Small project

[dirty hands]

Started this a few weeks ago. Ive struggled to get anything growing well in this spot. It only gets a couple of hours of sunshine and didnt drain well. I dug out about a foot of clay and found sand underneath.

A down spout emptied there adding to the problem. I ran that underground to clean the visual look solve the water issue. I ran a 10 foot pipe with 2 sets of holes. Its intended to pick water and drain it away. I have a T at the end emptying over a 3x4ish hole filled with rock and the other end with 4 inch plastic grate. Im hoping any excess water will come out the grate and overflow at the downspout. It is lower than the downspout.

I used 2 ten footers hooked to a T in the middle that I will add another 10 footer and a drain pit to move the rest of the water away from the house. But I think removing the clay solved the problem.

I have 3 larger leaf hostas that Im thinking of using around the bay window. Not sure about the rest yet. There are a couple of exhaust vents by the side door that I have to consider. The furnace is the white one and the dryer comes out the grey basement window cover.

I still have more rock to move at the end and have to remove the rock i didnt need that came out of the area at the beginning of the project. I cant find any pictures of the before I started.

 

[Sheal]

That's a big job Dirty Hands. Did you create any form of soakaway with gravel or rubble under and around the drain? Or is the intention to let the water flow elsewhere?

Out of interest, you say you have a basement. I can't see a damp course between the lower two or three rows of bricks on your home. So is there one in the basement? Or is the risk of internal damp dealt with another way?

 

[dirty hands]

Im not sure on the damp course.
The clay was 2 courses of brick over the foundation and now the dirt goes to the bottom of the first course of brick.
I do run a dehumidifer in the basement all year.

I put gravel down and tamped it down. Then I wrapped the pipe with landscape fabric to keep out silt and covered with more gravel.

I have about a 4 foot extension off the T in the center that I havent decided what to do. I might just dig a pit and fill with rock and let it dump there or extend it out 10 feet and dig the pit there.

I put hostas in today and added more stone to finish that area. Im leaning on digging a pit where its at. Im tired and have other projects but I want it to work right.

 

[Sluggy]

Not sure about all that earth up against the brick work if there is no damp course as quoted by Sheal. We lived in a Victorian house in Edinburgh with a small patio at the back door. Six stone steps led up to the raised garden. High stone wall separating us from the terraced house next door with the same layout. Neighbour pushed back their patio to build an extension alongside and touching our common wall then tried to blame us for the damp seeping in through their new extension wall. Told them to get stuffed.

 

[Sheal]

I can't see a damp course dirty hands, but I imagine it must have been dealt with somehow when your home was built. I don't know how it would work with a basement.

I have about a 4 foot extension off the T in the center that I havent decided what to do. I might just dig a pit and fill with rock and let it dump there or extend it out 10 feet and dig the pit there.

I'd try it by leaving it at the length it is now and perhaps dig the end part into a 3ft cube, to create a little more space for drainage.

 

[dirty hands]

The house was built in 58. My walls dont get wet but if I dont run a dehumidifiers it gets up to 70% humiduty pretty fast. I can keep it at 40% if I hook a hose to the dehumidifier. It wont run constantly neither. I have it on a back wall not near where the work was done or near the sump so I dump it when I think of it.

I painted the inside wall where the work was done last year. The only issue was bugs getting in.

The homeowner before me tried raising the ground because he was having leaks into the basement. After he passed his wife had the roof fixed to sell the house. That was the cause of the water in the basement according to her.

I should do this all around the house but I probably wont. This area bugged me because it always flooded and I couldn't get anything to grow decent. And I saw the area every day. Its the last spot around the foundation that was ugly.

I was mostly concerned with the weep holes for the brick as far how high to refill. I saw it on a home remodeling show. I would lije to do the whole house and I will put the other downspouts underground but it would be a big undertaking to dig it all down.

 

[Sheal]

The house was built in 58.

You surprise me, the brickwork looks to be in good condition.

I can't give advice for your situation. Only older properties in Britain have basements as Sluggy suggested above with the Victorian house.

If what you have done works then perhaps it's something you can re-visit at a later time for the rest of the house.

 

[dirty hands]

Not sure about all that earth up against the brick work if there is no damp course as quoted by Sheal.

I figured the compost top soil mix will settle a little. Its really light and airy and if I go any lower it would be below the lawn and not look right to me. I really need to take about 6 inches or so off the lawn but thats not going to happen. Im just happy to get the clay soil off the brick there.

 

[dirty hands]

You surprise me, the brickwork looks to be in good condition.

The house is in very good condition. It was well built. We were very fortunate to find this when we did.

 

[dirty hands]

I finished off that T by just digging a hole and filling it with rock like Sheal suggested. I put some landscape fabric over the before filling it to help keep the silt out.
At the bottom of the whole was sand and gravel that should drain really well.

 

[Sheal]

Let's hope it solves the problem.

 

[dirty hands]

We had a strong storm with heavy rain that passed through yesterday. I noticed a little puddling around the rocks during the down pour. It was puddling in a bed too.

As soon as the rain slowed down the water disappeared around the rock but it took longer for the bed to drain so I would call the job a success.

 

[dirty hands]

And I dont get the crickets and spiders finding their way into the basement now neither. I was hoping for that but wasnt sure it would matter. It did.