The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:49 pm**

Hi,
I've got a bit of a drainage problem that's got me stumped,
hopefully a bit of pro advice will set me in the right direction.
I've been in the house for two years and the house has a patterned concrete drive at the front which slopes towards the back of the house, but also falls from right to left. PICTURE http://www.moggs.f9.co.uk/images/3.jpg
When it rains I get a large puddle in the corner at the left, and a smaller puddle in front of the door.
PICTURE http://www.moggs.f9.co.uk/images/2.jpg
These puddles cannot drain away due to the slope of the drive, so they slowly seep down the gap between the house wall (brick) and the driveway ( concrete).
The drive and the pooling have been there for some years and when I had need to lift some floorboards I checked the end of the joists in the bay window and inside the door, and in both areas they are damp and rotten.
The standing pools seem to be seeping through the brickwork rather than draining away, and I need to sort it before I renew the joist ends.
The house has a recently injected damp course which is one or 2 bricks up from the concrete ( you can just see the holes on the pictures)
I would very much appreciate any advice
regards Mick.

Posted: **Mon Apr 18, 2005 8:54 pm**

Bloody PIC - when it's installed properly, it's ok, but time after time after time it's NOT installed properly, and this is one of them jobs! Where's the drainage? Did the eejit contractor reckon water would flow uphill and run off down the main road?

Here's your original image scaled down to suit the size of this forum....

... which makes it pretty clear just what the problem is. You don't need to be a rocket scientist (or a civil engineer!) to figure out that this drive was bound to pool. S'flaming obvious, innit!

My solution isn't particularly simple or pretty, but it will work and can be done DIY at a pace to suit yourself. I propose installing a linear channel across the bay window and then down the side ginnel to connect up with the SW system that the grey Rain Water pipe is linked to.....

You can use a floor saw or a cut-off saw with a diamond blade to cut a channel in the concrete around 12mm wider than the channels. The channel should be tight against the house. Once sawn, lift out the unwanted concrete and dig down deep enough to accommodate the channels plus around 50-100mm of concrete bed. Install the channels 6mm or so lower than the existing PIC surface and connect them into the gully or whatever is down that ginnel. Don't worry too much about fall on the channels - as long as they have a teeny-weeny bit of fall TOWARDS the outfall point, they'll do the job.

Installation guidance for linear channels is given on the main website courtesy of our friends at Aco and KGC Paving

Posted: **Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:09 pm**

Tony,
many thanks for your reply, I considered that at one time but there's a 3 inch drop between the corner of the house by the door, and the far side of the bay window. How can I get the water to run left to right with the Aco laid level with the surface ?
regards Mick.

Posted: **Wed May 04, 2005 7:02 pm**

Mmm - that's bit more of a challenge!

One solution would be to cut a wider channel, one wide enough to accomodate an linear channel and one of the smaller tumbled block pavers. Install the linear channel so that bit is flat or only just falling to towards the disposal point and then use the small tumbled paver to accommodate the 'gap' between sawn edge and linear channel. Obviously, at the 3-inches-lower end, the channel would be only just lower than the existing PIC surface, while at the corner it might be 3 inches or thereabouts lower, but the paver blocks should help mask the problem in a safe and functional manner, by being sloped between PIC and channel.

You may find that you need to allow 200mm between edge of PIC and linear channel to effectively 'hide' or disguise the problem, but I reckon a tumbled block in a sympathetic colour would not look too out-of-place with that damned PIC.

The Brew Cabin

Concrete drive slopes wrong way