing to a listed building )or any other building!) unless I'm familiar with the site. You need advice from an on-site survey by a specialist water/weather-proofing company.

It sounds to me that you best bet is to install an interceptor drain of some form, maybe a linear drain, at the threshold of your property, that will catch any washback from the publich highway, and then to install a gully or similar at the low point in the area where water currently hangs. Pipe this to a soakaway, sump or other outfall as befits the site. If you are planning to discharge onto public/common land, you probably need consent from your local authority. A call to the Tech Services Department should help clarify the matter.