The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Mon Apr 04, 2005 3:55 pm**

Hi all brewsters,
I'd be interested to know what you make of the following situation with my drive.

Here's some pics:

The driveway falls towards the house to drain at the gully by the garage door. However the gully appears to be seated a fraction too high to let the water run in. The result being that the water reaches the general area of the gully but sits there unable to drain, eventually seeping though any gaps in the blocks (the red 'X' above) to erode the bedding/base underneath. The result is blocks visibly falling below the drive level (BTW the silver object in the above pics is a 50p piece). You can also see the twist in the plastic grating/frame caused by the fall pulling the frame to one side.

I contacted the housebuilder to try and discuss the problem (they "fixed" this same problem 18 months ago although I suspect they simply did some rebedding, reset the blocks and put some new mortar by the grate). After speaking to the "nice lady" in the office her response was that the house is 4yrs old and so basically they aren't interested and I'm on my own! I mentioned the NHBC 10yr and she (reluctantly) agreed that "I could go down that route". Although I'd worry about the priority that they'd give this job and I'd probably end up waiting until they were ready to look at it - whenever that might be!

In terms of a DIY repair, would lowering/reseating the gully be an acceptable repair? If I do get the builder involved and he suggests this kind of repair should I accept, even though it's probably the quickest & cheapest fix for them. If I went via the NHBC could I insist on the installation of linear drain across the front of the garage, and would I be liable for any of the cost of repair?

Many thanks for your suggestions/thoughts or similar experiences!

Andy

Posted: **Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:47 pm**

Pics don't appear to be working, new address for pics:

http://community.webshots.com/album/314235238UWhMvb

Cheers
Andy
(http://community.webshots.com/user/ajbenn2)

Posted: **Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:24 pm**

Here are the images....

Posted: **Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:41 pm**

It's not so much that the gully is high but that the paving around the gully is settling because of poor backfill methodology at the time of construction and a half-hearted repair in the meantime. It would have been better if the gully had been positioned slightly lower, but it is set at 150mm below dpc so you've no chance of successfully arguing that it is too high.

It may be that water penetrating the joints has accelerated the settlement, but the key factor is that the gully and wall foundations were never properly backfilled and prepared prior to the paving being laid. The area has settled: that has opened up the paving joints and prevented surface water finding its way into the gully, and so the settlemnt is accelerated.

I would suggest that you give the builder 10 working days to effect a proper repair otherwise you get a written quote from a paving contractor for them to carry out the repair and pass on the bill to the original builder. Put this in writing, mentioning their obligations under the NHBC warranty, and send it recorded delivery to their Head Office. Send a copy to the NHBC, too.

If they bat themselves about, it should take no more than a couple of hours and 20 quid's worth of materials (if that!) to sort out this problem once and for all. The paving can be taken out, the gully dropped by 10mm or so, properly compacted backfill put in place, and the paving replaced. However, to get another contractor to come and do this, when it isn't their work in the first place, I would not be surprised to hear prices of 150 quid and more.

As for a linear channel, I can't tell which way the pavement falls, but it looks as though a simple channel across the threshold would be a sound idea. However, if you ask the original builder to do this, they would be within their rights to charge you, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they factor in the cost of the repair that is their responsibility when presenting you with the bill.

If the original builder carries out the repair, it would be fair for them to charge around 50 quid per metre to supply and install a linear channel. If you bring in your own contractor, get them to price the repair work only, which is sent on to the builder/NHBC, and then ask them to give you a supplementary price to install 3 metres of linear channel. Final option: if you install the channel yourself, it should cost no more than around 50 quid in total!

The Brew Cabin

Driveway drainage & sinking blocks! - Effecting repair, diy or nhbc...