ᐅ Garden drainage during heavy rainfall, like recently experienced in North Rhine-Westphalia
Created on: 26 Jul 2021 18:02
T
Tarnari
Hello everyone,
I have a question that I can’t phrase very precisely. If more details are needed, please ask.
Recently, during heavy rain in NRW, we had the problem that so much water fell that it couldn’t drain away, and after a while, it looked like this:
Here from the garage door
and here from the first floor looking towards the adjacent kindergarten.
This is the lowest spot in the garden, which is why water collected there.
In the end, the water reached 25cm (10 inches) high at the garage door. Fortunately, the door was watertight, and a pump prevented worse damage. We were lucky that the rain eased overnight, otherwise, the water level might have risen up to the terrace.
The soil is unfortunately very clay-heavy, and the water collecting near the kindergarten in the second picture didn’t help either, as it eventually “connected” with our pool of water, turning two ponds into one large one.
Tomorrow, our landscaping contractor is coming to check how this could be at least partially controlled in the future. Currently, there is no drainage, no soakaway, no gravel bed—nothing.
The current idea from the architect and the landscaper is to remove the lawn, excavate the area with a mini excavator, fill it with gravel underneath, and additionally install a drain pipe in the damp-proof course towards the terrace, connecting it to the terrace drain and the roof downspouts.
Does that sound reasonable? We definitely need to do something, but we don’t want to waste money either. We are willing to invest if it helps. We assume that similar weather conditions will occur more frequently rather than rarely in the future.
I appreciate any tips or suggestions. As mentioned, if important information is missing, please just ask.
I have a question that I can’t phrase very precisely. If more details are needed, please ask.
Recently, during heavy rain in NRW, we had the problem that so much water fell that it couldn’t drain away, and after a while, it looked like this:
Here from the garage door
and here from the first floor looking towards the adjacent kindergarten.
This is the lowest spot in the garden, which is why water collected there.
In the end, the water reached 25cm (10 inches) high at the garage door. Fortunately, the door was watertight, and a pump prevented worse damage. We were lucky that the rain eased overnight, otherwise, the water level might have risen up to the terrace.
The soil is unfortunately very clay-heavy, and the water collecting near the kindergarten in the second picture didn’t help either, as it eventually “connected” with our pool of water, turning two ponds into one large one.
Tomorrow, our landscaping contractor is coming to check how this could be at least partially controlled in the future. Currently, there is no drainage, no soakaway, no gravel bed—nothing.
The current idea from the architect and the landscaper is to remove the lawn, excavate the area with a mini excavator, fill it with gravel underneath, and additionally install a drain pipe in the damp-proof course towards the terrace, connecting it to the terrace drain and the roof downspouts.
Does that sound reasonable? We definitely need to do something, but we don’t want to waste money either. We are willing to invest if it helps. We assume that similar weather conditions will occur more frequently rather than rarely in the future.
I appreciate any tips or suggestions. As mentioned, if important information is missing, please just ask.
kati1337 schrieb:
If excavation is necessary anyway, would it be possible to combine it with a rainwater tank? That way, you could at least collect some water for irrigation and might recover part of the investment over the years. Increasing the investment significantly just to recover part of it? Hmm... that usually doesn’t work out.
Why isn’t there any leverage against the daycare center? They have to manage their own water onsite. From your point of view, even a curb would be enough.
From my own frustrated experience (and that of other parents), I know how much hesitation there is about taking action against your own daycare. In reality, they can’t be just dismissed easily, and the child doesn’t go there forever—but you’ll still be living next door for several more years...
guckuck2 schrieb:
Increasing the investment massively to recoup some of it? Hmm ... that usually doesn’t work out.
Why no leverage against the daycare? They need to keep their water on their side. A curb would actually be enough (from your perspective).
From my own frustrated experience (and that of other parents), I know how hesitant you are to take action against your own daycare. In fact, they can’t just suddenly cancel, and the child won’t be there forever, but you’ll still live next door for several more years... As I said, the daycare is open to discussion. They also acted immediately when we asked them to remove nettles, thistles, etc., that were overgrowing through their fence onto our property.
We’ll see. At the moment, I’m confident we can find a solution together. Money can’t be the issue—they receive about €900 (about $980) rent per month from us and the neighboring properties 😉 *Irony off*
Per property.