Garden Design with Low Retaining wall

[Richini]

Good evening,

 

Is anyone able to offer some advise on a landscaper / garden designer for our garden in Bristol?

 

Alternatively open to ideas if anyone has some good ones. We've basically got a patio with huge drainage issues, leading on to a raised lawn. A couple issues here being the raised lawn is up against the wall on our out building which I'd like to reduce and there are no steps up the raise lawn (approx. 30cm). 

 

My rough plan is to:

- raise the man hole to the same height as the lawn, and fill around. 

- take raised lawn back away from the building, and install a drainage channel all the way across

- install central steps up to raised lawn.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Temp]

Your two thread are likely related. 

 

https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/33522-whats-going-on-with-this-brickwork/#comment-493044

[Temp]

Does the patio have a decent fall on it away from buildings and where does it drain to?

 

We have something similar in our garden to your proposed solution. We have a brick retaining wall about the same height. There is a French drain on the uphill side of the wall and a linear drain on the lower/patio side. Seems to work OK. Will try to post a drawing later.

 

 

[saveasteading]

  On 03/06/2023 at 21:47, Richini said:

huge drainage issues

Expand  

More info on this please.

What are the issues?

 

Presumably the water goes away eventually. Where to?

[Richini]

Thanks for the replies, the patio area is made up of a 1m wide concrete path and a patio area in the middle.

The patio area appears to have sunk over time, and basically acts as a reservoir when it rains, slowly draining through the joints.

 

[Richini]

I'm starting to suspect the concrete slab is too high against the brickwork? see picture showing it just below the air brick 

[saveasteading]

Such a common problem, and water simply pours through the air brickinto the house.

 

I think you know the solution.

Break it all out, use even textured stone to hold rain until it soaks away. Gully down the middle and slab to a slope.

Finished level well below any air bricks and dpc.

 

 

[Richini]

Ok thanks. Is it 75mm below the air brick we should aim for? Can't actually see the damp proof course, but assume there will be one? House is from 1968.

[saveasteading]

At least 75mm but that us usually ok. Keep looking for the dpc.

[Temp]

This is roughly what we did. the plastic sheet and french drain on the uphill side seems to keep enough water out of the wall that moss doesn't grow on it.

 

The top of the wall was/is capped with same stone used for patio but some sections have come loose over 15 years. Perhaps no SBR used?

 

The armoured cable for wall lights has potted junction boxes one per light.  

 

 

The Paving Expert web site is also good for all things related. They have a slightly more robust design..

 

https://www.pavingexpert.com/featur03#retain

 

 

Perhaps bookmark their site index.

 

https://www.pavingexpert.com/pavindex

 

 

 

[Richini]

Brilliant thanks, great information. Spend a lot of time reading through the paving expert site, thanks.